Mollia gracilis Spruce ex Benth.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1978. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part X. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 29: 1-288.

  • Family

    Malvaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Mollia gracilis Spruce ex Benth.

  • Description

    Species Description - Small tree, about 25 ft high; twigs blackish, slightly hairy; leaf stalk 3-5 mm long, blades ovate-elliptic or oblong, about (4-)5-7 cm long and 3-4 cm wide, margin crenulate, base rounded to vaguely contracted, cuneate, apex shortly acute or acuminate, lateral nerves 3(-4) pairs, the basal pair sometimes more strongly developed than the others and reaching to halfway the leaf margin, with distinctly whitish tufts of hairs in the axils of the lateral nerves with the midrib and also the axils of some tertiary whitish dots, on lower face scales only slightly more numerous, at equal distances on nerves and veins; flowers in fascicles of 2-5, pedicels 2-3 cm, buds elongate, 10-15 mm, calyx lobes up to 15 mm long; corolla greenish white, lobes 25 x 0.7 mm, up to 30 x 2-3 mm, stamens in phalanges, outer phalanges with 15-20 stamens, tubular, except near the apex, to 25 mm long, inner more numerous, to 20 mm long, ovary lepidote-tomentose; fruit more numerous, to 20 mm long, dark brown slightly flattened, about 2-5 cm diam, only once collected so far (Maas & Kubitzi P13182). Seeds (Schunke 6540) flat, rounded at the edges, boat-shaped in cross section, 1 cm wide, 4 mm high, thin membraneous, embryo 4 x 2 mm, situated in one corner.

  • Discussion

    8. Mollia gracilis Spruce ex Bentham, Jour. Linn Soc. Bot. 5(suppl 2): 59, 1861; Schumann in Martius, Fl. Bras. 12(3): 151. 1886; Baehni, Candollea 5: 424. 1934; MacBride, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Bot. 13: 428. 1956. Type. Near Tarapoto at the base of the Andes. Peru. Spruce 4949 cited by Baehni (1934) from Berlin and Delessert herbarium. Seen at BM and K.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. A small tree of non-inundated forests in the Amazon basin of Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, altitudes up to 400 m , flowering Oct-May. COLOMBIA. Amazonas: Trapecia amazonico, Loretoyacu River, Oct 1946, fl, Schultes & Black 8431, 8456 (F); Vaupes: vicinity of Rio Ocoa road to San Martin, Oct 1945, fl, Paul H. Allen 3361 (MO, US). VENEZUELA. Amazonas: Rio Orinoco, 10 km below San Fernando de Atabapo, 1 May 1959, fl, Silverio Level 56 (NY); just above Tama-Tama, 22 Jun 1959, fl,

    Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America|