Senna gundlachii (Urb.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby
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Authors
Howard S. Irwin, Rupert C. Barneby
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Authority
Irwin, Howard S. & Barneby, Rupert C. 1982. The American Cassiinae. A synoptical revision of Leguminosae tribe Cassieae subtrib Cassiinae in the New World. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35, part 1: 1-454.
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Family
Caesalpiniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Holotypus, presumably †B; neoholotypus, GH! isotypi, BR, G, MO, NY!
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Synonyms
Cassia gundlachii Urb., Cassia esmeraldensis Alain
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Description
Species Description - Cassia esmeraldensis Alain, Contrib. Ocas. Mus. Hist. Nat. Colegio ‘De La Salle’ 9: 10, fig. 3. 1950.—"Tipo en [LS, nunc HAC], Alain, Clemente y Crisogono 1035, de La Esmeralda, sur de Cananova, Oriente [Cuba], Julio de 1949."—Holotypus not seen; isotypus, numbered Alain 1025, NY! Shrubs or small trees at anthesis 2-? m, resembling small-lvd forms of S. silvestris, except for the glossy upper face of lfts and dorsally glabrous sepals, petals and gynoecium puberulent throughout with fine subappressed hairs 0.1-0.2 mm, the inflorescence a leafless or basally leafy-bracteate thyrse or panicle of racemes. Stipules caducous (little known) linear-subulate 2-3 mm. Lvs (12-) 15-23 cm; petiole including wrinkled pulvinus 2-4.5 cm, at middle 0.6-1.1 mm diam, terete except for shallow open ventral sulcus; rachis (5.5-)8-14 cm, the interfoliolar segments 8-22 mm; pulvinules 1.5-2.5 mm; lfts 7-12 or of some upper lvs only 5-7 pairs, a little accrescent upward to beyond middle of rachis, thence slightly smaller, all ovate or broadly lanceolate acuminate, the longest 3.5-6.5(-7.5) x 1-1.8(-2.5) cm, 2.5-3.7 times as long as wide, symmetrically rounded or cuneate at base, the margins revolute, the midrib impressed- sulcate above, cariniform beneath, the ±7-10 pairs of camptodrome secondary veins with connecting tertiary and subsequent reticular venules all sharply finely prominulous on both faces, a trifle more so above than beneath. Racemes densely subcorymbosely 10-60-fld, the axis including peduncle becoming 2-6 cm; bracts caducous ovate or subulate 1-1.5 mm; pedicels at full anthesis 1.5-2.7 cm; hypanthium ±2 mm long; sepals reflexed at anthesis, sub- membranous dark purplish-brown glabrous ciliolate, all obovate but strongly graduated, the outer 3-4 mm, the longest inner one 6.5-8 mm; petals yellow orange-veined subhomomorphic, beyond the conspicuous claw broadly flabellate truncate-emarginate, the longest 12-17 mm; androecium glabrous, the filaments of 4 median stamens 1.5-2 mm, of 3 abaxial ones 3^ mm, the anthers of 4 median stamens 3-3.5 mm, their beak ±0.4-0.6 mm, those of 2 latero-abaxial ones lunately incurved 5-6 mm, at insertion of filament 1-1.4 mm wide in dorsoventral view, that of the centric abaxial stamen nearly straight 3-3.8 x 0.6-0.9 mm; ovary glabrous; style ± 1.5 x 0.4-0.6 mm, incurved as that of S. silvestris; ovules 16-18. Pod broadly linear 10-13 x 1.2-1.4 cm, apparently not essentially different from that of S. silvestris.—Collections: 4.
Distribution and Ecology - Habitat little known, but apparently an element of xeromorphic montane scrub woodland, endemic to the northern ranges of Oriente province (Sa. de Nipe, Sa. del Cristal, Cuchillas del Pinal), Cuba.—Fl. VI-X.
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Discussion
Senna gundlachii is very closely related to S. silvestris, resembling small-flowered, small-leaved forms of var. silvestris in texture and pubescence of the foliage and different from all of these principally in the few-ovulate pod. The seeds, described by Alain for C. esmeraldensis, must also be shorter and relatively broader (±4 x 3 mm). In its fruit S. gundlachii approaches S. domingensis, of which the flower is again smaller and accompanied by narrowly lance-acuminate leaflets. As often seen in S. silvestris sens, lat., the leaves of S. gundlachii immediately below the flowering panicle tend to be shorter and simpler than those of vigorous leafy branchlets. The type-collection of S. gundlachii shows only these shorter leaves in contrast to that of C. esmeraldensis which bears leaves wholly of the longer type. This species was named in honor of Johannes Gundlach (1810-1896), German zoologist and sometime companion of Charles Wright in Cuba.
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Common Names
camarón
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Distribution
Cuba South America|