Disciphania domingensis
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Authority
Mori, S. A. 1987. The Lecythidaceae of a lowland Neotropical Forest: La Fumée mountain, French Guiana. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 44: 1-190.
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Family
Menispermaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Twining vines with the habit of D. nesiotes, the young growth thinly setulose with stiff, spreading, lustrous hairs up to ± 0.5 mm long, the petioles at apex and the veins of the leaves beneath permanently pubescent, the stems glabrate, smooth, channeled; petioles 3-8 cm long; leaf-blades membranous, dull olive-green above, pallid beneath, in outline suborbicular-cordate 7-11 cm diam, the narrow or nearly closed basal sinus 2-3 cm deep, palmately 5-lobed, the lobes separated by obtuse sinuses recessed ± half way to the petiole, the middle lobe ovate- or obovate-acuminate, the basal lobes oblique, sometimes obscurely angulate or incipiently 2-lobulate, the whole palmately 5-nerved, the main nerves slender but prominent both sides, the secondary venation fine or faint, the reticulation lax and open, the ultimate areoles much >1 mm diam, inflorescences ([male] and [female]) axillary, solitary, shortly pedunculate, the densely setulose peduncles 1-2.5 cm long, the main axis of the [male] 2.5-5 cm long, that of the [female] seen only in immature state, but apparently similar; flowers slender-pedicelled, borne (l-)2-3 together on short (1-2 mm) branchlets of the second order; pedicels of [male] flower 4.5-6 mm long, those of the [female] apparently shorter, the [male] subtended by linear-oblanceolate, membranous, setulose bracts 4-5 mm long, ± 1 mm wide; flower [male]: sepals 5.5-6 mm long, 4.3-5 mm wide, the 3 outer broadly rhombic, the 3 inner ovate beyond a shortly cuneate claw, all submembranous, setulose externally, connate through ± 1.5 mm into a shallow cupule, thence rotately spreading; petals 6, scarcely 1 mm long, all free from each other but adnate through half their length to the opposed sepal and there fleshy, channeled ventrally, abruptly expanded in the distal half into a broadly low-triangular, submembranous, extrorsely bent blade a little wider than long; stamens ± 1.5 mm long, the filaments linear beyond the slightly dilated base, erect and then abruptly incurved at apex, the prominulous thecae introrsely connivent, prominulous, 0.45 mm long, collateral on the ventral side, separated dorsally by a narrow connective; flower [female]: sepals and petals almost as in the [male] but the sepals smaller, 2.5-3.5 mm long, ± 2.5 mm wide; ovaries glabrous; drupe unknown.
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Discussion
Type. “Hab. in Haiti prope Marie Congo (Minerve) in sylva aprica 1000 m., m. Aug. flor.: Buch no. 1440 . . (holotype, formerly at B, destroyed; isotype, IJ!). This extraordinary Disciphania, representing a type not previously admitted to the genus, is still poorly known. The type-collection has good staminate flowers; the only other material is a fragmentary specimen with much broken leaves and poorly dried pistillate flowers difficult to study. The fruit, unfortunately, is wanting. In general habit of growth D. domingensis resembles the west-Mexican insular D. nesiotes; in texture, coloring, and outline the leaves are remarkably alike. The staminate flower of D. nesiotes is pedicellate, as is that of D. domingensis, but the resemblances end at that point. The inflorescences of D. domingensis are composite, the flowers borne two or three together on branchlets of the second order which are not over half as long as the pedicels themselves. The sepals are like those of sect. Sarcostephana in outline and dimensions, but of comparatively thin texture, and united at base into a deeper bowl-shaped disc which recalls that of sect. Taubertia. The petals are more like those of sect. Sarcostephana than any, but not crowded into a pseudodisc. Their fleshy claw is fully adnate to the opposed sepal and expanded distally into a small, submembranous blade of low-deltate outline expanded backward and outward over the sepal behind it. The filaments are linear above a somewhat dilated base, very different in type from that supposed by Diels to be characteristic of Disciphania, although not radically different from that known in sect. Taubertia or sect. Meximenium. While D. domingensis rests uneasily in Disciphania because of its composite inflorescence, there seems to be no feature of the flower which does not occur elsewhere in the genus, although in different context. Until the fruit is discovered the species must be accommodated in Disciphania, but its generic position can only be confirmed when the endocarp becomes available.
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Distribution
Open woodlands up to 1000 m, collected in flower in April and August, known only from two localities on Hispaniola, one in Haiti the other in Dominican Republic. Calbassier zombie (W. Buch). HAITI: Mare Congo (type). DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: near Monteada Nueva, fl. [female], Jiménez, Marcano & Julia 4630 (NY).
Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America|