Randia armata (Sw.) DC.
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett. 1972. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IX. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 1-832.
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Family
Rubiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. West Indies, Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. WEST INDIES. Grenada, Martinique (Duss 988 from hauteur du Trecheur, 1877 is a topotype), St. Vincent, Guadeloupe, Trinidad (Britton & Bailey 2238; Britton, Hazen & Mendelson 893; Dannouse s n), Tobago (Sandwith 1645). COLOMBIA. Bolívar: vicinity of Turbaco, alt 200-300 m, 6-22 Nov 1926, Killip & Smith 14697; region de Cartagena, alrededores de Turbaco y Arjona, alt 100 m, 28 Jul 1943, Dugand & Jaramillo 3325; vicinity of Cartagena, 1919, Br. Heriberto 123. Magdalena: Megua, a 25 km de Barranquilla, Oct 1933, Bro. Elias 1091; Cerro Quemado, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Hacienda Cincinnati, alt 2260 m, 11 Jun 1944, Kernan 112. Santander: Upper Rio Lebrija Valley, NW of Bucaramanga, alt 400-700 m, 29 Dec 1926, Killip & Smith 16299. VENEZUELA. Bolívar: Altiplanicie de Nuria, SE of Cerro Picacho, N of Las Nieves, 45 km N of Tumeremo, alt 100-300 m, 1-11 Feb 1961, Steyermark 88950; Sierra Imataca, Río Toro (Río Grande), between Río La Reforma and Puerto Rico, N of El Palmar, alt 200-250 m, 12 Dec 1960, Steyermark 87996; Cerro Bolívar, intersection of main access road and Fundacion road, 2 Dec 1951, Maguire 32685; este de Rio Grande, E-NE de El Palmar, cerca de los limites del Estado Bolívar, 29 Jun-23 Jul 1965, Blanco 176; near border (Rio Grande o Toro) between Edo. Bolívar and Territorio Delta Amacuro, ca 61° 44' W, 8° 4' N, alt 320 m, 21 Apr 1964, Breteler 3786, 3885; Botanamo hacia atrás, 16 Dec 1959, Bernardi 8029; al 10 km de Los Castillos hacia Marivaca, at "morichal," 7 Dec 1959, Bernardi 7908; en las faldas secas de San Mateo, Bajo Paragua, alt 80 m, 9 Apr 1940, Williams 12805; El Tigre, Bajo Caura, alt 120 m, 2 May 1939, Williams 12013] 5 km E of Hato de Nuria, 40 km E of Miamo, 2 Jun 1960, Steyermark 86249] carretera Ciudad Piar-Puerto Ordaz, 8 Nov 1963, Trujillo 5949] Parque Caroni, San Felix-Puerto Ordaz, Sep 1965, Aristeguieta 5882. Miranda: Parque Nacional de Guatopo, between Santa Teresa and Altagracia de Orituco, 14.5 km from Los Alpes, 12 km from Ranchería Mi Querencia, bordering Río Santa Cruz, alt 520 m, 23 Nov 1961, Steyermark 89996. Táchira: a la salida de Michelina hacia Páramo Zumbador, alt 1450 m, 16 Apr 1964, Ijjasz 218. Yaracuy: entre Marin y Carbonera, 11 Apr 1925, Pittier 11771. Terr. Delta Amacuro: Santa Catalina, lower Orinoco, May 1896, Rusby & Squires 125. Sucre: vicinity of Cristobal Colon, Broadway 352, 552. BRITISH GUIANA. Mazaruni Station, 31 Oct 1942, Fanshawe 917] western extremity of Kanuku Mts., drainage of Takutu River, alt 200 m, 4-22 Mar 1938, A. C. Smith 3323. FRENCH GUIANA. Crique Alikene, about 0.50 km from confluence with Riviere Camopi, 3° 10-20' N, 52° 28-32' W, Rio Oiapoque, 30 Sep 1960, Pires 48578. SURINAME. Watramiri, arbor no. 1679, 4 Apr 1917, Herb. no. 2755] ad ripam km 0.0 in montibus qui dicuntur Nassau, 19 Feb 1949, Lanjouw & Lindeman 2206] vicinity of Base Camp, Nassau Mountains, Marowijne River, alt 400-550 m, 10 Jan 1955, Cowan & Lindeman 39209. BRAZIL. Terr. Amapá: Rio Jari, lower slopes of Serra da Arumanduba, 1° 30' S, 53° 0' W, Pará, alt 50 m, 25 Jul 1961, Egler & Irwin 45990.
