Calycophyllum papillosum J.H.Kirkbr.
-
Authority
Kirkbride, Joseph H., Jr. 1997. Manipulus Rubiacearum-VI. Brittonia. 49 (3): 354-379.
-
Family
Rubiaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Description
Latin Diagnosis - A C. multifioro stipulis persistentibus, 1.3-2 mm longis, folii lamina 7.5-10.5 cm longa, domatiis glabris in nervorum secundariorum axil, calycis lobis manifeste 4, deltatis vel depresse triangularibus, 0.3- 0.5 X ca. 0.5 mm, rami floris apicalis calycis lobo uno pro semaphyllo, semaphyllis folio similibus, pseudo- petiolo 1.8-2 mm longo, pseudolamina subcirculari, 3- 3.2 X 3.2-3.8 mm, corollae lobis tubo minusve dimidio brevioribus, extra papillosis intraque secus marginem papillosis et medium versus glabris differt
Species Description - Trees to 25 m tall, the trunk to 15 m tall, the young stems glabrous, the young internodes 0.5-1.2 cm long. Stipules persistent, interpetiolar, free, shallowly triangular, broadly acute at apex, 1.3-2 X 3-4 mm, glabrous and minutely ciliate, with dark colleters on the inner surface, the colleters 0.2-0.3 mm long, ca. 0.1 mm diam. Leaves opposite, petiolate, the petiole terete, 1-2.5 cm long, glabrous, the blade chartaceous, narrowly elliptic, acuminate at the apex, attenuate at the base, 7.5-10.5 X 3-4 cm, 2.4-2.8 times longer than wide, 7-9 arcuate secondary veins anastomosing near the margin on each side of the midrib, with an elongate, glabrous pit domatium in the axil of each secondary vein, the veins plane above and prominent below, glabrous above and below with the midrib glabrate to sparsely strigulose beneath. Inflorescences thyrsoid, terminal, pedunculate, the peduncle terete, ca. 0.5 cm long, glabrous, 5-6 X 9-10 cm above the peduncle, with 2 pairs of lateral branches and an apical branch, 3-5 cm long overall, puberulous to densely so, with a leaf-like bract subtending each lateral branch; bracts petiolate, the petiole terete, 0.2-0.5 cm long, glabrate, the blade similar to the leaf blade except 1.5- 2.5 X 0.5-1 cm, each branchlet subtended by a smaller bract, the small bracts narrowly triangular, narrowly acute at the apex, 0.8-2.5 X 0.2-0.3 mm, densely puberulous, the apical flower of each branch with one calyx lobe expanded into a small semaphyll. Flowers pedicellate, the pedicel terete, 0.4-1 mm long, densely puberulous, the lateral flowers of each dichasium subtended by a bracteole ca. 0.4 X ca. 0.2 mm, densely puberulous, the apical flower of each dichasium without a subtending bracteole, the hypanthium subglobose, 0.4-0.5 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm diam., densely strigulose, the calyx densely strigulose outside and glabrous inside, the calyx tube ca. 0.2 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm diam., the calyx lobes 4, ca. equal in shape and size except on the apical flower of each inflorescence branch with one lobe expanded into a small semaphyll, very broadly triangular to shallowly so, acute at the apex, 0.3-0.5 X ca. 0.5 mm, the semaphylls leaf-like, the pseudopetiole 1.8-2 mm long, the pseudoblade subcircular, rounded at the apex, 3-3.2 X 3.2-3.8 mm, the corolla yellow in bud and white when open, infundibular, papillose externally, aestivation subimbricate with 2 opposite lobes slightly overlapping the other 2 opposite lobes, the corolla tube 4-4.5 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm diam. at the base, ca. 2 mm diam. at the throat, inside the middle 1/3 bearing a sericeous band and the basal 1/3 and apical 1/3 glabrous, the corolla lobes 4, broadly ovate, acute at the apex, 1.5-2 X ca. 1.5 mm, inside with a papillate strip ca. 0.2 mm wide around the margin and glabrous in the center, the stamens separating from the corolla ca. 2 mm above the base in the sericeous band, the filaments straight, terete, glabrous with the base sericeous, ca. 1.5 mm long in bud, 7-8 mm long after anthesis, the anthers exserted, dorsifixed in the middle, broadly obovate, 0.7-0.8 X 0.6-0.7 mm, glabrous, the circular disk fill- ing the space between the bases of the corolla and the style, ca. 0.1 mm long, ca. 0.3 mm diam., bilobate with 1 lobe above each locule, glabrous, the style straight, terete, acute at the apex, exserted, without a distinguishable stigmatic area, ca. 3 mm long in bud, 9-10 mm long after anthesis, glabrous. Fruit unknown.
-
Discussion
TYPE: BRAZIL. Espirito Santo: Reserva Florestal Linhares-CVRD, proximo a estrada X-2 talhao 403, 3 Feb 1973, Spada 176 (HOLOTYPE: RB).
Calycophyllum papillosum is outstanding in its genus because of its small stipules and semaphylls. The species epithet denotes the unusual papillose strip along the internal margins of the corolla lobes. After extensive cladistic analyses, Andersson (1995) concluded that Calycophyllum, in the traditional sense, is polyphyletic. His analyses divided Calycophyllum s.l. into two clades: one with the type species, C. candidissimum (M. Vahl) DC., two closely related species, and Capirona decorticans Spruce; and the other with the "Calycophyllum obovatum group" of Steyermark (1964). He described a new genus, Semaphyllanthe L. Andersson, for the members of the "Calycophyllum obovatum group." Calycophyllum s.str. and Semaphyllanthe are separated by the following characteristics, respectively: stipules fused throughout vs. free; domatia present vs. absent; bracts and bracteoles sacciform vs. planar and triangular; calyx reduced to minute teeth vs. tubular with the lobes 0.5-2 times as long as the tube; corolla aestivation imbricate vs. contorted; and filaments glabrous and separating from the corolla tube at the apex vs. pubescent and separating from the corolla at the middle or below. Calycophyllum papillosum is intermediate between Calycophyllum s.str. and Semaphyllanthe. It corresponds to Calycophyllum s.str. in its glabrous pit domatia on the leaves, calyx lobes 20 times longer than the calyx tube, and imbricate corolla aestivation; and to Semaphyllanthe in its free stipules, planar, triangular bracts and bracteoles, and pubescent filaments separating from the corolla tube at the middle.
Delprete (1996: 40-41) reassessed Calycophyllum and Semaphyllanthe. After examination of C. candidissimum (Vahl) DC., type species of Calycophyllum, C. obovatum (Ducke) Ducke, type species of Semaphyllanthe, and C. spruceanum (Benth.) Hook., type species of Eukylista Benth., he concluded that the infraspecific variation of the characteristics used by Andersson bridged the three generic concepts which are, therefore, synonymous. I have chosen to follow Delprete and include this species and the following one in Calycophyllum s.l.