Rollinia
-
Authority
Maas, Paulus J. M., et al. 1992. Rollinia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 57: 1-188. (Published by NYBG Press)
-
Family
Annonaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Type
Type: R. dolabripetala (Raddi) R. E. Fries, selected by Pfeiffer, Nomencl, bot. 2(2): 984. 1874 (as Anona dolabripetala Raddi). The genus is named in honor of Charles Rollin (1661-1741), French historian.
-
Synonyms
Rolliniopsis Saff., Rollinia dolabripetala (Raddi) R.E.Fr., Rolliniopsis discreta Saff., Rollinia leptopetala R.E.Fr., Rollinia rufinervis Triana & Planch., Rollinia centrantha R.E.Fr.
-
Description
Genus Description - Shrubs or trees (very rarely lianas). Leafy twigs terete, lenticellate, densely to sparsely covered with white to ferruginous, erect to appressed, simple, sometimes furcate to stellate hairs, soon becoming glabrous in many species. Leaves distichous, simple, entire, petiolate, estipulate. Lamina most often elliptic to ovate, chartaceous, sometimes coriaceous, base acute to obtuse, apex acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse, upper side sparsely to less often densely covered with erect or appressed, frequently crisped, simple to rarely stellate hairs mainly along primary and secondary veins, commonly to 0.2-1 mm long, lower side densely to sparsely covered with erect to appressed, simple, less frequently furcate to stellate, straight to less frequently (in erect hairs) crisped, white to brown hairs commonly to 0.2-1.5 mm long; primary vein impressed above; secondary veins curved to straight, between 5-35 on either side of the primary vein, angles with primary vein generally (30-)40-70(-80)°, flat to slightly raised above, loop-forming mostly under the apex only, occasionally in the apical fourth to apical half, rarely not forming loops, the distance between loops and margin 0-3(-4) mm; tertiary veins percurrent to reticulate, prominulous to flat above; domatia occasionally present in axils between primary vein and secondary veins, as little, mostly inconspicuous pockets. Inflorescences mostly supra-axillary or leaf-opposed, occasionally sub-axillary, rarely terminal rhipidia or (in occasional floriferous specimens) pleiothyrses of 2-3 rhipidia, the rhipidia 1-4-flowered, or sometimes producing more flowers on sympodially elongating rachis. Inflorescences in foliate zone, in some species frequently at or near the base of freshly grown lateral branchlets. Indument of inflorescences (including fruits) consisting of simple, occasionally furcate to stellate hairs to l(-2) mm long; peduncles, pedicels, outer side of bracts and sepals, and outer petals densely to sparsely covered, sometimes becoming glabrous; fruit the same, but often becoming glabrous. Peduncles generally very short, rarely reaching 5 mm in length, or absent. Pedicels short, stout, to rather long and slender, with basal articulation. Bracts normally two per pedicel, the lower bract below the articulation, the upper bract above the articulation, inserted near the base to halfway up (or beyond) on the pedicel. The bracts generally small, caducous or persistent. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, mostly colored green, yellow, or white, rarely red in vivo. Perianth not opening widely, trimerous, with one whorl of sepals and two whorls of connate petals, the corolla tube enclosing stamens and carpels. Sepals valvate, triangular to ovate, to broadly or shallowly so, free or sometimes connate, much shorter than the petals, herbaceous, mostly appressed, persistent until after anthesis. In various species the sepals are keeled to gibbous on the dorsal side. Corolla tube globose, dark red within in vivo. Petals fleshy, valvate. Outer petals with wing-like appendage on the dorsal side, the wings generally ovate-oblong to ovate-elliptic, (mostly) ascending when young to horizontal, rarely recurved when mature, mostly strongly flattened on the sides, occasionally rather thick and humplike. Free part of the inner petals often largely hidden by the outer petals, triangular, deltate to cordate. Torus depressed ovoid to triangular-oblongoid, glabrous or hairy. Stamens oo, in spiral, free, with very short filament, anther four-celled, extrorse, connective with discoid, small apical prolongation. Carpels mostly 8, in spiral, free, glabrous or hairy, one-celled with one basal ovule, stigma sessile, ellipsoid, oblongoid or obdeltoid. Fruit syncarpous, apocarpous or partly so in few species, globose to ellipsoid, green to yellow, rarely orange or red in vivo, fleshy when mature, composed of few to ca. 300 carpels, the wall 0.2-6 mm thick, areoles (pentagonal or) hexagonal or indistinctly marked, flat to protruding, then pyramidal, pulvinate or merely mucronate, or free part of carpels (in ± apocarpous species) ellipsoid or oblongoid. Seeds often large, ellipsoid, glabrous, sometimes provided with a rudimentary aril. Chromosome numbers: 2 n = 14, 28, 42, or 56.
-
Distribution
Forty four species distributed all over the Neotropics, only a few of which occur in the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America, however.