Strychnos progeliana Krukoff & Barneby
-
Authority
Krukoff, Boris A. & Barneby, Rupert C. 1969. Supplementary notes on the American species of Strychnos. VIII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 20: 1-93, IX. 94-99.
-
Family
Loganiaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Description
Latin Diagnosis - Ad sectionem Breviflorae referenda, e valli fluvii Amazonum tantum nota, a S. castelnaeana etiam regioni amazonicae endémica haud absimilis, sed habitu spinifero foliisque multo minoribus abcrrans; quoad habitum et folia cum S. rubiginosa comparanda, sed haec species tantum in Brasilia ccntrali australique occurrit. Inflorescentiae pedunculi S. progelianae ±0.4 mm, S. castelnaeanae 2.5 mm, S. rubiginosae ± 1 mm lati.
Species Description - Macroscopic: petioles 0.5-3 mm long; blades narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 3-11 cm long, 2-4 cm broad, rounded to cuneate at base, acute to acuminate at apex, dull or somewhat shining on both surfaces, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, 3 (5) -plinerved with the inner pair opposite or subopposite and diverging at 2-11 mm from base, reticulation prominulous on both surfaces. Microscopic: branch-lets and petioles well pubescent with brownish-rusty in age becoming grayish, scending or spreading hairs of different lengths; blades beneath densely, becoming sparsely pubescent with brownish-rusty, ascending or spreading hairs and tuberculate with the bases of fallen hairs (indumentum most persistent on the midrib and the secondaries), above when young with conspicuous tubercles that sometimes disappear in age and with ascending or spreading hairs which in age become scattered, the indumentum being most persistent in channels of principal nerves. Inflorescences compactly corymbose, composed of ca 3-5 3-flowered cymules; primary bracts linear, 2-2.5 mm long, the succeeding ones shorter and broader; peduncles terminal to lateral branchlets, very slender, 1.5-2 cm long, ca 0.4 mm wide, setulose with longer spreading and shorter ascending to subappressed brownish hairs; pedicels 0.1-0.7 mm long; calyx-lobes deltoid-ovate, subacute, 1-1.2 mm long, sparsely hispidulous dorsally, setulose-ciliate; corolla not seen. Fruits not seen.
-
Discussion
Type locality: Amazonas (basin of Rio Japura), Brazil. Illustration: Mart. Fl. Bras. 6(1): pl. 78, fig. 1 (in part). 1868. The type collection appears to be a unicate collected by Martius on his trip to the basin of Rio Japura in 1820. The type specimen has Solereder’s annotation and a herbarium name which did not appear in print even as a nomen nudum. The type specimen was photographed by Macbride in 1932 (the negative number 20110) and these photographs are available in various herbaria. This collection is discussed in the monograph (1:308, 309)4 as follows: “A branch with leaves and inflorescences shown on the plate in Flora Brasiliensis is labelled as ‘S. Castelnaei.’ The inflorescence is manifestly not that of the species as it is rather loosely few flowered, with slender branches and long slender peduncles sparsely pubescent with spreading-ascending hairs or glabrous; the foliage shown on the plate is also not typical of S. Castelncieana and never have we seen the leaf-blades of the species as small as described in the text (6.5-10.1 cm long and 3.2-3.8 cm broad). We also have available a photograph (Field Mus. 20110) of a specimen Martins sn from ‘Alto Amazonas’ now deposited with Botanisches Museum, München and labeled as 'S. Castelnaei. This specimen is a very close match for the above-mentioned figure; the plant is in Breviflorae but is not specifically known to us.” It is now obvious that Progehs description of “S. Castelnaei” in Flora Brasiliensis and the plate are compounded from two discordant elements, that is from Martius sn which is now the type of S. progeliana and fiom a specimen of S. castelnaeana (probably from Martius' specimen from the basin of Rio Japura cited in this paper). Four branchlets with leaves and four inflorescences shown in the top portion of the plate are obviously drawn from Martius sn. As is the case with S. progeliana (and unlike in S. castelnaeana) the inflorescences are rather loosely few-flowered, with slender branches and long slender peduncles sparsely pubescent or glabrous. The leaves are too small and not typical of 8. castelnaeana and they match these of S. progeliana. Two leaves with a tendril shown in the middle portion of the plate are typical and doubtless are drawn from S. castelnaeana. It is likely that details of flowers on the figure (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9) are drawn from Martins sn, this inasmuch as the beard on the corolla-lobes is shown as indistinct and anthers are not barbate at base. The description of anthers however, is likely based on a specimen of S. castelnaeana. It is said that anthers are barbellate at base and apex (in diagnosis), or barbellate at base (in description). In the vegetative characters, S. progeliana does not resemble any Amazonian species of Breviflorae except possibly somewhat those of seedlings (not of mature bush-ropes or of specimens in flower) of S. castelnaeana, which however, is not armed with sharp spines as S. progeliana, but provided with well developed tendrils. Of the non-Amazonian species of Breviflorae it resembles somewhat S. rubiginosa of southern Brazil. In the key to the species under Breviflorae in our previous paper on Strychnos (7a:67), it is placed as follows: 6. Peduncles about 0.5 mm in diam (?) S. acuta, leaves glabrous. 8. Leaf-blades pale-glaucescent beneath; branchlets and midrib beneath with hairs more than 1 mm long; petioles 0-3 mm long; blades 6-12 cm long and 3-5.5 cm broad (southern Brazil). 57. S. fulvotomentosa. 8. Leaf-blades not strikingly pale-glaucescent beneath and branchlets and midrib beneath glabrous or with hairs less than 1 mm long. 9. Leaf-blades beneath densely, becoming sparsely pubescent with brownish-rusty, ascending or spreading hairs and tuberculate with the bases of fallen hairs (basin of the Amazon). 9. Leaf-blades beneath puberulent or glabrous and often barbate in axils of the inner principal nerves. 51. S. progleicina. Of the 23 known species of Breviflorae only 6 species have leaf-blades pubescent beneath. These are immediately distinguished from S. progeliana as follows: Known only from Northern and Central Venezuela. Known only from southern Brazil. 53. S. fendleri. 55. S. rubiginosa. 57. S. julvotomentosa. 59. S. brasiliensis. Known only from the basin of the Amazon. Peduncles about 2.5 mm in diam; inflorescences in very densely congested cymes, many-flowered, thickly and densely fulvous-tomentose. 50. S. castelnaeana. Peduncles about 0.4 mm in diam; inflorescences in 3-5 3-flowered cymules sparsely pubescent with longer spreading and shorter ascending to subap-pressed, brownish hairs. 51. S. progeliana. If our supposition that figure 1 (1,4 and 6) of the plate is drawn from S. progeliana proves to be correct, then the pubescence of corolla-lobes and anthers will separate S. progeliana from S. castelnaeana and S. rubiginosa both of which it resembles somewhat in vegetative characters. Corolla-lobes are well bearded near middle within along an upwardly convex arc in S. castelnaeana and S. rubiginosa whereas the beard on the corolla-lobes is probably indistinct in S. progeliana. Anthers are barbate at base with conspicuous pili in S. castelnaeana whereas pili are probably absent in S. progeliana.
-
Distribution
Distribution: Known so far only from the State of Amazonas in Brazil. Doubtless occurs also in adjacent Colombia and Peru.
Brazil South America| Colombia South America| Peru South America|