Psychotria uliginosa Sw.

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Rubiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Psychotria uliginosa Sw.

  • Type

    Type. Jamaica.

  • Discussion

    Notopleura uliginosa (Sw.) Brem., Rec. Trav. Bot. Neerl. 31: 289. 1934.

    Uragoga uliginosa (Sw.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 2: 963. 1891.

    Psychotria laevis DC. Prodr. 4: 505. 1930.

    Psychotria phytolacca Spreng, ex DC., Prodr. 4: 505. 1930.

    The material of Psychotria uliginosa from the type locality of Jamaica in general has shorter-branched inflorescences with shorter and fewer (3-5) main branches than most of the material from Venezuela and other parts of South America. In most of the West Indian specimens the inflorescence has three main axes which are either densely bunched at their tips with numerous crowded flowers, or the three main axes may be shortly trichotomous with three short branches. Also, in the West Indian material the calyx, hypanthium, and outer surface of the corolla are usually glabrous, but occasionally may be puberulent. Likewise, the peduncle and bracts subtending the inflorescence are mainly glabrous, but may have puberulence along with the axes of the inflorescence.

    In the southern part of the range of this taxon in South America the peduncle becomes more contracted, as in some specimens from Brazil (Para and Terr. Amapa) with peduncles 3-3.5 cm long, and in the southeastern Venezuelan Guayana (Steyermark 75048 from Chimanta-tepui and Bernardi 6826) with peduncles 3-3.5 cm long. However, short peduncles are also occasionally found among some of the West Indian specimens (Philipson 823 from Jamaica with peduncles 2.5-3.5 cm long; Britton & Hollick 2735 from Jamaica with fruiting peduncles 3-4.5 cm long; Duss 1306 from Martinique with peduncles 3.5 cm; Shafer 8612 and Bro. Leon 10825-A from Cuba with peduncles respectively 4 and 3 cm long, and many other specimens).

    Variation occurs within this taxon in the glabrity of the peduncle, calyx, hypanthium, and external surface of the corolla, as well as in the branching of the inflorescence, but it has not been possible to segregate such variations into natural divisible units.