Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 103
reflexed, 8-10 mm wide. Capitula few,
pedunculate, in axillary corymbiform cymes;
bracts of the involucre lanceolate to narrowly
ovate, ca. 12 mm long, green to whitish; corollas
white or with a reddish or greenish tinge,
infundibuliform; anthers violet, connate, exserted.
Achenes cuneiform, ca. 3.5 mm long, with 5
longitudinal ribs, glabrous; pappus of numerous
bristles, 7-8 mm long.
Phenology: Flowering from September to April.
Status: Endemic to Puerto Rico, rather common.
Distribution: In forests of the cordilleras, at
middle and upper elevations.
Public forests: Carite, El Yunque, Guilarte,
Maricao, and Toro Negro.
* Common name taken from the work of Dr.
Agustín Stahl (1937).
4. Mikania micrantha Kunth in Humb. Bonpl.
& Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. (quarto ed.) 4: 134.
1818.
Fig. 36. E-H
Guaco falso
Herbaceous vine, twining, attaining 10 m or
more in length. Stems pubescent, angular, striate.
Leaves opposite; blades 6-13 × 3-8 cm, ovate,
chartaceous, 3-5-nerved, the apex acuminate, the
base cordiform, the margins dentate; upper surface
slightly shiny, puberulous; lower surface
puberulous, with the venation somewhat
prominent; petioles sulcate, glabrous or
puberulous, as long as or shorter than the blade;
pseudostipules forming an interpetiolar ring of
lanceolate segments, early deciduous. Capitula
numerous, pedunculate, arranged in corymbiform
or paniculiform cymes, terminal on short lateral
branches; subinvolucral bracts subulate, 2-3 mm
long, glabrous; phyllaries ovate-oblong or
elliptical, green, 3-4 mm long; corolla white,
infundibuliform, slightly fragrant, 2.5-3 mm long;
anthers exserted. Achenes ca. 1.2 mm long, dark
gray to black, pentagonal; pappus of numerous
white bristles, 2-3 mm long.
Phenology: Collected in flower and fruit from
November to February.
Status: Native, locally common.
Distribution: In disturbed areas, such as
pastures, along rivers, and marshy areas, at low
elevation. Also throughout tropical America.
Public forest: Maricao, Río Abajo, and Susúa.
5. Mikania odoratissima Urb., Symb. Antill. 1:
464. 1899.
Fig. 37. A-C
Slightly woody vine, twining, 3-5 m in length.
Stems slender, striate, puberulous, aromatic.
Leaves opposite; blades 4-10 × 3-8.5 cm,
chartaceous, aromatic, ovate, triangular, or
trilobed, glabrous or puberulous, 3-nerved, the
apex acute or acuminate, the base truncate to
cordiform, the margins dentate; upper surface
dark green, shiny, with the venation flat or slightly
sunken; lower surface light green, dull, venation
prominent; petioles 1.5-3.5 cm long, sulcate,
puberulous; pseudostipules forming a ring of
lanceolate segments, pubescent, deciduous.
Capitula in groups of 3, pedunculate to subsessile,
arranged in terminal corymbiform cymes;
subinvolucral bract obovate to oblong, 3-4 mm
long; phyllaries 7-9 mm long, oblong-elliptical,
green, puberulous; corollas white or pale green,
infundibuliform, ca. 6.5 mm long. Achenes 4-4.5
mm long, prismatic, scabrid, cream-colored;
pappus of numerous scabrous bristles, creamcolored
or light brown, 6.5-7 mm long.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting from
November to March.
Status: Endemic to Puerto Rico, uncommon.
Distribution: In moist forests, at middle and
upper elevations, along the Cordillera Central.
Public forests: Maricao and Río Abajo.
6. Mikania pachyphylla Urb., Symb. Antill. 1:
463. 1899.
Fig. 37. D-G
Slightly woody vine, twining, 4-8 m in length.
Stems hexagonal, 8-10 mm in diameter, glabrous,
with numerous lateral branches, the bark grayish,
smooth, and aromatic. Leaves opposite; blades
3.5-9 × 2-3 cm, ovate, fleshy, brittle, slightly
aromatic, 3-nerved, the apex acuminate, the base
obtuse or rounded, the margins serrate-mucronate;
upper surface pale green, shiny, glabrous, foveate,
with the venation sunken; lower surface pale
green, dull, glabrous, with prominent venation
and whitish; petioles 1-2 cm long, glabrous,