Serjania dumicola Radlk.
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro. 1993. Systematics of Serjania (Sapindaceae) Part I: A Revision of Serjania Sect. Platycoccus. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 67: 1-91.
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Family
Sapindaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. BOLIVIA. Larecaja: Close to Sorata at Mansamani stream, in thicket, 2650 m, Feb-Mar 1860 (fl, fr), Mandon 775 (lectotype, F, here designated; isotypes, F, G, G H , K, MPU-2 sheets, NY- 4 sheets, PI)
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Description
Species Description - Semi-woody climber to 3 m long. Stems slender (less than 1 cm in diam.), glabrescent, reddish brown or gray, obtusely triangular, with three major ribs, die young stems sharply angular, with five ribs, the sulcus densely covered with minute (0.5 mm), whitish, erect hairs; cross section of stem with large central, obtusely 5-angled stele and three smaller, elliptic peripheral steles slightly included in the central one. Stipules deltoid or subulate, 1-1.5 mm long, with same indument as stem. Leaves bitemate, all axes densely to sparsely covered with minute (0.5 mm), erect, whitish or yellowish hairs; petioles not winged, sub-terete, adaxially furrowed, (1-)3-5 cm long; main rachis margined, sub-terete, adaxially furrowed, 2-3.2(-4) cm long; secondary rachises sub-terete, adaxially furrowed, 1-1.5 cm long; leaflets chartaceous, obtuse, acute or acuminate, mucronate at apex, the terminal leaflet larger, 3-9 x 1.5-4(-5) cm, ovate or lanceolate, with attenuate, abruptly attenuate or truncate base, the lateral leaflets 2.5-6 x (0.8-) 1.7-3.5 cm, oblong or lanceolate, with rounded and oblique base, sessile, the upper surface glabrous to sparsely covered with minute (0.3-0.5 mm), whitish or yellowish, inflexed hairs, the veins sparsely or densely covered with same indument, the lower surface lighter (whitish), sparsely covered with whitish, erect hairs 0.5 mm long, especially on veins, the margins ciliate, revolute, remotely and acutely serrate, the teeth glandular-mucronate (glands acute), the veins semicraspedodromus, the primary vein slightly prominent underneath. Inflorescence usually longer than subtending leaves, densely covered with same indument as stem; axis 3.5-10 cm long, twining, 4-angular, rachis 1-9(-14) cm long, slightly flattened and angular, bracts and bracteoles subulate, 1.2-1.5 mm long; drepania(-cincinni) alternate, the peduncle 0.5-2.6 cm long, 3-8-flowered; pedicels 1.7-3(-4) cm long, slightly flattened, articulate at middle, with a bracteole at base. Flowers with sepals 5, minutely ciUate at margins, woolly, sometimes with white, inflexed, 0.1 mm long hairs, obtuse at apex, the outer sepals 1.5-2.2 mm long, ovate, the inner sepals 2.5-3.5 mm long, elliptic or ovate, the third and fifth free; petals white, spatulate or obovate, clawed, rounded at apex, 3-4 mm long, with minute papillae on adaxial surface; appendages ca. 3 mm long, with densely haiiy margins, the central ones hoodshaped. With fleshy crown-shaped apex, the lateral ones not fleshy, asymmetric, with outer side bent over disk glands; disk glands four, the central glands ovate in outline, pericUnally flattened, ca. 1 mm long, the lateral glands elUptic and smaller, adnate to the slightly enlarged torus; filaments flattened, sparsely covered with inflexed, white, 0.2 mm long hairs, the anthers 0.7 mm long; ovary spatulate in outUne, densely covered with yellowish, inflexed hairs 0.2 mm long, the style with same indument as ovary, the stigma papillose. Fruits oblong in outline or sUghtly wider at base, 2.2-2.7 cm long, notched at apex, subcordate at base; locule flat, not winged, with dark, sUghtly prominent, reticulate netv/ork of veins; wing glabrous, with outline slightly constricted below locule; partitioning walls to 2 mm wide. Seeds lenticular, dark brown, 4-5 mm long; embryo with adaxial cotyledon biplicate and the abaxial cotyledon bent over.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution and Phenology. Serjania dumicola is known by a few collections from the Bolivian department of L a Paz (Fig. 32). It has been collected in thickets or open areas with shrubby vegetation rom 2400 to 2700 m elevation. It flowers from December to June and fruits from February to June.
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Discussion
Figs. 1c; 10a; 11d; 13a, c; 33a-i Field observations. The stems of S. dumicola produce a watery (not milky) exudate when cut and the inflorescences are pendulous. Serjania dumicola resembles S. leptocarpa but differs from it by its smaller flowers and fruits, whitish erect (vs. inflexed and yellowish) pubescence, acute glandular-mucronate (vs. obtusely glandular) teeth, mucronate apex, and obtusely triangular mature stem (vs. sharply ribbed). In overall morphology, S. dumicola is very similar to S. communis. However, S. dumicola has wider fruits with an oblong outUne (vs. sUghtly constricted below the locule), the third and fifth sepals are distinct (vs. connate along most of their length), and the cotyledons are biplicate (vs. straight). Serjania dumicola might represent a vicariant species that evolved from populations of 5. communis after the uprise of the Andean highlands. The name dumicola means "dweller in thickets" and refers to the habitat of the species.