Renealmia petasites Gagnep.

  • 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 petasites Gagnep.

  • Type

    TYPE. Glaziou 20515 (lectotype, P; isolectotypes, C, K, P), Corcovado, 2 Nov 1893, Guanabara, Brazil. Of the three syntypes I select the collection just cited as lectotype. The other syntypes are: A. de Saint-Hilaire sn, ann. 1816-1821 (P), Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Weddell 359, anno 1843 (P), Corcovado, near Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, Brazil.

  • Synonyms

    Renealmia longipes K.Schum., Renealmia exaltata L.f.

  • Description

    Description - Plants 1-3 m tall. Rhizomes 10-20 mm thick, the roots 1-3 mm thick. Sheaths striate (or sometimes slightly reticulate), 7-20 mm wide, sparsely to rather densely covered with simple prickles (less than 0.1 mm long). Ligule ca 1 mm long. Petiole mostly absent, but sometimes up to 20 mm long, hairy like the sheaths. Lamina narrowly elliptic, acuminate at the apex (acumen 10-15 mm long), cuneate at the base, (25-)40-62 cm long, (5-)8-16.5 cm wide, glabrous on both sides. Scape erect, pink, 15-50 cm tall, up to 8 mm thick, beset with sheaths up to 6-15 cm long and 0.6-1.5 cm wide. Inflorescence a basal raceme 4-25 cm long and 3-13 cm wide, rhachis pink. Indument of inflorescence: sheaths, rhachis, bracts, peduncles, bracteoles, pedicels, calyx, and ovary sparsely to rather densely covered with simple (and rarely some sessile, furcate), erect, white hairs (0.1-0.3 mm long), corolla sparsely so, capsule glabrous or nearly so. Bracts pink, rather long persistent, narrowly elliptic-obovate, obtuse or acute, (8-) 12-70 mm long, (3-)5-16 mm wide. Peduncles pink, 3-10(-l7) mm long. Bracteole pink, 13-25 mm long. Pedicels pink, 5-35 mm long. Calyx pinkish-red to pink, turbinate to tubular, its longitudinal veins often obsolete, 10-17 mm long, (4-)6-12 mm wide, the lobes depressed-ovate, 2-4 mm long, 4-8 mm wide. Corolla white, 20-28 mm long, the tube 9-15 mm long, the lobes 10-13 mm long, 6-9 mm wide. Labellum white, tinged with pink towards the middle, 9-10 mm long and 8-10 mm wide when spread out, basal part opposite anther densely hairy, the limb erect, 5 mm long, 8-10 mm wide, lateral lobes involute, rounded, middle lobe entire or bilobulate, lobules very small and rounded, basal claw 4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, lateral staminodes pinkish white, ca 2 mm long. Anther 6-7 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, densely hairy on the flanks. Style 22-23 mm long. Nectarial glands completely surrounding the style base, 2-2.5 mm long. Ovary red, ellipsoid. Capsule red, globose to ellipsoid, 10-25 X 8-16 mm, its wall ca 0.2 mm thick when dry, 15-55-seeded, seeds 2.5-4.5 mm diam.

  • Discussion

    Renealmia petasites is a rather variable species: specimens from the Rio de Janeiro region are characterized by a rather compact inflorescence, whereas most of the material from Santa Catarina has a lax inflorescence. As many gradual transitions between these two inflorescence types exist, the extremes do not merit specific or even varietal rank. Its closest relative is R. chrysotricha.

    Mosén 2966 (S), from Sorocaba, Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, is related to this species by its fruit, but it shows also some affinity to R. brasiliensis by its reticulation pattern, and to R. chrysotricha by its indument.

  • Distribution

    Coastal rain forests of southeastern Brazil, from sea-level up to 700 m.

    Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America|