Dorstenia drakena L.

  • Authority

    Berg, Cornelius C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and (Moraceae): With introductions to the family and and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83: 1-346. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Moraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Dorstenia drakena L.

  • Type

    Type. Mexico. Veracruz: Veracruz, Houstoun s.n. (holotype, BM).

  • Synonyms

    Dorstenia mexicana Benth., Dorstenia crispata S.Watson

  • Description

    Species Description - Herb, (sub)acaulescent; stem at least partly subterranean, minutely puberulous to subglabrous; internodes short. Leaves in spirals, rosulate; lamina ovate, sometimes to suborbicular, reniform or subhastate-subsa-gittate, (2.5-)8-22(-30) × (2.5-)4-22(-30) cm, (2 × 2-4) pinnatilobed to -parted, with 2-4 lobes at each side, sometimes the incisions down to the midrib, the midsegment often lobed, sometimes the lamina only 3-lobed or almost entire, chartaceous; apices of the lamina and its segments acuminate to rounded or to acute; base cordate to subcordate, or sometimes to truncate, the lamina decurrent along the upper part of the petiole with narrow or lobate wings; margin ± irregularly crenate-dentate (to subentire); upper surface scabrous to scabridulous, sparsely puberulous to hirtellous or to strigillose; lower surface scabridulous (to smooth), with minute, ± retrorse, uncinate hairs and longer straight or curved hairs, often confined to the veins; lateral veins 4-8 pairs, furcately branched and terminating in the margin; tertiary venation subscalariform to reticulate; petiole (1.5-) 4-16(-24) cm long, 1-2.5 mm thick, retrorsely puberulous to hirtellous; stipules ovate, 0.2-0.8 cm long, minutely puberulous. Inflorescences with the flowering face entirely green, green with a red or purple fringe, or entirely red or (dark) purple; peduncle (2-)4-24 cm long, puberulous with retrorse uncinate hairs to hirtellous with straight to curved, patent to somewhat retrorse hairs; receptacle eccentrically attached, discoid, flat, obovate to elliptic or to suborbicular in outline, (0.5-)1-3.5(-5.5) cm long, 0.5-3(-3.5) cm broad, the outside minutely puberulous to sparsely hirtellous, the margin entire or sometimes slightly lobed or crenate, the fringe 0.5-1.5(-2) mm broad; bracts in 2-3 rows, 1 row on the margin, 1-2 rows on the fringe, appressed, ovate to elliptic, 0.1-1.2 mm long, pubemlous; staminate flowers numerous, peripheral and among the pistillate flowers; tepals 2, with minute subglobose hairs; stamens 2; filaments longer than the perianth; stigmas ± unequal in length, 0.2-0.8 mm long. Endocarp body 2-2.2 × 1.5-1.8 mm, ± tuberculate.

  • Discussion

    Dorstenia drakena shows striking similarities to D. contrajerva in the variation of the vegetative parts, but the variation patterns of the two species are not quite similar. Dorstenia drakena is a variable species, even very variable, if material of which the identity is not quite certain is included, as in the present treatment. Some collections from Guatemala (Verapaz: Tuerckheim 310 and 11.2207 and Wilson 277) and two collections from El Salvador (La Libertad: Villacorta et al 1107; and Sonsonate: Standley 22335) have distinctly lobed receptacles. Judging from the shape of the receptacle, the broad fringe and the presence of a broad zone of peripheral staminate flowers, these collections probably belong to D. drakena. Although in D. contrajerva the fringe of the receptacle is usually very narrow and the pistillate flowers occur near the margin of the receptacle, several collections of this species-collected in Guatemala (especially in Peten), Mexico (especially in Veracruz and Yucatan), as well as some from Belize and El Salvador- have a relatively (to 1.5 mm) broad fringe of the receptacle and a ± distinct zone of peripheral staminate flowers. Therefore, the collections mentioned above might represent an extreme of D. contrajerva. Another possibility to be considered is hybridization between D. contrajerva and D. drakena.

    Another peculiar form (see Fig. 60.2-4) is represented by the collections Dieterle 4060 and McVaugh 19148, 19149, 19214, 20261, 20262 and 21205, made in Mexico in the States of Jalisco and Nayarit. These collections are characterized by suborbicular to broadly ovate receptacles, being often ± lobate and having a narrow fringe and radiating (marginal and submarginal) bracts. Material with transitional features is not present among the collections studied. The distinctness of these inflorescences makes the position of the collections (which in other features match the normal D. drakena) dubious. It suggests the possibility of their recognition at the specific level. The extreme variation and plasticity occurring in Dorstenia species restrain me from creating a new taxon. More material and fieldwork are needed.

    A third form (see Fig. 59), however, certainly belonging to D. drakena, is represented by the collections Hinton 5078, McVaugh 20376, 20377, 20378, 24518, and Wilbur et al 2420, from Mexico, the States of Jalisco and Mexico. The receptacles have a crenate (and partly slightly lobate) margin. In other features they match normal D. drakena. The collections have been made at 1200-1800 m, in oak forest, and might represent a separate subspecies. Establishing such a taxon at this moment appears to be futile considering the extreme variation in the species and the problems still to be solved.

    The material described as Dorstenia crispata (see Fig. 60.1), but gradually passing into normal D. drakena, is represented by several collections, mainly from Mexico, the States of Guerrero, Jalisco, and Mexico. The plants are often relatively small, have thick rhizomes, and the lobes of the lamina are rounded (or acute) at the apex. The flowering face of the inflorescence in this form is often purple or reddish.

  • Distribution

    From Mexico to southwestern Costa Rica (Guanacaste and Puntarenas); in shade, in various types of ± dry forest or scrub, in Mexico often in oak forest, often in rocky places, also in secondary growth; to ca. 2000 m.

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