Stigmaphyllon tomentosum A. Juss.

• Title

  Stigmaphyllon tomentosum A. Juss.

• Authors

  Nathaniel Lord Britton, Frances W. Horne

• Scientific Name

  Stigmaphyllon tomentosum (Desf. ex DC.) Nied.

• Description

  Flora Borinqueña Stigmaphyllon tomentosum Bejuco de paralejo Family Malpighiaceae Malpighia family Banisteria tomentosa Desfontaines; DeCandolle, Prodromus 1: 589. 1824. Stigmaphyllon floribundum Stahl, Estudios sobre la Flora de Puerto Rico 2: 147. 1884. Banisteria rotundifolia Sessé and Mocino, Flora Mexicana, edition 2, 116. 1894. Stigmatophyllum tomentosum Niedenzu, De Genera Stigmatophyllo 1: 5. 1899. Inhabiting thickets, woodlands and river-banks at lower and middle elevations in Porto Rico, in moist or wet districts, this showy, yellow-flowered vine is definitely known to grow only here, and on the Virgin Islands St.John and Virgin Gorda, recorded, however, as found many years ago on St. Thomas, but the deforestation of that island has probably eliminated it there. From the reference to the "Flora Mexicana" by the Spanish authors Sessé and Mocino, it might be supposed that this vine is also Mexican in distribution, but they included descriptions of several Porto Rico plants in that work. We have found no English name in use, and cite the same Spanish one for both this and the related Stigmaphyllon lingulatum; and for an account of the genus we refer to our description of that species. Stigmaphyllon tomentosum (densely hairy), has densely hairy twigs and young leaves, and may reach 4 meters, or more, in length. The rounded or notched leaves vary from oblong to nearly orbicular, and from 5 to 15 centimeters long, with stalks from 5 to 20 millimeters long, and more or less hairy on both sides, or sometimes nearly smooth above when old. The flowers are often numerous in the densely hairy clusters; the broad sepals are 2.5 or 3 millimeters long, the petals 10 to 13; millimeters long. The samaras are about 2.5 centimeters long when mature.