Erisma blancoa Marc.-Berti
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Authority
Andersson, Lennart. 1998. A revision of the genus
(Rubiaceae--Cinchoneae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 81: 1-75. -
Family
Vochysiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Tree to 25 m high, to 80 cm dbh; hairs where present yellowish; young twigs pubescent. Leaves opposite; blade coriaceous, narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 14.5-27 X 5-10 cm, glabrous, usually with few hairs in axils of lateral veins below; apex acuminate; base obtuse or subcordate; midvein prominent on both sides of leaf; lateral veins 8-11 pairs, prominent on both sides of leaf, angle with midvein 40-50°; tertiary veins percurrent, sinuous, oblique to midvein, arrangement predominantly opposite; marginal vein 1-2 mm from margin; petiole terete, ca. 5 mm long; stipules to 4 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, 11-23 cm long, peduncles and lateral branches puberulous; cincinni to 1.5 cm long; outer bracts suborbicular, ca. 3 X 2.5 mm; inner bracts linear, ca. 1 mm long; spurred calyx- lobe ca. 9 mm long, spur cylindric, 2-3.5 mm long, other calyx-lobes 2-5 mm long; petal yellowish, ca. 10 mm long; stamen ca. 8 mm long; staminodes ca. 3 mm long; style ca. 5 mm long, pilose at base. Fruits winged, puberulous, glabrescent, 6.5-10.5 cm long; major wing ovate to narrowly ovate, 4.5-7.5 X 2.5-3 cm; second major wing elliptic to widely elliptic, 2.5—4.5 X 1.5-2.5 cm.
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Discussion
Local name. Venezuela: yuri. Erisma blancoa and E. micranthum are morpho¬logically similar in leaf characters. On sterile specimens, stipule features can be useful to distinguish one species from the other. The stipules of E. blancoa are conspicuous (ca. 4 mm long), whereas in E. micranthum, they are shorter (ca. 1 mm long) and thickened at the base. The floral and fruit morphologies of these two species are distinct. In E. blancoa, the hairs are yellow, and the flowers and fruits are much bigger than those of E. micranthum, which possesses gray hairs and the smallest flowers and fruits in the genus. Excluded Names Erisma maliforme Link ex A. Dietr., Sp. PL, ed. 6, 102. 1831. Type. Brazil. No further information given on protologue (holotype, B-destroyed). Warming (1875) and Stafleu (1954) considered this name as “species dubiae.” Syntypes have not been found. I cannot accurately recognize this species on the basis of the original description. However, it is unlikely that it represents a species of Erisma because its inflorescences were decribed as axillary racemes. The inflorescences of all species of Erisma are typically panicles of cincinni. Warming (1875) suggested that E. maliforme was probably a species of Callisthene. Erisma niveum Link ex A. Dietr., Sp. PL, ed. 6, 102. 1831. Type. Brazil. No further information given in protologue (holotype, B-destroyed). This name was also considered as a dubious spe¬cies by Warming (1875) and Stafleu (1954). Syntypes have not been found. The description of its inflores¬cences as axillary racemes indicates that this species does not belong to Erisma.
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Distribution
A species ol nonflooded forest known only from Venezuelan Amazon and northern Brazil, near the border with Venezuela recently collected in Panama. Flowers were collected in October, and fruiting specimens were collected in May, July, and August.
Venezuela South America| Brazil South America| Panama Central America|