Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 93
5a. Receptacle (of the capitulum) with paleas at the base of each flower; branches of the style with 2
stigmatic lines along their entire length ......................................................................... 10. Salmea
5b. Receptacle without paleas; branches of the style with one stigmatic line, only on the lower half, or
stigmatic lines absent ......................................................................................................................... 6
6a. Capitula with several series of deciduous phyllaries, overlapping to form a cylindrical involucre;
receptacle conical ...................................................................................................... 3. Chromolaena
6b. Capitula with persistent phyllaries, in 1-2 series, forming a crateriform involucre; receptacle flat or
convex ...................................................................................................................... 4. Koanophyllon
7a. Capitula heterogamous, radiate, the peripheral flowers zygomorphic, with orange ligules, the central
flowers actinomorphic, with yellow corollas ....................................................... 9. Pseudogynoxys
7b. Capitula homogamous, discoid, with all the flowers tubular ........................................................... 8
8a. Corollas bilabiate; margin of the leaves usually spinulose; stem with an obtuse or spiny, usually
bifurcate, hardened or thickened area (callosity) at the base of the leaf ............. 1. Berylsimpsonia
8b. Corollas tubular, 4-5-lobed; margin of the leaves entire, crenate, or denticulate; stem not forming a
callosity nor spiny .............................................................................................................................. 9
9a. Leaves with scales or with stellate hairs ......................................................................................... 10
9b. Leaves with simple hairs ............................................................................................. 5. Lepidaploa
10a. Pappus composed of bristles and short, irregular scales; corollas pale violet .......... 8. Piptocoma
10b. Pappus composed exclusively of bristles, without scales; corollas white .............. 7. Piptocarpha
1. BERYLSIMPSONIA
Woody shrubs, clambering, with spiny pseudostipules, bifurcate and recurved, at the nodes. Leaves
alternate, petiolate; blades simple, with entire, serrate, or spinulose margins. Inflorescences of capitula
arranged in axillary cymes. Capitula homogamous, discoid, of 3-6 flowers; involucre turbinate, formed
by 3-4 series of phyllaries; receptacle pubescent, without paleas. Flowers bisexual; corollas yellow,
bilabiate; stamens 5, the anthers connate, exserted, the apex acute; ovary inferior, bicarpellate, unilocular,
the style filiform, with 2 reflexed stigmatic branches. Fruit a fusiform or oblanceolate achene, pubescent,
pilose, or glandular; pappus composed exclusively of barbate bristles. A genus of 2 species, distributed
in Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.
1. Berylsimpsonia vanillosma (C. Wright) B. L.
Turner, Phytologia 74: 352. 1993.
Fig. 33. A-C
BASIONYM: Proustia vanillosma C. Wright
SYNONYMS: Proustia krugiana Urb.
Proustia stenophylla Urb. & Ekman
Clambering shrub, woody, 2-5 m in length.
Stems cylindrical, broadened at the base of the
leaf to form an obtuse or spiny, usually bifurcate,
hardened or thickened area (callosity). Leaves
alternate, distichous; blades 4-7.5 × 1.5-3.7 cm,
elliptical, oblong or ovate, chartaceous or
subcoriaceous, the apex acute, obtuse, or
acuminate, the base acute to subcordiform, the
margins denticulate or spinulose or less frequently
entire; upper surface scabrous, (strigulose), the
venation somewhat sunken; lower surface
appressed-pubescent (sericeous), with prominent
venation; petioles 1-3 mm long, puberulous.
Capitula of few flowers, subsessile, clustered in
cymes to form a paniculiform or racemiform
inflorescence; involucre cylindrical, ca. 1 cm high,
phyllaries in 3-4 series. Corollas bilabiate, yellow,
8-10 mm long, the inner lip 2-dentate, the outer
one 3-dentate. Achene 3-6 mm long, linear,
papillose; pappus of numerous barbate setae,
yellowish, 6-8 mm long.