Raveniopsis stelligera var. plicata R.S.Cowan
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett & Wurdack, John J. 1960. The botany of the Guayana highland--Part IV. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10: 1-37.
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Family
Rutaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Latin Diagnosis - A var. stelligera foliolis lateralibus rotundatis vel obtuMs et apiculatis, 3 cm long-is vel brevioribus, calyce 5 mm longo, lobis reflexis in costa, lato-ovatis vel plus minusve oblongis, acutis, lobis 2 maioribus 4 mm latis, late ovatis, 3 minoribus 2-2.5 mm latis, oblongis usque oblongo-lanceolatis, petalo adaxiali late ovato, ca. 3.5 mm longo et lato differt.
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Discussion
Endemic to the summit of Serrania Yutaje between 1300 and 2000 m elevation in woodland thickets and in open rocky savannas.
As is indicated in the varietal key, these varieties are separated principally by the differences in the proportions of the calyx in addition to a geographic disjunction; the plicate condition of the sepals is a striking difference separating var. plicata but it is not completely constant and hardly specific in importance. The difference in the shape of the adaxial petal in the two varieties is also worth noting, but it is mostly a matter of width.
When I originally described this species I included it in the genus Galipea, but it cannot belong there, as I presently interpret that genus, because of the form of the corolla and calyx. The sepals in individual flowers of material of the typical variety are not so dissimilar as they are in var. plicata and, for that matter, in most of the species of Raveniopsis and at the time of the original description of this species I ignored the small differences.
This species is one of three with the stellate type of pubescence; in this one and in R. tomentosa the hairs are dendroid-stellate. The branches of the hairs are more or less equally distributed along a main axis in that species; in R. stelligera the branches are rather closely aggregated on the lower part of the main axis and the greater part of the axis is naked of branches and drawn out into a sharp, rather rigid point. This similarity in pubescence types and the form of the corolla limb suggests relationship with R. tomcntosa, but in general habit R. stclligera is nearer R. trifoliolatn, a species which is very different in the inflorescence, calyx, and type of pubescence.