Calliandra laxa (Willd.) Benth.
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Authors
Rupert C. Barneby
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Authority
Barneby, Rupert C. 1998. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: A generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part III. Calliandra. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74: 1-223.
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Family
Mimosaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Typus infra sub var. laxa indicatur.
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Description
Species Description - Arborescent shrubs, ordinarily fertile at 2-15 m with trunk to 2 dm dbh but exceptionally attaining 25 m with trunk 4 dm dbh, the stout long-shoots mostly plagiotropic and the short-shoots usually ± extended or only loosely thatched, the young stems, lf-axes (at least along ventral ribs, usually all around) and peduncles pilosulous with either straight ascending or incurved hairs to 0.25-0.8 mm, the bicolored lfts either dark olivaceous or (especially at maturity) dove-gray above, paler brownish beneath, all either fully glabrous, or glabrous ciliolate, or thinly papillate-pilosulous on either face, or softly pilosulous overall, at maturity chartaceous and either plane or low-convex ventrally, the incipiently umbelliform capitula either solitary or geminate, arising mostly from nodes of developing lateral short-shoots but sometimes from the axil of primary lvs; phyllotaxy distichous. Stipules of firm texture, those subtending primary lvs lanceolate or lance-ovate 2.5-8(-10) x 1-3 mm, either acute or obtuse, at least when young coarsely 6-13(-15)-nerved but often smooth and blanched in age, those of short-shoots commonly smaller, broad-lanceolate, ovate or triangular-deltate, all persistent but commonly tattered in age. Lf-formula iii—v(—vi)/(8—)9—29; lf-stk of primary lvs and of larger lvs on brachyblasts 2.5-9.5(—11) cm, that of some brachyblast lvs (no further mentioned) shorter, the petiole including fuscous pulvinus (8-) 10-34 mm, at middle 0.6-1.8 mm diam, the longer interpinnal segments 4-18(-24) mm, the ventral groove bridged; pinnae distally accrescent, the rachis of furthest and penultimate pairs (3-)4—10.5 cm, the longer interfoli- olar segments (1—)2—10(—12) mm; lft-pulvinules 0.4— 1.3 x 0.45-0.9 mm, cross-wrinkled; lfts subequilong or slightly either ac- or decrescent distally, the blades (often variable in outline and dimensions between lvs of one branch) oblong or oblong-elliptic, less often ovate-oblong or broad-linear, from shallowly semicordate or inequilaterally rounded base, either broadly obtuse or less often deltately subacute, the longer ones (4-)5.5-21(-23) x 1.7-8 mm, 2-5.3 times as long as wide; venation of mature blades immersed or shallowly impressed ventrally, finely prominulous dorsally, the nearly straight midrib displaced to divide blade ±1:1.5-2, ±3-6-branched on posterior side, the inner posterior primary nerve either incurved- ascending to or even beyond mid-blade or weak and obscure, tertiary venules faint or imperceptible. Peduncles 0.6-6(-6.5) cm, ebracteate; capitula 9-23- fld, the hemispherical or shortly claviform receptacle 1.5-2 x 1.5-3 mm, the fls either homo- or heteromor- phic, 1-3 (sub)terminal ones often slightly broader but not or scarcely longer than the peripheral ones but their androecium modified into a far-exserted white trumpet; bract subtending outermost fls minute (<0.9 mm), caducous, the inner fls ebracteate; pedicel of peripheral fls sometimes perceptible only in section but usually externally discolored, 0.3-1.2 x 0.6-1.2 mm; perianth submembranous, greenish-white, yellowish, or red-tinged, the nerveless or weakly 5(-10)-nerved calyx usually glabrous or only very thinly pilosulous above middle, 5-merous, the corolla 5-merous or by adherence of one or two pairs of petals 4- or 3-merous, usually thinly appressed- or ascending-pilosulous, exceptionally glabrous; PERIPHERAL FLS: calyx narrowly campanulate or turbinate-campanulate 1.4-2.6 (-3) x 1.1—1.8(—2.2) mm, the obtuse, dorsally convex teeth 0.3-0.55(-0.8) mm; corolla 4.5-8.5 mm; androecium (8-)10-18-merous, 26-41 mm, the stemono- zone 0.8-1.8 mm, the whitish tube 3.3-6.6 mm, the tassel pink or crimson; intrastaminal nectary 0; ovary at anthesis either glabrous or villosulous; TERMINAL FL(S): perianth broader than that of peripheral fls but hardly longer; androecial tube 13-22 mm, at orifice dilated to 3-4-.5 mm diam; intrastaminal nectary to 0.9 mm tall. Pods in broad view 9—16(—17) x 1.1-1.6 (-1.7) cm, the sutural ribs in dorsal view 4—5 mm wide, glabrous or early glabrate, the recessed woody valves coarsely sinuously transverse-venulose, either glabrous or thinly pallid- or brownish-pilosulous; seeds in broad view ±10-14 x 5.5-10.5 mm, the loose testa papery fragile brown, lacking pleurogram.