Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

86
Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
1. Metastelma anegadense Britton, Bot. Porto
Rico. 6: 97. 1925.
Fig. 30. A-D
SYNONYM: Cynanchum anegadense (Britton) Alain
Herbaceous vine, twining, glabrous, attaining
1 m in length, with abundant milky latex. Stems
with branches that intertwine like a braid;
branches green, cylindrical, smooth, < 1 mm in
diameter. Leaves perennial, opposite, usually
clustered on short lateral branches; blades 1-3.5
× 0.2-0.8 cm, oblong to oblanceolate, coriaceous,
the apex rounded to apiculate, the base acute, the
margins entire, revolute; upper surface dull, with
the midvein sunken, without glands at the union
with the petiole; lower surface pale, with a
prominent midvein, the secondary veins not
visible; petioles 2-3 mm long; stipules
interpetiolar, triangular, 0.5 mm long. Flowers
few, in sessile cymes. Calyx green, crateriform,
the sepals ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1 mm long; corolla
yellowish, the lobes lanceolate, acuminate, 2-4
mm long, puberulous toward the apex, strigose
in the center on the inner surface; corona with
spiniform lobes, ca. 0.5 mm long; gynostegium
short-stipitate, ca. 0.7 mm long. Follicles
fusiform, 4-5 cm long, glabrous; seeds numerous,
light brown, ca. 4 mm long, elliptical, with a tuft
of long hairs at the apex.
Phenology: Collected in flower in January,
February, and July and in fruit in June.
Status: Endemic to Anegada and Tortola,
uncommon.
Distribution: Known from few collections
from the sandy coasts of Anegada and Tortola.
Commentary: This species was cited by
Woodbury et al. (1977) and by Liogier and
Martorell (1982) for Mona Island based on the
erroneous identification of Metastelma monense.
2. Metastelma decipiens Schltr. in Urb., Symb.
Antill. 1: 249. 1899.
Fig. 30. E-H
SYNONYMS: Cynanchum decipiens (Schltr.) Alain, non C.K.
Schneid.
Metastelma fallax Schltr.
Metastelma grisebachianum Schltr.
Cynanchum grisebachianum (Schltr.) Alain
Metastelma albiflorum Schltr.
Metastelma decaisneanum Schltr.
Cynanchum decaisneanum (Schltr.) Alain
Cynanchum cheesmanii Woodson
Herbaceous vine, twining, 3-6 m in length,
with abundant milky latex. Stems green,
cylindrical, puberulous, glabrous when mature,
1-2 mm in diameter, much branched, intertwining
like a braid. Leaves perennial, opposite; 1-3(5) ×
0.5-1.5(2.5) cm, oblong-ovate, ovate or lanceolate,
chartaceous, the venation pinnate, the apex acute
or obtuse and apiculate, the base rounded,
subcordiform, or truncate, the margins entire,
revolute, and usually ciliate; upper surface dull,
the venation flat, with a pair of acicular glands at
the union with the petiole; lower surface pale,
usually punctate, with slightly prominent
venation; petioles 0.2-1 cm long; stipules
interpetiolar, deltoid, ca. 0.4 mm long. Flowers
few, in sessile or short-pedunculate cymes;
pedicels 1.5-2 mm long. Calyx crateriform, green,
the sepals ovate, ca. 1 mm long, more or less
ciliate; corolla campanulate, light green outside,
white or cream-colored inside, ca. 2 mm long,
the lobes oblong-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 mm long,
puberulous in the interior and on the margins,
usually strigose toward the center; corona white,
with linear or linear-spathulate segments, ca. 1.5
mm long; gynostegium sessile (< 0.3 mm long),
green in the stigmatic portion. Follicle fusiform,
3.5-5.5 cm long, glabrous; seeds numerous, with
a long tuft of hairs at the apex.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting throughout
the year.
Status: Native, quite common.
Distribution: Common in coastal thickets and
in the zone of mogotes. Also on Culebra,
Desecheo, Cayo Icacos, Cayo Lobos, Cayo Luis
Peña, Vieques, St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas,
and Virgin Gorda; Cuba, Hispaniola, the Lesser
Antilles, and Tobago.
Public forests: Boquerón, Ceiba, Guajataca,
Maricao, Piñones, Río Abajo, and Tortuguero.
Commentary: Metastelma decipiens and M.
fallax were described by Schlechter in 1899 in
the same publication, as doubtfully different.
These two entities cannot be maintained as
different species, because the characters used to
distinguish them overlap. For this reason, Britton
and P. Wilson (1923) placed M. fallax in
synonymy with M. decipiens. Since neither
specific epithet was previously used in the genus
Metastelma, the decision of Britton and P. Wilson,
to apply the name M. decipiens to this taxon,
should be maintained, obviously having priority