Dorstenia rocana Britton

  • 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 rocana Britton

  • Type

    Type. Cuba. Las Villas: Río Cupeyales, Banao Mtns., 5 Aug 1918, Bro. León & Roca 8092 (holotype, NY).

  • Synonyms

    Dorstenia tricolor Urb. & Ekman

  • Description

    Species Description - Herb, with the stem rhizomatous, 0.3-2 mm thick, minutely puberulous with straight and uncinate, sometimes retrose hairs; most internodes short, the stem parts with short internodes often ± tuberous. Leaves in spirals, rosulate; lamina peltate or basally attached, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 1-2 × 1-2 cm, chartaceous; apex rounded, sometimes to obtuse; base in peltate leaves rounded, truncate to subcordate, in non-peltate leaves cordate; margin subentire to (coarsely) crenate, sometimes slightly revolute; upper surface minutely puberulous with rigid hairs, denser near the margin, or hirtellous to subhirsute with straight hairs; lower surface sparsely puberulous with straight and uncinate hairs or hirtellous to subhirsute with straight and uncinate hairs; venation pinnate with 1-3 pairs of lateral veins, to almost radiate; petiole 1-4.5 cm long, minutely puberulous and/or hirtellous with retrorse straight and uncinate hairs; stipules (narrowly) triangular, to 0.15 cm long, uninervate, acuminate, puberulous. Inflorescences with the margin of the receptacle and flowering face (partly) purple or purplish; peduncle 0.7-4.5 cm long, ± retrorsely and minutely puberulous and/or hirtellous with straight and uncinate hairs; receptacle slightly eccentrically attached, deeply cup-shaped, (sub)orbicular in outline, 0.2-0.4 cm diam., the outside puberulous to hirtellous, the fringe to 1.5 mm broad, with minute puberulous club-shaped hairs; bracts in ca. 3 rows below and on the margin, appressed, ovate, to 0.5 mm long, puberulous; staminate flowers mostly peripheral; tepals 2; stamens 2; filaments 2 times as long as the perianth; stigmas unequal in length, 0.1-0.2 mm long, whitish (?). Endocarp body 1-1.2 mm diam., tuberculate.

  • Discussion

    Dorstenia rocana is distinguished by its deeply cupshaped receptacle. The uniformity in the features of the inflorescence is the reason to disregard the presence of both peltate and basally attached leaves as an important differentiating character in the genus.

  • Distribution

    In Cuba; on rocks or coral reefs, in shade; at low elevations.

    Cuba South America| Las Villas Cuba West Indies|