Calliandra macrocalyx Harms
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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
Holotypus infra sub var. macro- calyce indicatur.
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Description
Species Description - Subarborescent shrubs 1-5 m with terete, almost straight branches, pilose nearly throughout with ascending and subappressed gray hairs to 0.6-1.5 mm but the annotinous and older stems glabrescent, the lvs bicolored, dull dark olivaceous and either smooth glabrous, or microscopically red-brown-papillate, or thinly pilosulous above, paler and either subap- pressed-pilose or exceptionally glabrous beneath, the stout peduncles and perianth of fls more densely pallid- or brown-pilose-tomentulose overall, the capitate units of inflorescence arising singly either from the axil of few furthest primary lvs, or terminally very shortly pseudoracemose, or borne exceptionally at nodes of axillary brachyblasts, the individual fls proportionally massive and thick-textured. Stipules firm, becoming stiff-papery, brownish, finely striate, the blades (linear-)lanceolate or triangular-ovate-acuminate, including lf-spur 4.5-10 x (1-)1.3-3.4 mm, persistent or tardily deciduous. Lf-formula ii-iv(-v)/15- 23(-25); lf-stk of longer lvs (0.7-)1^4- cm, the petiole including discolored pulvinus 3-16 mm, at middle 0.5-1 mm diam, the ventral groove bridged at insertion of pinnae, the longer interpinnal segments 3-9 mm; pinnae scarcely graduated, the longer ones (1.8-)2-4(-4.5) cm, the longer interfoliolar segments ±1-1.5 mm; lft-pulvinules 0.3-0.5 x 0.3-0.7 mm; lfts distally decrescent or subequilong, the blades narrowly oblong or rhombic-oblong from shallowly semicordate or obliquely subtruncate base, deltately acute, the longer ones 4-11.5 x l-1.2(-3.7) mm, 2.7-4.1 times as long as wide; midrib straight or gently incurved near apex, simple or weakly 1-2- branched above middle on posterior side, forwardly displaced to divide blade ±1:1.5-2.5, 1-2 posterior primary nerves sometimes perceptible, all venation prominulous only dorsally, immersed or nearly so ventrally. Peduncles 12-29 mm, bracteate above middle, the bract deltate-ovate or broad-lanceolate 2-6 x 3-6 mm, resembling a stipule in texture and striation; capitula 4-6-fld, the fls appearing subsessile, homomorphic, the hemispherical or depressed-pyramidal receptacle <2 mm; bract of outermost fls resembling peduncular bract but smaller and caducous, that of terminal fl wanting; pedicel (often differentiated only in vertical dissection of fl) turbinate 1.5-3 x 2-5 mm; perianth either 4- or 5-merous, densely brownish- or pallid-silky-tomentulose overall; calyx at full anthesis 7.5-15 x 7-12 mm, the coriaceous walls nearly 1.5 mm thick in section, the teeth usually deltate or depressed-ovate ±1.5-4.2 mm, but in var. aucta lance-acuminate 9-10 mm; corolla (10-) 14-21 mm, the lobes (disregarding indumentum) 3.5-9 mm; androecium 5-9 cm, 64-185-merous, the coriaceous stemonozone 3-8 mm, the tube 6-9 mm, the tassel at first white, rubescent; no intrastaminal nectary; ovary sessile, at anthesis densely white-villous-tomentulose. Pods ±8-11 (-16) x (0.75—)1—1.9 cm, the lignescent valves densely tomentose; seeds (few seen) in broad profile obtusely rhombic, to ±15 x 11 mm, the testa light brown, smooth, pleurogrammic.
Relationships - Systematically important features of C. macrocalyx are bracteate peduncles, very large silky-tomentose flowers, and coriaceous perianth and stemonozone. The inflorescence-type and bracteate peduncles suggest much closer affinity to sect. Androcallis than to compatriot species of sect. Calliandra. A mature fruiting specimen (Ganev 548, HUEFS) from 1220 m near Catolés in Chapada Diamantina has the massive, densely velutinous perianth of C. macrocalyx combined with foliage suggesting C. bahiana; it could perhaps be of hybrid origin.