Rourea surinamensis Miq.

  • Authority

    Forero, Enrique. 1976. A revision of the American species of Rourea subgenus Rourea (Conaraceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 26 (1): 1-119.

  • Family

    Connaraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Rourea surinamensis Miq.

  • Description

    Species Description - Small tree or woody vine; branchlets terete, glabrous, lenticellate. Leaves imparipinnate l(-2)-jugate, rarely unifoliolate; petiole 1-7 cm long, glabrous; rachis 2.5 cm long (rarely obsolete), glabrous. Leaflets 3.5-15 cm long, 2-7 cm broad, elliptic, rigid-coriaceous, shiny and glabrous above and below, the apex acuminate, the base obtuse, the margin revolute; petiolule 0.4-0.6 cm long; venation reticulate, prominulous or plane above, prominulous below; lateral veins 6-9 pairs, diverging from midrib at angles of 50°-70°, anastomosing clearly near margin. Inflorescence paniculate, axillary to pseudoterminal, the rachilla 6-10 cm long, glabrescent; bracts large, 0.2-0.4 cm long, carinate, pilose. Pedicels articulate, 0.2-0.6 cm long above articulation, glabrous; sepals 0.2 cm long, 0.15 cm broad, ovate-lanceolate, glabrous without, tomentose within, the apex barbate, the margin ciliate; petals 0.3-0.5 cm long, 0.15 cm broad, glabrous, free; stamens 10, five short ca. 0.15 cm long, five long ca. 0.25 cm long, the tube very short; anthers globose; ovary pilose, ca. 0.1 cm long; style 0.25 cm long, base pilose; stigma two-lobed. Fruit 1-1.2 cm long, glabrous; peduncle 0.2-0.6 cm long; calyx in fruit 0.5 cm long, glabrous, the lobes 0.1-0.2 cm long. Seed 0.8 cm long, 0.5 cm wide; arilloid 0.4 cm long; testa under arilloid smooth.

  • Discussion

    Rourea glabra H.B.K. var coriacea Baker in Martius, Fl. Brasil. 14(2): 182. 1871, pro parte quoad exsiccata Poiteau s.n. (visa); Sagot 1374 (non visa) tantum. Holotype examined (U): Suriname, “ad ripas flumine Maipuribi.” A. Kappler 1969 fl. Sep. w/o date. Isotypes examined (C, G, P, S). Local names. “Bejuco Lis Gómez,” “Luis Gómez” (Dominican Republic); “Bejuco garroti” (Puerto Rico); “Bruinhart tee,” “Bruinhart-tété” (Suriname). This widely distributed species is remarkably constant in its morphological characters. It can easily be distinguished by its trifoliolate (rarely unifoliolate or 2-jugate) leaves, and by its rigid-coriaceous, glabrous and shiny leaflets with revolute margins. The leaflets are usually much larger than those of many species (5.5-15 cm long, 2.7-7 cm broad, or occasionally larger). Rourea surinamensis is most closely related to R. glabra, from which it differs in the above characters; furthermore, R. surinamensis replaces R. glabra in the Antilles from Haiti to Trinidad.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. From Haiti through the Lesser Antilles to the Guianas and adjacent Venezuela. Occurring in various habitats, from forest to savanna, and on lateritic and sandy soils, from sea level to approximately 1000 m.

    Haiti South America| West Indies| Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Rico South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America|