Renealmia ligulata Maas
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Authority
Maas, Paulus J. M. 1977. Renealmia (Zingiberaceae--Zingiberoideae), Costoideae (Additions) (Zingiberaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 18: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Zingiberaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
TYPE. Maas, Plowman & Escobar 1826 (holotype, U; isotypes, COL, F, GH, K, MO, NY, P), Cordillera Central, Río Nima, above Tenjo, 1850 m, El Valle, Colombia.
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Description
Description - Plants 0.5-4 m tall. Rhizomes 25-40 mm thick. Sheaths striate (sometimes very slightly reticulate towards the ligule), 10-20 mm wide, to 30 mm at the base of the plant, sparsely to densely covered with simple, needle-like hairs (0.2-0.5 mm long) and sometimes in the grooves with furcate and simple prickles (less than 0.1 mm long). Ligule 4-8 mm long, densely covered with needle-like hairs. Petiole 5-25 mm long, hairy like the sheaths. Lamina narrowly elliptic, acute to acuminate at the apex (acumen to 15 mm long), cuneate at the base, (18-)30-54(-70) cm long, (3.5-)5-12(-15) cm wide, upper side glabrous, lower side glabrous or sparsely covered with simple and furcate hairs (less than 0.1 mm long). Scape erect or prostrate, 5-15(-20) cm tall, up to 8 mm thick, beset with sheaths up to 3-7 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide, rhachis red. Inflorescence a basal thyrse 17-50 cm long and 3-8 cm wide (to 15 cm in fruit) with (l-)2-3-flowered cincinni . Indument of inflorescence: sheaths, rhachis, bracts, peduncles, bracteoles, pedicels, calyx, and ovary densely to sparsely covered with simple and/or furcate to plurifurcate hairs (0.2-0.5 mm long), capsule sparsely so to glabrous, corolla glabrous; on calyx, ovary, and capsule the furcate hairs often replaced by "compass-needles." Bracts red, soon deciduous, triangular-ovate, acute, 10-65 mm long, 5-30 mm wide. Peduncles red, 8-25(-30)mm long. Bracteole red, 13-16 mm long. Pedicels red, 10-25(-35) mm long. Calyx red, tubular, 11-15 mm long, 4-8 mm wide, the lobes deltate-ovate, 3-5 mm long and wide. Corolla white (Maas!) to yellow (Killip 11613), (18-)22-27 mm long, the tube 10-12 mm long, the lobes (8-)12-15 mm long, the dorsal one ca 10 mm wide, the two lateral ones 8 mm wide. Labellum white, the basal margins reddish-purple, glabrous,12-18 mm long and wide when spread out, the limb erect, 5-9 mm long, 12-18 mm wide, the middle lobe reflexed, entire or with two triangular to deltate lobules 2-3 mm long, basal claw 7-9 mm long, 3-4.5 mm wide, lateral staminodes ca 2 mm long, 1 mm wide. Anther red to purple, 6-7 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, glabrous. Style 19-21 mm long. Nectarial glands multilobulate, completely surrounding the style base, 2 mm long. Ovary red. Fruit globose to ellipsoid, 17-35 X 17-25 mm, its wall 1-1.5 mm thick when dry (3-4 mm thick in living material), 50-100-seeded, seeds ca 3 X 3.5 mm.
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Discussion
This species can be recognized by its relatively long ligule, its short scape (only 5-20 cm tall), and its large, red fruit. From its nearest relative, R. ferruginea, it differs by almost glabrous fruit and smaller calyx.
Camp 1124 (NY), Cordillera Cutucu, 860 m, prov. Santiago-Zamora, Ecuador, may belong to this species, but the material is too incomplete to be sure of its exact identity. -
Objects
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Distribution
Colombian Andes, Panama, and Costa Rica; in subandean forest, from 1000-2160 m.
Costa Rica South America| Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Caldas Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Huila Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America|