Theophrasta americana L.

  • Authority

    Ståhl, Bertil. 2010. Theophrastaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 105: 1-160. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Primulaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Theophrasta americana L.

  • Type

    Lectotype, here designated, a copy of a drawing by Plumier in the  Codex Boerhaavianus, the Library of the Rijksuniversiteit, Groningen.

  • Synonyms

    Theophrasta fusca Decne., Theophrasta jussieui Lindl.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub or treelet to 2 m, sometimes taller; stem to ca. 5 cm diam., densely to sparsely puberulous, with coarse spines to 11 mm long. Leaf blades oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 13-55 x 3.5-10 cm, base usually short-attenuate or truncate, apex obtuse or rarely acute, margins with (15-)25-60(-70) teeth per side, each to 6(-11) mm long, surfaces between vein-lets striate; subepidermal fiber bundles 50-120 cells thick; petioles 3-7 mm long, 3-9 mm thick. Racemes 3-7 cm long with 15-35 flowers, erect and crowded, pedicels 2-8.5 mm long; bracts with free part 2-4 mm long. Calyx lobes broadly ovate to ovate, 2.5-4 x 3-5.5 mm. Corolla tube 4.5-7 mm long, lobes very broadly ovate, 3.5-7 x 3.5-6 mm, irregularly bullate above; staminodes smooth or faintly papillose, surface eventually more irregular. Filaments 2-3 mm long, anthers 2-3 mm long, apical appendages 1 mm long. Ovary with 50-90 ovules in 5-7 rows, style ca. 2 mm long. Fruits 20-45 mm diam., sometimes with slightly tapering ends, pericarp thin and brittle, smooth or often faintly pitted. Seeds 5-40(-65), 6-11 (-14) mm long.

    Distribution and Ecology - Throughout the island of Hispaniola (Fig. 17), in seasonal, semievergreen or almost evergreen forest from near sea level to 800(-1000) m. Flowering Apr-Jun; fruiting throughout most of year.

  • Discussion

    Deherainia matudae lacks long, brownish trichomes and, therefore, is easily distinguished from D. smaragdina. However, young branches are usually furnished with short-stalked, capitate trichomes, which are similar to those of many species of Jacquinia (e.g., J. arborea), except that the cells are considerably more thin-walled. The foliar sclerenchyma is arranged in well-defined bundles, which differ from those of D. smaragdina in being more or less isodiametric (not laterally flattened) and somewhat immersed in the mesenchyma (not adjacent to the epidermis).

    Since my treatment of Central American Theophrastaceae (Stâhl, 1989), Deherainia iageniformis was described from Costa Rica. However, the detailed information and excellent illustration in the original publication (Gómez-Laurito & Zamora, 1998) suggest that the Costa Rican population is better treated under D. matudae. The most important, distinguishing characters, i.e., the vaguely spinulose leaf apex and the large, ovoid fruits, are features characterizing the genus as a whole. This conclusion was also reached after examining a paratype, Haber et al. 11234, from the same population as the type.

  • Common Names

    coque molle, guayabillo, guayaba cimarrón, guayaba de indios, guayaba sylvestre, guayaba de monte

  • Distribution

    Nord Haiti South America| Sud Haiti South America| Pedernales Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Plata Dominican Republic South America| Samaná Dominican Republic South America| El Seibo Dominican Republic South America| La Altagracia Dominican Republic South America| Hato Mayor Dominican Republic South America| Nord-Ouest Haiti South America| Sud-Est Haiti South America|