Tabebuia cassinoides (Lam.) DC.
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Authority
Gentry, Alwyn H. 1992. Bignoniaceae--part II (Tribe Tecomeae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25: 1-370. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Bignoniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro, Commerson s.n. (P-JUSS).
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Synonyms
Bignonia cassinoides Lam., Bignonia uliginosa Gomes, Catalpa cassinoides (Lam.) Spreng., Bignonia tabebuya Vell., Spathodea magnolioides Cham., Tabebuia leucantha Gómez ex Saldanha, Tabebuia uliginosa (Gomes) DC., Tecoma uliginosa Mart. ex DC., Tabebuia magnolioides (Cham.) Miers
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Description
Species Description - Small to medium-sized tree 4-18 m, twigs subterete often rather flattened when young, lepidote. Leaves simple, the blade obovate to obovate-elliptic, the apex rounded, the base cuneate, 5-23 cm long, 2.5-7 cm wide, entire, coriaceous, lepidote above and below, otherwise glabrous, with a conspicuous glandular field at base on either side of petiole apex, the petiole 0.5-2 cm long, densely lepidote. Inflorescence a rather few-flowered corymbose terminal panicle, densely lepidote, the flowers mostly in 2’s, bracts linear, 5-8 mm long, bracteoles minute or lacking. Flowers with the calyx campanulate, bilabiate, 15-20 mm long, 8-12 mm wide, densely lepidote, usually with plate-shaped glands in more or less well-defined linear fields near middle; corolla white with yellow in throat, tubular-infundibuliform, 5.5-9 cm long, 1.5-1.8 cm wide at mouth of tube, the tube 4.5-6 cm long, the lobes 1.5-1.8 cm long, glabrous outside, the lobes subciliate with a few minute marginal trichomes; stamens didynamous, included, the anther thecae divaricate, 4-5 mm long, insertion ca. 15 mm from base of corolla tube; pistil ca. 4 cm long, the ovary linear, 5-6 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, densely lepidote; disk patelliform, ca. 1 mm long, 3-4 mm wide. Fruits linear-oblong, ca. 13-15 cm long, terete, 1-1.2 cm diam., the surface slightly striate-ridged, densely lepidote, drying gray, calyx persistent; seeds bialate, 0.6-0.7 cm long, 2.5-3 cm wide, the wings hyaline membranaceous with brownish veining, sharply demarcated from gray-brown seed body.
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Discussion
One of the very few simple-leaved continental Tabebuia species. At Linhares, Espírito Santo, this species grows sympatrically with T. stenocalyx in exactly the same swampy microhabitat, differing from that species only in floral characters (bee-pollinated vs. hawkmoth pollinated). Tabebuia obtusifolia is also very similar vegetatively, but is distinguished by very different flowers, apparently adapted for bat pollination; it grows sympatrically with T. cassinoides at Linhares but is ecologically separated, occurring in terra firme forest. The generic name Tabebuia is derived from one of the common names of this species, which means “ant wood” in Tupi-Guarani, referring to the frequent presence of ants in the hollowed out twigs of T. cassinoides (Pio Correa, 1926).
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Common Names
caixeta, pau de tamanco, tagibibuia, tabebuya
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Objects
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Distribution
Coastal Brazil from Espírito Santo to Paraná; restricted to fresh-water swamps where it typically forms pure stands; near sea level.
Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America|