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Discussion
Gardenia armata Sw., Prodr. Fl. Ind. Occ. 51. 1788.
Mussaenda spinosa Jacq., Stirp. Am. 70. 1763.
Randia spinosa (Jacq.) Karsten, Fl. Columb. 2: 128. 1869, not R. spinosa (Thunb.) Poir., 1812.
Basanacantha spinosa (Jacq.) Schum., Mart. Fl. Bras. 6(6): 376. 1889.
Basanacantha phyllosepala Williams & Cheesman, Fl. Trin. & Tob. 22. 1928.
Basanacantha spinosa var nitida (H.B.K.) Schum., Mart. Fl. Bras. 6(6): 377. 1889.
Mussaenda nitida H.B.K., Nov. Gen. & Sp. Pl. 3: 409. 1818.
Type. Cartagena, Colombia, Jacquin (Martinique also cited in original description).
The above-cited specimens are representative of this taxon from the West Indies and northern South America. I have not included material from Central America and Mexico, which will have to be considered in the future. Specimens identified previously by other botanists from Central America and Mexico show a range of variation from glabrous to pubescent corolla tubes and from rounded to acuminate-tipped corolla lobes, and represent various taxa which do not enter into the present treatment.
Although Jacquin describes the calyx lobes of his Mussaenda spinosa as glabrous, as does also Swartz, all the material I have examined from Cartagena and Martinique, the type localities for Randia armata, show appressed pubescence on each side, as described for Basanacantha phyllosepala. A fruiting specimen (Dugand & Jaramillo 3325) from the type locality of Cartagena shows the persistent calyx lobes 6-7 mm long and densely pubescent both sides. The specimen of Broadway 1769 from Grenada has the calyx lobes more sparsely strigillose. The upper surface of the leaves of topotypical material shows some persistent short hairs, while the lower midrib and nerves are hirsutulous with subappressed to loosely ascending hairs, and the spines are at the tip of the branches, usually 2 in number, pungent, and 11-13 mm long. Although Swartz states the corolla tube to be glabrous, it is pilose without in the specimens examined from topotypes with acute to acuminate corolla lobes. Fruiting specimens from the type locality show persistent short pubescence on the fruit. Although the fruits are usually densely pubescent with appressed to hirtellous and loosely ascending hairs, older fruits may appear more appressed-pubescent, but Killip & Smith 14697 near the type locality of Cartagena has glabrous fruits, deciduous calyx lobes, and glabrate peduncles. De Bruijn 955 from Barinas, Venezuela, also has glabrous fruits and deciduous calyx lobes.
The present treatment has not included Basanacantha spinosa var polyantha Schum. and var ferox Schum. of southern and central Brazil [as described by Schumann, Mart. Fl. Bras. 6(6): 377-78], nor has considered the complex related to Randia armata identified from Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. These and other varieties entering into the R. armata complex will be treated in a future study. Randia armata (Sw.) DC. is the first available name, since Randia spinosa (Jacq.) Karst., 1869, is preoccupied by R. spinosa (Thunb.) Poir., 1812, based on Gardenia spinosa Thunb., 1780, an Asiatic plant. There appears to be no justification for maintaining Basanacantha apart from Randia, based on dioecism of the former genus.
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Distribution
Distribution. West Indies, Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil.
West Indies| Guyana South America| French Guiana South America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Brazil South America| Suriname South America|