Swartzia flaemingii Raddi var. flaemingii

  • Authority

    Cowan, Richard S. 1967. Swartzia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae Swartzieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 1: 3-228. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Swartzia flaemingii Raddi var. flaemingii

  • Type

    Type collection. G. Raddi s.n. (Pl), near "Mata-porcos," Guanabara, Brazil. The collection data is not given with the specimen, but in the original description Raddi explained that his collection came from the garden attached to the house of the Prussian minister to Brazil, Sr. Flaming; the spelling of the specific epithet adopted here is in accordance with the Code which makes necessary the transcription of the umlaut "a" to "ae." The locality has not been certainly determined but since his itinerary included only the environs of the Federal District (Guanabara), it is probably safe to conclude that "Mata-porcos" is from this region.

  • Synonyms

    Swartzia flaemingii Raddi, Mimosa pacoba Vell., Swartzia montana Vogel, Tounatea flemmingii (Raddi) Taub., Tunatea flemingii (Raddi) Kuntze

  • Description

    Description - Leaf rachis without an obvious wing, at most narrowly marginate; leaflet apex mostly acute or bluntly acute, sometimes rounded; axis of the inflorescence velutinous, sometimes with some longer hairs intermixed, the buds densely tomentulose; filaments of the 2-4 larger stamens densely villose, the pollen of all the stamens globose or subglobose, 26-31 µ diameter; gynoecium always unipistillate, villose-sericeous, the hairs loose and not appressed; fruit 4-6 cm long and 3 cm wide, smooth at maturity but obliquely transverse-costulate earlier.

  • Discussion

    Vogel’s S. montana is certainly conspecific with this variety and the rather crude drawing of Mimosa pacoba in the Vellozo publication is surely referable here, too.

    The typical variety of S. flaemingii (Fig. 16g-i) differs from the other varieties in its wingless and emarginate leaf-rachis and the densely pubescent filaments of the larger stamens. Var. arumateuana (Fig. 16a-c) is quite distinct from the other two varieties in the large number of larger stamens and in the leaflets being glabrous on the upper surface; in the larger-stamen number, this variety is similar to

    S. macrostachya var. kuhlmannii but the leaflets are more like those of S. flaemingii. Harms’ species, S. psilonema, has been reduced to varietal rank in this treatment to emphasize the very close relationship that appears to exist between these taxa. In addition to the slight, not completely constant differences of leaflet shape and filament vestiture, war. psilonema (Fig. 16d-f) is well separated geographically.

    There is the closest possible relationship between this species and S. macrostachya, although they differ superficially to a remarkable extent, considering what must be interpreted as close evolutionary affinity. The leaflets of this species are predominantly oblong or oblongish and are considerably smaller than the distinctly ovate or elliptic ones of S. macrostachya; in addition, there are usually fewer pairs of leaflets per leaf in the latter species, although there is overlapping in this characteristic. The two varieties of S. acutifolia with pubescent gynoecia differ in leaflet shape and pubescent type.

  • Common Names

    Angelim banana, jacaranda banana, jacaranda do campo

  • Distribution

    (Fig. 15). Baía, southern Minas Gerais, Guanabara, and State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Guanabara Brazil South America|