Terminalia arbuscula Sw.

  • Authority

    Stace, C. A. & Alwan, A.-R A. 2010. Combretaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 107: 1-369. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Combretaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Terminalia arbuscula Sw.

  • Type

    Type. Jamaica. 1784-1786, Swartz s.n. (holotype, S; isotypes, BM, S).

  • Synonyms

    Chuncoa arbuscula (Sw.) Griseb.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree to 30 m (? deciduous or evergreen). Leaves 4.5-13 × 2.5-5(-7) cm, chartaceous, oblong-elliptic to oblong-oblanceolate, rounded-emarginate to obtuse or shortly acuminate at apex, broadly acute at base; puberulous to pubescent when young, especially abaxially, usually glabrous when mature; domatia absent. Venation weakly brochidodromous; midvein moderate to weak, scarcely prominent; secondary veins 5-7 pairs, distant, originating at widely acute angles (distal ones more widely), slightly curved distally, scarcely prominent; intersecondary veins sometimes present; tertiary veins random-reticulate or sometimes weakly percurrent and irregularly and obliquely arranged; higher order veins distinct; areolation very small, well-developed, not prominent. Petiole 1-4 cm, usually glabrous, eglandular. Inflorescences to 8.5 cm, simple, probably andromonoecious; peduncle 2-4 cm, sparsely pubescent when young, usually glabrous when mature; rhachis 2-4.5 cm, sparsely pubescent, becoming glabrous. Flowers pentamerous, ca. 4.5-5.5 × 3-4 mm (male) or ca. 6.5 × 3-4 mm (bisexual); lower hypanthium ca. 4 mm in bisexual flowers, sparsely pubescent on ovary-bearing part, very sparsely so on distal part; upper hypanthium 1-1.5 mm, infundibuliform, glabrous to very sparsely pubescent; calyx lobes ca. 1 mm, erect, more or less glabrous; disk pilose; stamens 3-3.5 mm; style ca. 3 mm, pubescent at base. Fruits (slightly immature) often scattered along whole length of rhachis, 1.8-2.1 × 2-3.2 cm, flattened, transversely elliptic in side view, rounded-obtuse to apiculate at apex, subtruncate to obtuse at base, without a pseudostipe, subglabrous at maturity; wings 2, fairly stiff, equal, 0.6-1.4 cm wide, rounded to narrowly rounded laterally; body 0-5-0.6 cm wide, probably ridged on one face, flat on other. Reproductive biology. Flowering May to June; fruiting December to January. Bisexual flowers protogynous.

  • Discussion

    Illustrations. Figs. 4d (venation), 73b (lf), 74m (fr).

    Terminalia arbuscula represents a second Jamaican enigma, in addition to T. latifolia. It is a rare species and fruits have been collected only once. Specimens collected by Proctor bear notes suggesting that they might be dioecious, and this could explain the rarity of fruits. Howard & Proctor 14417 is a “female” plant where the upper hypanthia have dropped, leaving only ovaries. Proctor 24870 still has flowers and is labeled “male.” However, this is not accurate; in these “male” inflorescences the proximal part of the rhachis bears flowers with a style and a lower hypanthium that is swollen at the base, and the distal part bears flowers with a vestigial style and shorter pedicel-like lower hypanthium. The ovaries contain two small apical ovules, although it is possible that they are not functional. In Thorne & Proctor 48094 and Proctor 36268 most of the flowers are bisexual. We have not seen female flowers. The species is probably andromonoecious.

    The relationships of Terminalia arbuscula are not certain. Vegetatively and in fruit characters it shows closest resemblance to T. oblonga, and it differs significantly from that species only in its apparently andromonoecious sex distribution. We therefore place it in section Oblongae.

    Terminalia arbuscula var. xanthica M. Gomez, nom. nud. (see Nomina Dubia at the end of the genus), is possibly a representative of T. chicharronia, T. arbuscula not being otherwise recorded from Cuba.

  • Common Names

    olive, white olive

  • Distribution

    Endemic to western Jamaica; Very rare, in woodland on limestone hills; 900 to 2200 feet (Adams, 1972). Adams also cited Proctor 24472, which we have not seen, and quoted the additional parish of St. Elizabeth in its distribution.

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