Chiococca pubescens Humb. & Bonpl. ex Roem. & Schult.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1972. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IX. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 1-832.

  • Family

    Rubiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Chiococca pubescens Humb. & Bonpl. ex Roem. & Schult.

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Tobago, and Trinidad. TRINIDAD. Sieber 38; Aripo, Hart 1315; Blanchisseuse Road, 14 Sep 1962, Purseglove 6518; Nort Post to Maqueripe, 22 Mar 1920, Britton, Hazen & Mendelson 885; San Fernando Hill, 25 Mar 1908, Broadway 2205. TOBAGO. Adelphi, 31 Aug 1910, Broadway 4202; near Easterfield, The Widow, 17 Mar 1910, Broadway 3525. VENEZUELA. Bolívar: alrededores de Santa Elena de Uairen, 19 Apr 1946, Lasser 1302. Terr. Delta Amacuro: Manoa, May 1896, Rusby & Squires 215. Sucre: orillas del Río Juan Moya, más allá de la aldea El Salado, al NE de Guiria, distrito Valdez, alt 60 m, 16 Dec 1965, Ruiz Teran 2903; Cumaná, 1844, Funcke 85 (topotype of C. racemosa var ß H.B.K.); Peninsula de Paria, laderas de selva siempre verde a lo largo de la Quebrada Nivardo, afluente de Río Caverna, afluente de Río Oscuro, arriba de Mundo Nuevo, oeste de Cerro de Humo, alt 700-750 m, 7 Aug 1966, Steyermark & Rabe 96155. Miranda: along narrow knife-edge ridge top of Morro de Aguararaml, trail between carretera to summit of Morro de Aguaramal, passing Río Taquisito and Río San Lorenzo, Parque Nacional de Guatopo, alt 800 m, 25 Nov 1961, Steyermark 90040. Aragua: Parque Nacional Henry Pittier, alt 750-1200 m, 13 Aug 1963, Montaldo 3577; Rancho Grande, alt 1080 m, 13 Sep 1951, Garcia 145; prope Colonia Tovar, alt 1818 m, 1854-55, Fendler 1035. Carabobo: Rio Aguada, alt 1500 m, 10 Jan 1939, Alston 6212. Merida: between La Victoria and El Vigia, alt 800 m, 1 Sep 1965, Breteler 4566; same locality, 1 Jul 1966, Breteler 5192; Pueblos del Sur, alt 1600-2200 m, Jun 1955, Bernardi 2207. Tachira: San Cristobal to Santo Domingo, alt 500 m, Feb 1960, Aristeguieta & Agostini 4107. COLOMBIA. Magdalena: near Las Partidas, Santa Marta, alt 1060 m, 15 Apr 1898-99. Santander: northern slope of Mesa de los Santos, alt 1000-1500 m, 11-15 Dec 1926, Killip & Smith 15432. El Valle: La Cumbre, alt 1650-1850 m, 14-19 May 1922, Pennell 5717. La Paila, 8 May 1853, Holton 433. Fusagasuga, 6 Feb 1876, Andre 1372. ECUADOR. 6 mi NNE of Borja, Cerro Antisana, lat 0° 3 07 S, long 78° W, 31 Jul 1960, Grubb, Lloyd, Pennington & Whitmore 1161.

  • Discussion

    Fig 63.

    Chiococca anguifuga Mart. ß pubescens (H. & B. ex R. & S.) DC., Prodr. 5: 483. 1830.

    Chiococca racemosa L. var ß H.B.K., Nov. Gen. 3: 352. 1818.

    Chiococca anguifuga trinitensis DC. ex Sieb. in Griseb., FI. Br. W. Ind. 337. 1859, in synonymy, nomen.

    Type. “In America merid. Humboldt & Bonpland.”

    I am taking up the binomial C. pubescens Humb. & Bonpl. ex R. & S. to apply to the taxon which is closely related to C. alba (L.) Hitchc., but which differs from that species in several marked characters, such as a longer corolla with relatively shorter lobes in proportion to the tube length, the usually ciliate calyx lobes, the pubescent rachis and branches of the inflorescence, usually pilosulous nerves and midrib on the lower side of the leaf, the leaf blade generally discolored and drying dark above with usually manifestly sulcate nerves on the upper side and rather conspicuously elevated ones on the lower side.

    The specimen of Sieber 38 from Trinidad, deposited in the de Candolle Herbarium at Geneva, is labelled Chiococca anguifuga Mart., and was so treated by de Candolle (Prodromus 4: 482. 1830). This specimen consists of two different plants, the one pinned on the right side being conspecific with C. pubescens, that on the left side conspecific with Chiococca alba var alba. Together with C. caracasana Kl. the Sieber 38 collection, cited by Grisebach (Fl. Br. W. Ind. 337. 1859) as Chiococca anguifuga trinitensis DC. ex Sieb., is placed in synonymy under C. racemosa Jacq. y longifolia DC. Both C. caracasana Kl. and C. anguifuga trinitensis DC. are names only, however, de Candolle never published the combination C. anguifuga trinitensis, merely citing in synonymy under C. anguifuga the “C. racemosa H. B. & Kunth Nov. Gen. Am. 3. p. 352. Sieb! fl. trin. exs. n. 38.”

    That portion of the description of Humboldt & Bonpland ex R. & S. (Syst. 5: 202) stating that the peduncles are “pubescentibus” as well as the statement of “pedunculis pedicellisque pubescentibus” by Humboldt & Bonpland (Nov. Gen. 3: 352) under C. racemosa var ß applies to the taxon under present consideration. Although de Candolle does not refer in his description in the Prodromus to the pubescent peduncles, his statement of the “pedicellis ramulisve pubescentibus” includes the significant details noted in separating the taxon treated as C. pubescens (by de Candolle recognized as C. anguifuga ß pubescens) as distinct from C. alba (treated as C. racemosa by de Candolle).

    Standley, in his interpretation of C. erubescens Wernh. (= C. nitida Benth.), united two extraneous taxa, the Fendler 1035 specimen cited by him being actually conspecific with C. pubescens, whereas the Fendler 1991 and 2604 and Funcke & Schlim 149 specimens are to be referred to C. naiguatensis.

    In some of the specimens of C. pubescens cited above, the leaf blades are glabrous beneath or nearly so. This is to be noted in Purseglove 6518, Holton 433, Pennell 5717, and Killip & Smith 15432.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Tobago, and Trinidad.

    Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America|