Renealmia densiflora Urb.

  • Authority

    Maas, Paulus J. M. 1977. Renealmia (Zingiberaceae--Zingiberoideae), Costoideae (Additions) (Zingiberaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 18: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Zingiberaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Renealmia densiflora Urb.

  • Type

    TYPE. Ekman H 149 (holotype, S), Morne de la Hotte, dep. du Sud, Haiti, Hispaniola;  in declivibus sept.-orient. at ca 800 m elevation; common.

  • Synonyms

    Alpinia densiflora (Urb.) Moscoso

  • Description

    Description - Plants up to 2 m tall (according to Urban). Sheaths striate, 10-15 mm wide, glabrous except for some furcate to stellate prickles (<0.1 mm long). Ligule 1-2 mm long, rather densely covered with furcate to stellate prickles (<0.1 mm long). Petiole absent. Lamina narrowly elliptic, shortly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, 25-42 cm long, 7-12 cm wide (the uppermost laminas just below the inflorescence varying from 3-13 cm long and 1.5-4 cm wide), glabrous on both faces. Inflorescence a terminal, spiciform raceme 8-16 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, rhachis 2-5 mm thick, beset with two or three sheaths 7-15 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide. Indument of inflorescence: rhachis, peduncles, pedicels, and ovary densely covered with furcate (and some plurifurcate or simple) hairs (0.1-0.15 mm long), bracts, bracteoles, and calyx densely so only towards their base, the middle and apical part sparsely so or glabrous, corolla and sheaths glabrous. Bracts pale brown when dry, chartaceous, persistent, narrowly ovate-triangular, 20-35 mm long, 4-8 mm wide (the lowermost bracts up to 40 mm long and 15 mm wide). Peduncles 2-3 mm long. Bracteole 9-13 mm long. Pedicels 1.5-2 mm long. Calyx tubular, 10-13 long, 4-5 mm wide, the lobes deltate to shallowly triangular, 2.5-6 mm long, 3-5 mm wide. Corolla pale yellow, 21-23 mm long, the tube 12-13 mm long, the lobes 9-10 mm long, 3.5-4.5 mm wide. Labellum pale yellow (?), rhombic when spread out, 7-8 mm long and 3-4 mm wide, glabrous, not distinctly differentiated into basal claw and limb, lateral staminodes ca 1 mm long. Anther 6 mm long, 2 mm wide, glabrous. Style 20-21 mm long. Nectarial glands multilobulate, completely surrounding the style base, ca 2 mm long. Ovary ellipsoid, 3-4 mm long. Capsule unknown.

  • Discussion

    Renealmia densiflora is closely related to R. cernua but can be distinguished by its striate (instead of reticulate) leaf-sheaths and by its inflorescence indument of (mainly) furcate instead of simple hairs.

  • Distribution

    Only known from Morne de la Hotte, Haiti, between 800 and 100 m.

    Haiti South America|