Tabebuia insignis var. monophylla Sandwith

• Authority

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

• Family

  Bignoniaceae

• Scientific Name

  Tabebuia insignis var. monophylla Sandwith

• Description

  Variety Description - Small or large tree to 35 m. Leaves simple, elliptic, acute to shordy acuminate, the base rounded or very broadly cuneate, 14-25 cm long, 6-10 cm wide, endre, coriaceous to subcoriaceous, lepidote above and below, the secondary nerves conspicuous and raised below, drying olive or grayish olive, the main veins contrastingly darker below; pedole 2-7 cm long, lepidote. Inflorescence and flower as in T. insignis var insignis. Capsule as in T. insignis var insignis but shorter, 12 cm long, 1.2 cm wide, seeds 8-9 mm long, ca 3 cm wide.

• Discussion

  la. Tabebuia insignis var monophylla Sandwith, Rec. Trav. Bot. Neerl. 34: 225. 1937. Based on T. longipes Baker. Tabebuia longipes Baker, Ic. PI. 18: t 1738. 1888. Type. Br. Guiana, Jenman 3723 (K). This variety has a compact area of distribution mostly in Guyana and Surinam and extreme eastern Venezuela. Thus on geographic grounds it might merit subspecific recognition. However, the occurrence of occasional simple-leaved or one-foliolate plants elsewhere in the range of T. insignis argues against change in the taxonomic status of var monophylla without additional evidence.