Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps

Authority

Stace, C. A. & Alwan, A.-R A. 2010. Combretaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 107: 1-369. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family

Combretaceae

Scientific Name

Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps

Type

Type. India (lectotype, selected by Merrill in Interpr. Herb. Amb. 5: 390 (1917), "Quis qualis in Rumphius, Herb. Amboin. 5: 71, t. 38. 1747). There are other syntypes in Hort. Ciffort. and in LINN (553.1), each selected by authors more recent than Merrill.

Synonyms

Quisqualis indica L., Kleinia quadricolor Crantz

Description

Species Description - Woody scrambling liana (to tops of tall forest trees in Asia); stems twining, sometimes with infra-axillary spines to 1.5 cm derived from old petioles; combretaceous hairs and stalked glands present. Leaves opposite or more or less so, chartaceous, 2-19 × 1.8-9 cm, elliptic to ovate, or obovate- or oblong-ovate, tapered-acute to acuminate at apex, broadly cuneate to rounded or subcordate at base, often minutely verruculose along all veins, especially on veinlets abaxially, very sparsely to densely pubescent, especially abaxially and on veins, with stalked glands frequent on veins abaxially and sparse adaxially but usually very inconspicuous. Venation eucamptodromous or eucamptodromous-brochidodromous; midvein moderate, prominent; secondary veins 4-10 pairs, moderately spaced to distant, originating at moderately acute angles, curved along length or straight proximally, fairly prominent; intersecondary veins rarely present; tertiary veins regularly to irregularly percurrent, slightly prominent; higher order veins distinct; areolation imperfect, slightly to scarcely prominent. Petiole 0.2-1.6(-2) cm, sparsely to densely pubescent, with sparse to frequent stalked glands, sometimes disarticulating at varying distances above base which remains to become spine next season. Inflorescences usually simple, terminal on terminal or axillary leafy stems, sometimes loosely grouped together in racemes of spikes, more or less corymbose due to longer hypanthia of lower flowers; each spike 1.5-12.5 cm, slender, Its axis pubescent to densely so and with sparse to frequent stalked glands; the flowers each with a conspicuous leafy bract to 1 × 0.3 cm at lower nodes or sometimes with a foliage leaf at the lowest node. Flowers pentamerous, (30-)45-85 mm; lower hypanthium (3-)5-7.5 mm, with pedicel-like proximal region 0.4-1 mm, narrowed to neck distally, densely pubescent. with stalked glands very sparse to frequent; upper hypanthium (25-)38-78 mm, narrowly tubiform and ca. 1.5-3 mm wide for most of length, slightly flared to usually very ill-defined distal infundibuliform region ca. 10% of total length, 3-5.5 mm wide at apex (sepal insertion), pubescent to densely so outside, with sparse to frequent stalked glands, glabrous inside; calyx lobes triangular to narrowly so, (1-) 1.4-3.5 mm, patent to reflexed, acute to tapered-acute at apex, pubescent to densely so on both surfaces; petals 5, 9-20 × (3-)6-13 mm, oblong-obovate, rounded, retuse or irregular at apex, far exserted and patent at anthesis, pubescent on both surfaces; stamens 10, included to just exserted, inserted at two very distinct levels, with filaments 1-7.5 mm; disk absent; style 42-80 mm, fused to inner wall of upper hypanthium for most of length, free for distal 10-15 mm, exserted slightly further than stamens, glabrous, with distinct capitate stigma; ovules 2-4. Fruit 2.3-5 × 0.75-2 cm, elliptic to ovate in side view, rather abruptly tapered at base to pseudostipe 1-4 cm, gradually tapered distally to beak to 7 mm, densely pubescent and with frequent stalked glands at first but becoming subglabrous with age, with 5 strong narrow and sharp-edged ridges often extended into wings to 0.25 cm wide, sometimes tardily dehiscent along 5 lines alternating with the ridges. Stalked glands variable in form, 32-160 µm, with stalk absent, or with uniseriate stalk up to 6 cells long and 40 × 15 µm, or with multiseriate stalk to 110 µm long, with subglobose head ca. 32-50 µm across and composed of many untiered cells. Reproductive biology. Flowering most months of the year, mostly March to September in the Northern Hemisphere. Fruits are rare on herbarium sheets, and often also in nature; fruiting starts before the end of the flowering period. Flowers various colors, selected by horticulturists, but mostly they open white in the morning and develop redness as the day progresses. Some forms remain pale pink, while others become deep red, purple, violet, or even variegated white and red; the white flowers often dry to yellow. The flowers are sweetly scented and this and the very long narrow hypanthium must indicate pollination by hawkmoths, despite the absence of observations even in Asia. The spike of flowers opens acropetally over a long period and is very conspicuous due to the large colored petals and the corymbose nature of the spikes.

Discussion

Uses. Much used as an ornamental throughout the tropics. In Asia extracts from leaves, fruits, seeds, or roots are used as a vermifuge (Exell 1954).

Distribution and Ecology: An escape from cultivation, but only marginally naturalized, in hedges and marginal ground at 0-800 m. Observations such as in gardens and adjoining fields” are frequent. Scattered throughout tropical and subtropical America, especially in the West Indies and Central America bu also in South America, south to at least Bolivia, mainly in and near towns. Most sheets do not make it clear if the specimen was cultivated or from the wild; hence no map is provided, as one would show only a very incomplete scatter of mainly cultivated plants. Native in tropical Asia, probably from India east to New Guinea.

Common Names

Saint Cecilia, Rangoon creeper

Distribution

Pará Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Puerto Rico South America| Jamaica South America| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines South America| Tamaulipas Mexico North America| Guerrero Mexico North America| Sinaloa Mexico North America| Chontales Nicaragua Central America| Rivas Nicaragua Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Bocas del Toro Panamá Central America| Francisco Morazán Honduras Central America| Chinandega Nicaragua Central America| Granada Nicaragua Central America| León Nicaragua Central America| Managua Nicaragua Central America| Beni Bolivia South America| Cayenne French Guiana South America| Central Paraguay South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Nueva Esparta Venezuela South America| Valle Colombia South America| French Guiana South America| La Habana Cuba South America| Saint Ann Jamaica South America| Saint Thomas Jamaica South America| Samaná Dominican Republic South America| Villa Clara Cuba South America| Florida Puerto Rico South America| Maunabo Puerto Rico South America| Antigua and Barbuda South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America|