Gouania lupuloides (L.) Urb.
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Rhamnaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Liana 5-12 m long, profusely branching along main stem; twigs nearly cylindrical, glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Leaf blades 4.5-7.5 x 2-4 cm, ovate to elliptic, chartaceous, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, the apex acute to shortly acuminate, the base rounded to nearly cordate, the margins remotely serrate; petioles 0.5-1.5 cm long; stipules 2-3 mm long. Flowers in terminal racemes on short axillary branches, the axes sparsely pubescent, 5-10 cm long. Calyx pubescent to densely pubescent without, the sepals ca. 1 mm long, triangular, glabrous and greenish within, persistent in fruit; petals yellowish, ca. 1 mm long, narrowed at base; stamens slightly shorter than petals; disk ca. 1 mm high. Schizocarp 5-7 mm long, 3-winged, splitting into 3 trigonous, indehiscent mericarps. Seeds 3-4 mm long.
Distribution and Ecology - A common vine of open disturbed areas, such as roadsides and secondary forests. Bethany (B327), Susannaberg (A3812). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Tortola; throughout the West Indies, southern Horida, southern Mexico to northern South America.