Jacquinia armillaris Jacq.

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Theophrastaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Jacquinia armillaris Jacq.

  • Type

    Type. Colombia. Bolívar: Cartagena Bay, Tierrabomba Island, 4 Nov 1926, E. P. Killip & A. C. Smith 14117 (neotype, US, designated by Stahl, 1992, p. 55; isoneotypes, NY, S).

  • Synonyms

    Jacquinia revoluta Jacq., Jacquinia brasiliensis Mez, Jacquinia mucronulata S.F.Blake, Chrysophyllum barbasco Loefl. ex A.DC., Jacquinia arborea Vahl

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub or small tree to 6 m, sometimes taller; young shoots and branchlets grey to light brown, densely lepidote, trichomes with short stalks of 1 or 2 cells and few- to many-celled, subglobose to more or less flattened heads. Leaves usually distinctly pseudoverticil-late, straight, light green when dried; blade obovate to oblanceolate, sometimes broadly obovate, 2-7(-9) x 0.8-3(-4) cm, coriaceous and rather tough, 0.35-0.6 mm thick, glabrous, base attenuate, apex obtuse or rounded, sometimes acute or retuse, often with a rigid spine to 0.5(-1) mm long, sides sometimes somewhat recurved from midvein, margins more or less revolute; midvein prominent beneath, slightly impressed or level with leaf surface above, lateral veins usually rather inconspicuous; lower surface striate, upper surface vaguely striate or smooth; extraxylary sclerenchyma arranged in distinct bundles 5-40 cells thick, abaxially separated from epidermis by 2-4 mesophyllous cells, adaxially adjacent to a 1-layered hypoderm; crystals abundant throughout blade; petiole 1-3 mm long, glabrous. Racemes solitary with 3-10 flowers; rachis 0.5-3(-4.5) cm long, 0.5-1 mm thick, glabrous or lepidote in axils and at nodes; bracts 0.5-1.2 mm long, inserted at nodes or fused to pedicels for 1-2 mm; pedicels 6-12(-15) mm long. Calyx lobes very broadly ovate or suborbicular. 1.8-2.5 x 2-3 mm, margins recurved in fruit, ciliate. Corolla yellowish white to white, urceolate; tube (3.5-)4-5.5 mm long, exceeding calyx by 1.5-3.2 mm; lobes broadly oblong, (2-)2.8-3.5(-4) x 2-3 mm; staminodes broadly ovate, 1-2 x 1.2-2.5 mm, rounded or retuse at apex. Filaments 1-2 mm long, glandular-punctate; anthers 1.2-2 mm long. Pistil 2.8-3.8 mm long; ovules (30-)50-90 in 3-5 rows. Fruits reddish orange, nitid, subglobose, 6-10(-13) mm diam., pericarp 0.2-0.4 mm thick, surface smooth. Seeds 1-3, subglobose or more or less flattened and elliptic to orbicular, 3-5 mm long, brown.

    Distribution and Ecology - Lesser Antilles, N South America, and E Brazil including Fernando de Noronha Island (Fig. 52) in coastal thickets, dry scrub forests, and open deciduous forests from near sea level to 800 m (to 250 m in Lesser Antilles). Flowering Aug-Mar but mostly Nov-Jan; fruiting Feb-Oct.

  • Discussion

    Jacquinia armillaris is distinguished by its broad, obovate leaves; lax, few-flowered racemes; ciliate calyx margins that are recurved in fruit; and the white to yellowish white corolla. It is similar to J. arborea and J. keyensis.

    For a detailed discussion of nomenclature, see Stahl (1992).

  • Common Names

    barbasco, chaparro, picayure, barbasco montañero, barbasco matapescado, torchwood, pimenteira

  • Distribution

    Atlántico Colombia South America| Bolívar Colombia South America| Guajira Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Anzoátegui Venezuela South America| Aragua Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Carabobo Venezuela South America| Falcón Venezuela South America| Lara Venezuela South America| Miranda Venezuela South America| Sucre Venezuela South America| Zulia Venezuela South America| Alagoas Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Ceará Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Fernando de Noronha Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Antigua and Barbuda South America| Montserrat South America| Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis South America| Saint Barthélemy South America| Saint Martin South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Nueva Esparta Venezuela South America| Guadeloupe South America| Martinique South America| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines South America|