Casearia comocladifolia Vent.

  • Authority

    Sleumer, Hermann O. 1980. Flacourtiaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 22: 1-499. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Salicaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Casearia comocladifolia Vent.

  • Type

    Type. Turpin anno 1807, Hispaniola, Republica Dominicana, aux environs de Monte Cristi, fl (holotype, P-Juss 16207; part of this collection in G-Ventenat).

  • Synonyms

    Valentinia ilicifolia Sw., Samyda comocladifolia Poir., Anavinga comocladifolia Raf., Casearia valentinia M.Gómez & Molinet, Casearia ilicifolia Vent., Casearia guantanamensis Vict.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub, 1.0-5.0 m tall, sometimes defoliate at flowering time. Branchlets zig-zag, youngest parts patently pubescent, older ones early gray-corticate and subdensely set with elongate-elliptic lenticels. Leaves (periodically) deciduous, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, rarely elongating oblong, apex more or less rounded, base broadly cuneate to truncate or rounded, initially membranaceous, chartaceous to subcoriaceous with age, glabrous, densely pellucid-punctate, hardly -lineate when young, pale green, sinuous-dentate with 10-12(-15)3.0-6.0 cm broad, lateral nerves (8-) 10-12 pairs subrectangularly from the midrib, curved towards the margin, prominent on both faces as is the dense though more finely raised reticulation of veins and veinlets; petiole ca 2.0 mm long; stipules not observed. Flowers 4-6(-8) per fascicle from usually defoliate nodes together with the young leaves; bracts numerous, ovate, appressedly hairy dorsally, 1.0-1.5 mm long; pedicels articulate 1.0-2.0 mm above base, slender, puberulous, 4.0-6.0 mm long, rarely in part up to 11.0 mm long in the same inflorescence. Sepals obovate-oblong, obtuse, thin, crimson or pinkish, shortly connate below, puberulous on both faces, (5.0-)6.0(-7.5) mm long, 2.0(-3.0) mm broad. Stamens usually 8, rarely 6, equilong; filaments fused with the disk-lobes below for 1.5-2.0 mm, their free part 2.5-3.0 mm long, linear, laxly short-hairy; anthers oblongoid, not apiculate, 0.7 mm long. Disk-lobes as long as filaments, very sparsely hairy. Ovary ovoid, glabrous below, appressedly short-hairy distally and on the slender style (2.0 mm); stigma capitate. Fruit globose, red, 1.0-1.3 cm diam; seeds numerous, ovoid, tubercled, ca 2.5 mm long.

  • Distribution

    Cuba South America| Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America|