Chomelia tenuiflora Benth.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1967. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part VII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 17: 1-439.

  • Family

    Rubiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Chomelia tenuiflora Benth.

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - Suriname, British Guiana, and Venezuela. SURINAME. Near village of Jacob Kondre, Saramacca River headwaters, Maguire 23S46. BRITISH GUIANA. Basin of Rupununi River, near mouth of Charivais Creek, lat. about 2°35'N, A. C. Smith 2314: Robert Schomburgk 314 (type of C. tenuiflora), Tuma-tumari, Gleason 295. VENEZLELA. Amazonas: forest near Base River (Cano Negro), southeastern base of Cerro Duida, Steyermark 57923.

  • Discussion

    Type. Banks of stream and rivers, 1837, British Guiana, Robert Schomburgk 314.

    The following note was published by Rusby (Bull. Torrey Club 52: 138. 1925) concerning the specimen of Gleason 295; “Chomelia, purpusii (Rusby) Brandeg., n. comb. (Anisomeris purpusii Brandegee, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 6: 60. 1914). Gleason’s no. 295, from dense upland forest. Tumatumari, British Guiana is said by N. E. Brown to be near C. tenuiflora Benth.' to which species Standley refers it. Gleason’s plant is a Chomelia. with the corolla-appendages stout, brown and indurated and with the basal lobes of the anthers rather short, the anthers projecting beyond the mouth of the corolla." Anisomeris purpusii is a species described from Mexico, and Rusby s attempt to associate Gleason's collection with this species was ill-conceived and added confusion to the situation.

    I have examined the type specimen of Schomburgk 314 (K). It has a corolla-tube 9-10 mm long and corolla-lobes 6 mm long by 0.8-1 mm wide. The corolla-tube length in this specimen is shorter than that of the Gleason 295 sheet, which measures 25-30 mm long. The Steyermark 57923 specimen from the base of Cerro Duida has corolla-tubes only 17-18 mm long, and is intermediate between the Gleason 295 and Schomburgk 314 sheets.

    As contrasted with C. spinosa Jacq., with which it is sometimes confused, C. tenuiflora has the leaf-blade broadest at or above the middle instead of near the base, and the bracteoles are united at the base of the hypanthium or inflorescence instead of free and separate.

  • Distribution

    Suriname, British Guiana, and Venezuela.

    Suriname South America| Guyana South America| Venezuela South America|