Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 255
along both margins, the apex acuminate. Seeds
numerous, 5-6 mm long, oblong, flattened, dark
brown.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting throughout
the year.
Status: Exotic, cultivated and naturalized,
relatively common.
Distribution: In disturbed areas, such as
pastures or roadsides. Native to Africa but found
widely distributed throughout the tropics and
7. DALBERGIA
subtropics of the New World. Also on Vieques,
St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, and Tortola.
Public Forests: Guánica and Río Abajo.
Commentary: According to Fantz (1990), the
following two varieties are found in Puerto Rico:
Clitoria ternatea var. ternatea with simple flowers
(only one standard per flower) and C. ternatea
var. pleniflora Fantz with double flowers (4-5
standards per flower).
Trees, clambering shrubs, or lianas. Leaves alternate, imparipinnate or unifoliolate; leaflets alternate;
stipels absent; stipules minute, deciduous. Inflorescences of axillary or terminal racemes or panicles;
bracts and bracteoles minute, deciduous or persistent. Calyx campanulate, with 5 elongate lobes, equal
or unequal; corolla white, yellow, or pink, the standard rounded or ovate, retuse, narrow at the base,
the wings usually longer than the keel; stamens 9-10, diadelphous or monadelphous; ovary superior,
stipitate, pubescent, the style usually curved, the stigma minute. Fruit a linear to rounded legume,
indehiscent, usually with the margins membranaceous; seeds small, lenticular. A tropical genus of
about 100 species.
Key to the species of Dalbergia
1a. Leaves unifoliolate; calyx ferruginous-tomentose; plants usually of the littoral zone
...............………………………………………………………...……………… 1. D. ecastaphyllum
1b. Leaves 3-5-foliolate; calyx puberulent; plants usually along rivers in the interior of the island
.................………………….………………………………………………...…2. D. monetaria
1. Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (L.) Taub in Engl.
& Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(3): 335.
1894.
Fig. 102. A-E
BASIONYM: Hedysarum ecastaphyllum L.
SYNONYMS: Ecastaphyllum ecastaphyllum (L.) Britton
Ecastaphyllum brownei Pers.
Clambering or scandent shrub, much branched
from the base, attainig 1-5 m in length. Stems
cylindrical, white-pubescent. Leaves alternate,
unifoliolate (exceptionally with 3-foliolate leaves
on the same plant); leaflets 6-12 × 4.5-8 cm, ovate
or oblong, coriaceous, the apex obtuse to
acuminate, the base rounded to almost cordiform,
the margins entire; upper surface dark green, dull,
glabrous, with the venation sunken; lower surface
light green, puberulent, with prominent venation;
petioles 5-10 mm long, pubescent; stipels absent;
stipules ovate to lanceolate, 4-10 mm long, white-
sericeous, deciduous. Inflorescences of axillary
panicles 1-4 cm long, densely ferruginoustomentose;
bracts minute, deciduous. Calyx
campanulate, 2.5-3.5 mm long, green,
ferruginous-tomentose; corolla pink or white, the
standard rounded, ca. 7 mm long, retuse,
unguiculate, the wings longer than the standard.
Legume 2-2.3 × 1.5-2 cm, oblong to almost
circular, flattened, indehiscent, brown when ripe.
Seed solitary, up to 1.7 cm long.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting throughout
the year.
Status: Native, common.
Distribution: In thickets and dry forests of the
littoral zone. Also on Mona, Vieques, St. Croix,
St. John, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda;
throughout tropical America and Africa.
Public Forests: Guánica, Mona, Piñones, and
Tortuguero.