Strumpfia maritima Jacq.

• Title

  Strumpfia maritima Jacq.

• Authors

  Nathaniel Lord Britton, Frances W. Horne

• Scientific Name

  Strumpfia maritima Jacq.

• Description

  Flora Borinqueña Strumpfia maritima Strumpfia Family Rubiaceae Madder Family Strumpfia maritima Jacquin, Enumeratio Systematica Plantarum 28. 1760. If we pass for a moment into strictly scientific terminology this interesting shrub would be described as a halophytic, xerophytic monotype, by which we would want to imply that it inhabits only coastal situations within the saline influence, in regions of low annual rainfall, and is the only species of its genus. Its geographic distribution includes most of the West Indies, south to Guadeloupe, except the Virgin Islands, also the small islands Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire, southern Florida, and Yucatan. In Porto Rico it is restricted to the dry southwestern districts, on coastal rocks and hillsides, and grows also on Mona, Cayo Muertos and Vieques. The genus was dedicated by Jacquin, in 1760, to Christopher Carl Strumpf, professor of Chemistry and Botany at Halle, who died in 1754. No popular names are known to us. Strumpfia maritima (maritime) is a much branched shrub, 2 meters high, or lower, with hairy, rather stout twigs scarred by the persistent bases of the stipules. The very narrow, firm, short-stalked leaves, borne densely, in 3's, near the ends of the twigs, are from 1 to 2.5 centimeters long, their margins inrolled so as to cover the lower surface. The small, white or pink flowers form short-stalked clusters in the leaf-axils; the ovoid calyx is 5-cleft, only about 1 millimeter long; the deeply 5-cleft, hairy corolla is 3 or 4 millimeters