Dorstenia flagellifera Urb. & Ekman

  • 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 flagellifera Urb. & Ekman

  • Type

    Type. Haiti. Massif de la Hotte, Morne Rochelois, nr. Miragoana, 18 Jul 1927, Ekman 8635 (holotype, S; isotypes, B, GH, P).

  • Synonyms

    Dorstenia hotteana Urb. & Ekman

  • Description

    Species Description - Herb, with the stem rhizomatous, creeping, 1-3.5 mm thick, hirtellous; internodes predominantly long, the stem parts with short internodes ± tuberous. Leaves in spirals, spaced to rosulate; lamina peltate, (broadly) ovate, 1.5-5 × 1-3 cm, chartaceous; apex acute to rounded; base cordate to rounded; margin subentire to (finely or coarsely) crenate or crenate-dentate; upper surface sparsely, but near and on the margin more densely, puberulous to hirtellous or subhirsute; lower surface hirtellous with rather soft straight and uncinate hairs; venation pinnate; lateral veins 4-6(-7) pairs; petiole 1.5-17 cm long, puberulous to hirtellous, mainly with straight hairs; stipules triangular, to 0.15 cm long, uninervate, puberulous to hirtellous. Inflorescences greenish or at least the margin of the receptacle purplish; peduncle 1.5-9 cm long, puberulous to hirtellous; receptacle centrally attached, discoid, (suborbicular in outline, 0.4-1.1 cm diam., the outside puberulous to hirtellous, the fringe to 0.5 mm broad, with minute club-shaped hairs; bracts in (2-)3-4 rows on the margin and the fringe or also below the margin, appressed or the marginal ones ± radiating, lanceolate to ovate, to 1 mm long, puberulous; staminate flowers intermixed with the pistillate ones; tepals 2; stamens 2; filaments longer than the perianth; stigmas ± unequal in length, 0.2-0.3 mm long, whitish (?). Endocarp body 0.6-0.7 mm diam., distinctly tuberculate.

  • Discussion

    The species is rather uniform. It is reminiscent of D. nummularia in the inflorescences (shape and bracts) and flowers (unequal stigmas and short style). It is distinct in the predominantly long intemodes. In the vegetative parts D. flagellifera largely matches D. fawcettii.

  • Distribution

    In Haiti, known only from the Massif de la Hotte; on steep rocks, in shaded places; to 400 m.

    Haiti South America|