Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

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Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
5a. Inflorescences pedunculate; corolla white, sometimes with a pink or lavender tinge. ................... 6
5b. Inflorescences sessile; corolla lavender or pink ...................................................... 7. J. verticillata
6a. Leaves coriaceous or subfleshy, the apex rounded or less frequently acute, emarginate and mucronate,
the base acute, obtuse, or cuneate; lateral branches numerous, short, densely leafy, persistent on the
main stem even after the loss of the leaves; inflorescences of simple dichasial
cymes......................................................................................................................1. J. cayensis
6b. Leaves coriaceous, the apex obtuse and mucronate, the base truncate or rounded, unequal; lateral
branches elongate or short, sparsely leafy, deciduous; inflorescences of double dichasial
cymes................................................................................................................ 3. J. havanensis
1. Jacquemontia cayensis Britton in Britton &
Millsp., Fl. Bahamas 349. 1920.
Fig. 73. A-C
Slightly woody vine, twining, much branched
from the base, attaining 2 m in length. Stems
slender, cylindrical, copper-brown, densely
pubescent, with whitish stellate hairs. Leaves
alternate or clustered on short axillary branches;
blades simple, (1) 2-3 × 0.5-1.5 (2) cm, elliptical,
ovate, obovate, or rounded, coriaceous or sub
fleshy, the apex rounded or less frequently acute,
emarginate and mucronate, the base acute, obtuse,
or cuneate, the margins revolute, reddish, with
stellate hairs; upper surface yellowish green,
glabrous or with some scattered stellate hairs, the
midvein sunken; lower surface yellowish green,
dull, with a prominent midvein, covered with
stellate hairs; petioles 5-12 mm long, reddish,
densely covered with stellate hairs. Flowers
arranged in simple dichasial cymes; peduncles ca.
4 mm long, stellate-pubescent; pedicels 6-8 mm
long, stellate-pubescent. Calyx green, crateriform,
the sepals ovate, 2.5-3 mm long, acute at the apex,
the margins brown; corolla white,
infundibuliform, ca. 1 cm long, deeply lobed, the
lobes ovate, ca. 5 mm long; stamens white,
exserted; stigmas white, bilobate. Capsule ovoid,
ca. 4 mm in diameter, light brown, glabrous; seeds
pyriform-triangular, 2-3 mm long, puberulous or
glabrous.
Phenology: Collected in flower and fruit in
mid-September.
Status: Native, uncommon.
Distribution: Along the south coast of Puerto
Rico. Also on Mona and Anegada; the Bahamas,
Cuba, and the Turks Islands.
Public forests: Guánica and Mona.
Commentary: Jacquemontia cayensis can be
confused with J. havanensis; both species are
quite variable, to the point that it is difficult to
identify some specimens as one species or the
other. As a general rule, J. cayensis has leaves
rounded at the apex and flowers clustered in
reduced cymes. Jacquemontia havanensis, on the
other hand, has leaves with acute or obtuse apices
and the cymes contain 4 or more flowers.
2. Jacquemontia cumanensis (Kunth) Kuntze,
Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 441. 1891.
Fig. 73. D-F
BASIONYM: Convolvulus cumanenis Kunth
Slightly woody vine, twining, much branched
from the base, up to 2 m in length, without latex.
Stems slender, cylindrical, ferruginous-tomentose.
Leaves alternate; blades simple, 1.2-4 × 0.8-2.6
cm, broadly ovate, chartaceous, the apex obtuse
or acute, the base cordiform, the margins sinuate;
upper and lower surface tomentose; petioles 0.8-
2 cm long, tomentose. Flowers in compound
dichasia; peduncles 1.5-3 cm long; bracts
elliptical, ca. 5 mm long. Calyx green,
crateriform, the sepals 8-10 mm long, tomentose,
broadly ovate or deltate, acuminate at the apex;
corolla violet-blue to almost violet, with white
lines forming a star inside, rotate, the limb 2.2-
2.5 cm in diameter, pentagonal in outline and with
the margins reflexed; stamens and pistil white,
exserted. Capsule globose, ca. 5 mm in diameter,
brown, glabrous, with the sepals persistent at the
base; seeds obtusely triangular, ca. 4 mm long,
brown, glabrous.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting from
September to March.