Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

NUMBER 77 MALPIGHIACEAE 137
Byrsonima coriacea var. spicata (Cavanilles) Niedenzu in Engler, 1928, IV.141
(Heft 94):700.
Bois tan.
Tree 5-11 m; leaves narrowly elliptic to lanceolate,
puberulent below, -4 cm x 12 cm; petals yellow to orange;
interior surface of anther connective pubescent with a few long,
appressed hairs, the anther sacs glabrous; fruits orange.
Antilles (except Jamaica) and South America; a widespread
species in Dominica in mesophytic habitats including windward
coastal thickets: below Syndicate to Marigot (Chambers
2621, Hodge 3163, Nicolson 1908, Wasshausen & Ayensu 364,
Whitefoord 4311, Wilbur 7626, 8310), east coast, including
Carib Reserve (Ernst 1362, Hodge 3904, Nicolson 4129,
Taylor 14), south from Grand Bay to Scotts Head (Taylor 13,
Webster 13445, Wilbur 8006), interior, near Imperial road
(Narodny 2, Skog 1577), cultivated Roseau Botanic Garden
(Hodge 928). A spectacular show when flowering in May-
June.
The bark is used for tanning and hunting potions (Hodge and
Taylor, 1957570).
It is of biological interest to note that this mesophytic
yellow-flowered, large-leaved species can hybridize with the
xerophytic, white- to pink-flowered, small-leaved species B.
lucida. A collection (Stern & Wasshausen 2444) from Grand
Savanne (where B. lucida is common) is quite intermediate in
leaf characters. The leaves are obovate (as B. lucida) but much
larger (-3 cm x 7 cm) than B. lucida and smaller than B.
spicata. The flowers are yellow (as B. spicata). At first glance
one might think this was B. trinitensis, but the flower color and
habitat are wrong and the stamens do not have the distinctive
prolonged connective of B. trinitensis. Anderson (ms.) reported
most pollen grains were not stainable, implying a sterile hybrid
between these quite unrelated species. Hybrids between these
species are postulated in Puerto Rico (Little et al., 1974:366)
and were named as species B. ophiticola and B. horneana).
Byrsonima hinitensis
Byrsonima trinitensis Adr. Jussieu. 1840334.
Byrsonima martinicensis Krug & Urban ex Duss, 1897:lll.
Byrsonima crassifolia sensu Grisebach, 1860: 114. ncm (Linnaeus) Kunth.
Bois moricipre, mauricif, his du vin.
Tree 3-12 m; leaf blades elliptic, oblanceolate or obovate,
4.5-11.5 cm long, petioles 2-12 mm long; petals white to
pink; mature fruits red.
Lesser Antilles; common in wet interior forests and montane
thickets (lo0 m at La Chaudi5re is remarkable) in Dominica:
Boiling Lake (Hodge 19a)), Castle Bruce (Ramage s.n., Feb
1889), La Chaudiere (Hodge 3572), Morne Diablotins (Nicolson
1924), Morne Micotrin to Laudat (Chambers 2740,
Ernst 1099, Nicolson 1834, Wasshausen & Ayensu 328), within
5 miles [8 km] of Pont Casse (Ernst I670,1980A, 2087, Hodge
552, 553, 2978, Stern & Wasshausen 2543, Wilbur 7844),
Syndicate (Whitefoord 4536). Flowering July-August at lower
elevations, October-November at higher elevations.
Williams (1947, 2:498) suggested that this species is
conspecific with B. martinicensis. The small-leaved aspect with
short (2-4 mm) petioles, referable to typical B. trinitensis,
occurs in Dominica at higher elevations. The larger-leaved
aspect with longer (5-12 mm) petioles, referable to typical B.
martinicensis, occurs at lower elevations.
According to Anderson (in Howard, 1988,4:607) the type is
from Martinique and was mislabeled as “F1. Trinitatis”
(confusion with La Trinite of Martinique?). The similar
Trinidad species is B. kariniana Anderson.
Grisebach (1860:114) cited an Imray collection from
Dominica as Byrsonima crassifolia (Linnaeus) Kunth. An
Imray collection (GOET) is sterile but the leaves are glabrous
(unlike B. crassifolia), although material in the pocket (taken
from a different collection?) is B. crassifolia. A specimen of
Imray 332 (K) is clearly B. trinitensis. A flowering specimen of
Imray 210 (GH) was annotated by Grisebach as “crassifolia
var. glabrata” but has the prolonged staminal connectives of B.
trinitensis. The attribution of B. crassifolia to Dominica
appears to be due to a misidentification of B. trinitensis.
Heteropteris Kunth, nom. cons.
Heteropteris purpurea (Linnaeus) Kunth, was reported for
Dominica by Vtlez (1957: 103) as Banisteria purpurea
Linnaeus on the authority of Stehlt. No specimens from
Dominica have been seen, but it is possible that it could be
found in very dry areas. It has pink flowers and small, oval
leaves, which usually bear two small glands at or slightly below
the middle of the petiole.
Heteropteh platyptera
Heteropterbplatyptera A.P. Candolle, 1824, 1 :592.-Macbride, 1934:ll.
Banisteria longifoh Swartz, 1788:75.
Heteropteris longifolia (Swam) Niedenw, 190353, non Kunth [= Heteropteris
lawifolia (Linnaeus) Adr. Jussieu].
Heteropteris tongifolia var. borealis Niedenzu, 190353.
Heteropteris longifolia var. martinicensb Niedenm, 190354.
Heteropteris platyptera var. martinicensb (Niedenzu) Macbride, 193412.
Corde caco, liane cacao, sec cacao.
Liana (or dense shrub); leaves glandular, glabrous, >15 cm
long; flowers yellow, paniculate; carpels 3, Samaras 1-3, to 3
cm x 6 cm, the wings thickest at bottom, reddish at end.
Guadeloupe to St. Vincent; northern Dominica in mesic to
wet woodlands to 600 m: western Slopes-Clarke Hall
(Wasshausen & Ayensu 301), Milton (Hodge 2678), Sugar
Loaf (Eggers 730, I062), Syndicate (Hodge 3832); northern
and eastern slopes-calibishie (Hodge 3167), Carib Reserve
(Hodge 3270, Stehle 6416), La Chaudiere (Hodge 3506); wet
interior, within 5 miles [8 km] of Pont Casse (Beard 660, Ernst
1167, 1289, 1352, Hodge 551, 2983, 3473, Nicolson 4180,
Webster 13392); sine loc. (Fishlock 23A, Imray 405). Flowering
April to June and ftuits quickly maturing.