Guilandina ovalifolia (Urb.) Britton

  • Authority

    Britton, Nathaniel L. & Millspaugh, Charles F. 1920. The Bahama Flora.

  • Family

    Caesalpiniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Guilandina ovalifolia (Urb.) Britton

  • Description

    Species Description - Climbing, 4 m. long or longer, the young branches prickly, puberulent. Leaves 2-3 dm. long, the rachis puberulent; leaflets 5-8 pairs, oval or elliptic, glabrous or nearly so, shining, rounded at the apex, rounded to narrowed at the base, their terminal mucro often 2 mm. long; racemes densely puberulent, solitary or in pairs, 1.5-2 dm. long; bracts narrowly lanceolate, attenuateacuminate, 8 mm. long, soon spreading; pedicels 1-1.5 cm. long; sepals oblong, obtuse, densely tomentulose, 6-7 mm. long, 1.5-2 mm. wide, soon reflexed; petals bright yellow, about as long, as the sepals, oblong to oblong-spatulate, obtuse; pod obliquely obovate, 6-8 cm. long, 4 cm. wide, 2 cm. thick, shining, armed with numerous rather distant yellow stiff bristles 6 mm. long or less, its sharp stout beak about 1 cm. long; seeds globular, yellow-brown, shining, 1.6 cm. in diameter.

  • Discussion

    We are unable to distinguish a difference between the two above species of Prof. Urban in specimens gathered, after thorough search, in the type localities he mentions which are only separated by the narrow harbor of Nassau.

  • Distribution

    Coastal thickets, Great Sturrup Cay, New Providence, and Hog Island, Rose Island, Eleuthera. Great Guana Cay, Long Island and Acklin's Island : Florida. Small Yellow Nickers.

    New Providence Bahamas South America| Eleuthera Bahamas South America| Long Island Bahamas South America| Acklins Bahamas South America| Florida United States of America North America|