Mendoncia pennellii Leonard
-
Authority
Leonard, Emery C. 1951. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, I. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: 1-117.
-
Family
Mendonciaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Type
Type in the Gray Herbarium, collected in forest at Santurario, Department of Caldas, Colombia, altitude 2,000 to 2,300 meters, September 13 or 14, 1922, by Francis W. Pennell (No. 10601). An isotype is in the herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden.
-
Description
Latin Diagnosis - Herba, volubilis, caulibus quadrangularibus, breviter sulcatis, glanbris vel ad nodos parce adpresso-pubescentibus; lamina foliorum ovata vel obionga, apice abrupte acuminata et mucronulata, basi angustata, chartacea, glabra vel minute hirsuta, pilis in costa et venis lateralibus pluribus; petioli glabri vel parce hirsuti; fiores pauci, in calcaribus axillaribus complanatis dispdsiti; pedicelli glabri vel apice adpresso-hirsuti; bracteae suborbiculares, apice mucronulatae, parcae hirsutae, costa obscura; corolla alba, extus glabra, lobis obcordatis, reticulatis; ovarium glabrum.
Description - Herbaceous climbing vine; stems subquadrangular, obscurely sulcate, glabrous or sparingly pubescent at and near the nodes, the hairs straight, closely appressed, about 625µ, long; leaf blades ovate to oblong, up to 13 cm, long and 6.5 cm. wide, abruptly acuminate (the tip itself abruptly mucronate), rounded to narrowed at base, firm, glabrous or sparingly and minutely hirsute especially the younger leaves, the hairs confined chiefly to the costa and lateral veins (3 or 4 pairs), white, appressed or ascending, about 250µ long, the costa and veins fairly prominent, the upper surface of the older leaves coarsely reticulate; petioles up to 3 cm. long, glabrous or sparingly hirsute, the hairs similar to those of the leaf blades; flowers usually several, borne on flattened suborbicular axillary spurs, the pedicels 1 to 1.5 cm. long, glabrous or bearing toward tip a few closely appressed hairs about 0.25 min. long; bracts suborbicular, up to 11 mm. long and 0.5 mm. wide, mucronulate, sparingly hirsute, the hairs appressed or ascending, up to 0.5 mm. long, the costa barely conspicuous; corolla white, glabrous (except a small area near the insertion of the stamens, this glandular-papillose), about 1 cm. long, the tube 4 mm. broad at base, narrowed at 1.5 mm. above base to 3 mm., expanded at mouth to 4 mm., the lobes obcordate, about 7 mm. long and 6 mm. wide toward tip, entire, reticulate-veined; stamens attached 3 mm, above the base of the corolla tube, the filaments 2 mm. long, the anthers sagittate, 2.5 mm. long, the basal lobes bearded; ovary glabrous; fruit not seen.
-
Discussion
Mendoncia pennellii is closely related to M. glabrescens, differing chiefly in its almost glabrous corolla, the lobes being obcordate and entire instead of suborbicular and erose as in M. glabrescens, and by the thicker less slenderly acuminate leaf blades, their surfaces, at least those of the younsrer leaves, being more hirsute.