Renealmia guianensis Maas

  • Authority

    Maas, Paulus J. M. 1977. Renealmia (Zingiberaceae--Zingiberoideae), Costoideae (Additions) (Zingiberaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 18: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Zingiberaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Renealmia guianensis Maas

  • Type

    TYPE. L. C. Richard sn (holotype, P; photograph, U),  in sylvis inter Couaña et Approuague, French Guiana.

  • Synonyms

    Renealmia gracilis Petersen, Alpinia aromatica, Alpinia multicaulis Roem. & Schult., Renealmia occidentalis (Sw.) Sweet

  • Description

    Description - Plants (0.5-)1-3 m tall. Rhizomes 5-12 mm thick. Sheaths reticulate, often chocolate-brown when dry, 5-10 mm wide to 20 mm at the base of the plant, densely covered with simple or (rarely) furcate prickles (less than 0.1 mm long) and mainly towards the reticulations with needle-like hairs (0.5-1 mm long). Ligule 1-3 mm long, densely covered with simple, needle-like hairs. Petiole 10-35 mm long, hairy like the sheaths but less densely so. Lamina narrowly elliptic, acuminate at the apex (acumen 10-25 mm long), cuneate at the base, 19-47 cm long, (2.5-)3.5-9 cm wide, upper side glabrous, lower side glabrous to sparsely covered with simple hairs (up to 0.2 mm long) particularly along the midrib. Scape erect or prostrate, 20-35(-85) cm tall, up to 3(-4) mm thick, beset with purplish-red, deciduous sheaths up to 6-13 cm long and 0.5-1 cm wide. Inflorescence a basal thyrse (5-) 15-45 cm long and 2-5 cm wide, with l-3(-4)-flowered cincinni, rhachis green. Indument of inflorescence: sheaths, rhachis bracts, peduncles, bracteoles, pedicels, calyx, and ovary sparsely to rather densely covered with simple and furcate (rarely plurifurcate) hairs (0.1-0.5 mm long), capsule sparsely so, or mostly glabrous, corolla glabrous. Bracts dark red to purple-red, membranous, very soon deciduous, (narrowly) triangular-ovate, 15-50 mm long, 7-10 mm wide. Peduncles 3-10 mm long. Bracteole (12-) 15-18(-21) mm long. Pedicels 5-30 mm long. Calyx pinkish-red to dark red, tubular to turbinate, 5-9 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, its lobes subobsolete, deciduous at length. Corolla yellow, 10-12 mm long, the tube 4 mm long, the lobes 6-8 mm long, 4-6 mm wide. Labellum yellow, 11 mm long and 10-12 mm wide when spread out, basal part opposite stamen densely covered with simple hairs (ca 0.3 mm long), the limb horizontally spreading, 8 mm long, 10-12 mm wide, lateral lobes rounded, ca 8 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, middle lobe with two lobules 2-3 mm long and wide, basal claw 3 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, lateral staminodes ca 1 mm long. Anther red, 4-5 mm long, 2 mm wide, glabrous. Style 9-10 mm long. Nectarial glands only partly surrounding the style base, 1-2 mm long. Ovary red. Capsule red to flesh-colored (10.0 RP 5/10), brownish when dry, ellipsoid to globose, 8-20 X 6-15 mm, its wall 0.1-0.2 mm thick when dry (to 1 mm in living material), 10-25-seeded, seeds 2.5-3 X 3.5 mm, aril orange to yellow.

  • Discussion

    Renealmia guianensis is closely related to R. floribunda (see under that species), but can readily be distinguished by its red (in dry material brown) instead of black fruits.

    I am not sure of the identity of Aublet’s Àlpinia aromatica, which was described as follows:

    Alpinia (aromatica) multicaulis

    Paco-seroca minor, multicaulis Plum. Mss. 5. t. 27 et 28.

    Cette plante croft au bord de 1 eau à la crique Galibi, et dans l'île de Caîenne: son fruit est peu succulent; ces graines ont un goût fort rapprochant de celles du cardamome.

    I have tried to locate the Aublet specimens cited, but they could not be traced at Paris, nor at the British Museum.

    Plumier’s "Paco-seroca minor, multicaulis" is the present R. occidentalis var occidentalis, a species occurring in the Antilles and from Mexico to Bolivia in the South and to Guyana in the East. It does not occur in Suriname and is apparently rare in Guyana, so it does not seem likely that the plants observed by Aublet in French Guiana and called Alpinia aromatica were of the same species as Plumier’s "Paco-seroca minor, multicaulis.” As the description of Aublet is absolutely insufficient and does not give any detail of the plant and, moreover, as no type material seems to be preserved, the name Alpinia aromatica cannot be applied.

  • Distribution

    The Guianas and adjacent parts of Brazil and Venezuela, but also two Brazilian collections from the states of Pernambuco and Bahia; in rain forests, varzea forests, swamps, or swamp forests, from sea-level up to 850 m.

    Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Delta Amacuro Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America|