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
shorter, the stigmas green. Mericarps 1.8-3.2 cm
long, strigose, especially the seminiferous portion,
with a rudimentary apical wing and a well
developed dorsal wing, divaricate, more or less
oblong, with the upper margin curved.
Phenology: Flowering throughout the year and
fruiting sporadically.
Status: Endemic to Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands, rather common.
Distribution: In coastal forests and disturbed
areas of the littoral zone. Also on Mona, St John,
and Virgin Gorda.
Public Forests: Cambalache, El Yunque,
Guánica, Guajataca, Guilarte, Maricao, Mona,
Río Abajo, Susúa, and Tortuguero.
4. Stigmaphyllon puberum (Rich.) A. Juss., Ann.
Sci. Nat. Bot., II, 13: 289. 1840.
Fig. 123. A-G
BASIONYM: Banisteria pubera Rich.
Woody vine, twining, attainig 10-15 m in
length. Stems cylindrical, sericeous when young.
Leaves opposite, lanceolate, elliptical, ovate, or
less frequently rounded, (6.8)8.2-13 × 3-6 cm, the
apex acuminate, the base obtuse, slightly decurrent
on the petiole, with a pair of prominent discoid
glands, 1-1.8 mm in diameter, in the area near
the petiole, the margins revolute, with scattered
minute sessile glands; upper surface glabrous or
sericeous on the midvein; lower surface sericeous
or sparsely sericeous, the venation prominent;
petiole canaliculate, sericeous, 1.5-4 cm long;
stipules triangular, minute, deciduous.
Inflorescences of axillary umbels, with 8-15
flowers, grouped in dichasial cymes or thyrses;
peduncles 1.5-4.8 mm long; pedicels cylindrical,
3. TETRAPTERYS
2.5-7.5 mm long; bracts triangular, 1.5-2.2 mm
long, with a pair of glands at the base. Calyx of 5
ovate sepals, sericeous, four of them with a pair
of prominent oblong glands outside at the base.
Petals yellow, sometimes with a reddish tonality,
rounded, 7.5-13 mm long, unguiculate, the
posterior petal 5-7 mm long; stamens unequal;
anterior style longer, the stigmas with leafy
appendages. Mericarps 2.6-3.7 cm long, glabrous,
with an ascendent wing, in a distal position.
Phenology: Known from Puerto Rico only in
sterile condition.
Status: Native, rare.
Distribution: Known from few localities in
eastern Puerto Rico, from Fajardo to Naguabo.
Also in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, the
Lesser Antilles, Central America, and northern
South America.
Excluded Species:
Stigmaphyllon cordifolium Niedenzu (= S.
diversifolium (Kunth) A. Juss.) was reported for
St. Thomas by Niedenzu (1928), in error. His
report is based on two collections, i.e., Read 88
and Eggers 390, which have been identified as S.
emargiatum in the recent monograph of C.
Anderson (1997).
Cultivated Species:
Stigmaphyllon retusum Griseb. has been
cultivated at the Agricultural Experiment Station
in Mayagüez, from seeds from Vera Cruz, Mexico.
The available collection of this species dates from
1952 and includes flowers and fruits. Since this
species can reproduce itself sexually in Puerto
Rico, it is possible that it may manage to establish
itself on the island some day.
Twining vines, or less frequently shrubs. Leaves simple, entire, opposite; petioles sometimes with
glands; stipules minute, simple, interpetiolar. Flowers bisexual, in umbels or corymbs, grouped in
axillary or terminal cymes or panicles; bracteoles usually on the distal portion of the peduncle. Calyx
of 5 basally connate sepals, ovate or oblong, usually 4 of which are biglandular or less frequently all
biglandular or eglandular. Petals yellow, unguiculate, glabrous, rounded, ovate, or elliptical, with the
margins entire, denticulate, or crenate; stamens 10, slightly unequal, the filaments connate at the base,
the anthers glabrous or pubescent; ovary superior, of 3 connate carpels, the styles 3, free, erect, usually
one of them more slender, the stigmatic surface on the inner (adaxial) portion. Fruit a schizocarp with
2-3 samaroid mericarps with a narrow dorsal wing and 2 pairs of lateral wings forming an ‘x’. A genus
of 90 species, distributed from Mexico to Argentina, including the Antilles.