Rinorea ulmifolia Kuntze

  • Authority

    Hekking, W. H. A. 1988. violaceae Part l—Rinorea and Rinoreocarpus. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 46: i-ii, 1-208. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Violaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Rinorea ulmifolia Kuntze

  • Type

    Type. Colombia. Antioquía: Border of Río Magdalena nr. la Boca de San Bartolomé, May 1801 (fl, fr), Bonpland ms. n. 1068 (holotype, P[herb. Humboldt & Bonpland], original illustration in ink by Turpin from this specimen, printed in reverse; isotype [?], Bonpland ms. n. 1608 [P]).

  • Synonyms

    Conohoria ulmifolia Kunth, Alsodeia ulmifolia (Kunth) Spreng.

  • Description

    Species Description - Treelet 0.25-7 m tall. Branchlets orange-brown to black-purplish when dried, sometimes provided with small (in sicco whitish) lenticels, densely to sparsely brownish strigulose to hispidulous. Leaves apparently opposite; petioles 15 mm long, densely orange-brownish hispidulous) above, orange-brownish hispid beneath; stipules deciduous, narrowly ovate to deltoid, gradually acuminate, 4-7 x 1-1.75 mm, herbaceous and sparsely brownish strigose along the costa to glabrescent, scarious and glabrous near the margin, costate and ± 14 veined, irregularly ciliolate, apex subobtuse to subacute, mucronulate; lamina narrowly elliptic to obovate, acuminate, 2.5-23.5 x 1-8.5 cm, herbaceous, usually glabrous on both sides, sometimes brownish hispid(ulous) on both sides when young; costa brownish hispidulous above, brownish to whitish hispid(ulous) beneath; domatia wanting; lateral veins 11-20 pairs (acumen excluded), brownish hispid(ulous) on both sides; tertiary venation ± scalariform, sometimes sparsely brownish hispid(ulous) on both sides; base rounded to cuneate, asymmetric, oblique, (sub)cordate to (sub)auriculate at the petiole; margin serrate, mucronulate; acumen 1-2 cm long, apex subobtuse to subacute, mucronulate. Inflorescences axillary, lateral and subterminal, solitary, thyrsoid, laxiflorous, 4.5-9.5 x 2.5-4.5 cm; central axis brownish to whitish hispidulous; cymules 1-5 flowered; common peduncle 2.25-8.5 cm long, brownish to whitish hispidulous; pedicels 2-6.5 cm long, articulate at 2/5-1/6 from the base, brownish to whitish hispidulous; bracts and bractlets narrowly deltoid to ovate, acuminate, scarious, brownish to whitish hispidulous near the apex, margin ciliate, apex subacute, mucronulate; bracts 2.5-4.5 x ca. 1 mm, costate and 3-9 veined; bractlets 0.5-1.25 x 0.5-0.75 mm. Flower buds ovoid to conical, subacute. Flowers drooping, white. Sepals subequal, (narrowly) elliptic to ovate, 2.5-3.25 x 1.25-1.5 mm, herbaceous, sparsely whitish pilose near the apex of the costa, costate, obscurely 3-5 veined, margin whitish to brownish ciliate, apex subacute. Petals (narrowly) elliptic to ovate, 4-6 x 2-2.5 mm, herbaceous, glabrous or sometimes pilosulous and ciliolate at the apex, apex obtuse. Stamens 3.25-3.75 mm long; filaments free, 0.250.5 x 0.25-0.75 mm, glabrous; dorsal glands free, adnate to the filaments, sometimes fused and apparently wanting, 0-0.5 x 0-0.25(-0.4) mm, carnose, glabrous; anthers ovoid, 1.25-1.5 x ca. 0.75 mm, glabrous, apex of thecae obtuse to apiculate, each rarely appendaged by a cusp 0.1-0.2 x 0.1 mm; connective outside narrowly deltoid or elliptic, obtuse, 2 x 0.5 mm, glabrous; connective scales lateral as well as apical, narrowly ovate to elliptic, 3-3.35 x 1-1.5 mm, scarious, creamy colored, transparent, margin erose to fringed especially near the base, apex rounded to obtuse, suberose to subentire. Ovary subglobose, 0.5-1 mm long and wide, slanting golden to whitish pilose; ovules one per placenta. Style filiform, erect or curved, 3-3.5 mm long, exceeding the stamens by 0.25-1 mm, pilose at the base. Capsule more or less symmetric, ovate to orbicular, slightly acuminate, subtended by subpersistent floral parts, coriaceous, whitish pilose, obscurely veined, usually the style subpersistent at the apex of the valves; valves three, (sub)equal, 0.6-0.75 x ca. 0.35 cm. Seeds one per valve, subglobose to obovoid, 3.5 x 2.5 mm, glabrous.

  • Discussion

    Rinorea ulmifolia and R. hymenosepala are the only neotropical Rinorea with leaves distinctly oblique and distinctly (sub)cordate to (sub)auriculate in combination with inflorescences thyrsoid. Both species are characterized also by connective scales with the margin fringed and the apex rounded.

    Rinorea ulmifolia differs from R. hymenosepala mainly by: (1) its wider thyrsoid inflorescences, 2.5-4.5 cm wide (versus 1-1.75 cm wide); (2) its sepals 1.25-1.5 mm wide (versus ca. 0.75 mm wide); (3) its dorsal glands distinctly shorter than the filaments, only 0-0.5 mm long (versus slightly exceeding the filaments, ±0.75 mm long); (4) the thecae apically unappendaged or some of them appendaged by minute cusps only 0.1-0.2 mm long (versus usually appendaged by cusps 0.4-0.8 mm long).

    Distribution and Ecology: Rinorea ulmifolia is probably endemic in NW Colombia. Only known in the valley of the Río Magdalena from the vicinity of Bogota to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta from 0 to 600 m, including the forest refugia: Río Magdalena N and S; Santa Marta. Soil unknown. Flowering throughout the year. Fruiting specimens have been collected only during May. Also fruiting throughout the year?

  • Distribution

    Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Bolívar Colombia South America| César Colombia South America| Córdoba Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Norte de Santander Colombia South America| Santander Colombia South America| Tolima Colombia South America|