Swartzia cubensis var. nicaraguensis (Britton & Rose) R.S.Cowan

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Swartzia cubensis var. nicaraguensis (Britton & Rose) R.S.Cowan

  • Type

    Type collection. C. Wright s. n. (U. S. North Pacific Exploring Expedition, holotype US 20008; isotype fragment, NY), Nicaragua, 1853-56.

  • Synonyms

    Swartzia nicaraguensis (Britton & Rose) Standl., Tounatea nicaraguensis Britton & Rose

  • Description

    Description - Branchlets micro-strigulose; stipules less than 1 mm long, triangular; leaflets 3- or 4-jugate; inflorescence axis micro-strigulose.

  • Discussion

    There is so little of morphological significance separating these two varieties that it is difficult to consider them as such, much less as species. However, the difference in the stipules and the number of pairs of leaflets encourage me to leave them separate, pending study of future collections from Nicaragua.

    The species is related to S. jorori and S. pittieri in Bolivia and Venezuela, respectively, but those species have petaliferous flowers and S. cubensis is characterized by apetalous ones. The latter is also related to S. sumorum of Nicaragua; although superficially there is little resemblance, the floral morphology of the two is quite similar. Standley described S. lundellii partly because there was such a geographic hiatus between Central America and Cuba and he noted that the leaflets are more obtuse than in S. cubensis. However, the type of S. lundellii is indistinguishable from the rest of the material of the typical variety of S. cubensis.

  • Distribution

    (Fig. 27). Known only from the type collection.

    Nicaragua Central America|