Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

180 PIPERACME-POLYOALACEM SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
Artanthe glabrescens Miquel, 1845461.
Leaf-base equal, rounded; leaf-blade puberulent below on
veins; spike short; stamens 4.
Antilles and NE South America; in Dominica to 800 m:
Deux Branches (Hodge 3119), Mome Diablotins (Hodge
2788).
Adjanohoun et al. (1985:161, pl. 127) reported several
medical uses under this binomial but the illustration and
description indicate unequal leaf bases and this may be a
misidentification of R dilatatum, a much commoner species.
Piper reticulatum
Piper reticdatum Lkuraeus, 1753:29.-Howard, 1973a:W.
Dkcipiper reticdatum (Linnaeus) Trelease & Stehle in Stehle, 194&:283;
1957:616.
Doctor bush, malbruk.
Shrub with palmately veined leaves to 25 cm x 15 cm.
Neotropics; apparently on the east side of Dominica: Bataca
(Stehle 6089, 6393, Carib Reserve (Hodge 3220, Petit
Coulibri (Whitefoord 4675), sine loc. (Taylor 110).
Sarcorhachis Trelease
Sarcorhachis incurva
Sarcorhachis incwva (Schultes) Trelease, 1927:17.Stehle, 1957:617.-
Howard, 1973a:408.
Piper incwvum Sieber ex Schultes. 1822, 1:238.
Wild black pepper.
Rather succulent epiphyte or climbing vine; leaves ovate,
cordate or rounded at base; spikes solitary (in ours), axillary.
Guadeloupe to St. Vincent (St. Lucia?); not uncommon in
Dominica 300-750 m in forests: En Haut Jean (Webster
13503, Freshwater Lake (Ernst 1485, 1774, Wasshausen &
Ayensu 338, Whitefoord 3853), Point Lo10 (Nicolson 1852).
Plantago major Linnaeus, 1753: 112.
PLANTAGIN ACEAE
Plantago major
Plantain.
Perennial acaulescent herb; leaves long-petiolate, ovate,
entire or coarsely dentate; spikes equalling leaves; capsule
circumscissile at middle.
Cosmopolitan weed; in Dominica in disturbed areas: Carib
Reserve (Hodge 3366). Lisdara Estate (Hodge 2463), Milton
Estate (Hodge 2913), Ridgefield Estate (Hodge 2139), Sylvania
(Hodge 784), sine loc. (Taylor 124).
An infusion of the plant is used as eye medicine by Caribs
(Hodge and Taylor, 1957:609). Adjanohoun et al. (1985161,
pl. 128) confirmed this and added other medicinal uses.
PLUMBACINACEAE
Larger-flowered Plumbago auriculata Lamarck (including
Plumbago capensis Thunberg) is cultivated as a low hedge in
the Roseau Botanic Garden (DHN!). Howard (1989,654) cited
it with an exclamation mark.
Plumbago scandens
Plumbago scandens Linnaeus, 1762215.
Glabrous, scrambling shrub to 3 m; flowers shortpedicellate,
racemose; calyx ribs with long-stipitate glands;
corolla salverform, white.
Neotropics; in Dominica in low, dry scrubland on west coast:
Colihaut (Ernst 1133), Loubikre (Hodge 3874), South Chiltem
(Hodge 1625).
POLYGALACEAE
1. Herb; stems with short-stipitate glands; leaves linear; fruit
a capsule; seeds pubescent . . . . . . . . . . . . Polygala
1. Woody climber; stems pubescent but eglandular; leaves
ovate-oblong; fruit a samara; seeds glabrous . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Securidaca
Polygala Linnaeus
Polygala hecatantha Urban was reported for Dominica by
VQez (1957:lll). a perennial with dense racemes, but no
materials from Dominica have been found.
Polygala planellasi Molinet & Gomez de la Maza was
reported to have medicinal uses in Dominica by Adjanohoun et
al. (1985163, pl. 130). This is either a new record of a species
apparently only known on Guadeloupe or an undocumented
extrapolation.
Polygala paniculata
Polygala panicdata Linnaeus. 1759a:l154.-Stehle, 1%2a:327.
Esta fragile, lampoule, zetan grand chemin, titain (thyme),
sweet broom.
Annual; leaves linear or linear-spatulate; racemes with
flowers not overlapping; petals white to pink or purplish.
Neotropics; in Dominica a common roadside weed in moist
forests from 65-750 m: Bellevue (Taylor 39, Breakfast River
(Nicolson 2024), Carib Reserve (Hodge 3385), Clyde River
(Ernst 1033), Corona (Bailey 792), Holmwood (Webster
13284), Iaudat (Burch 1352, Eggers s.n., Gillis 8165, Lloyd
46), Lisdara (Hodge 333), Marigot (Hodge 433), Milton Estate
(Hodge 2602), Mome Micotrin (Chambers 2672, Wasshausen
& Ayensu 319, Morne Plat Pays (Gillis 8113, Pont Cad
(Skog 1573, Wilbur 7738,8184), South Chiltem (Hodge 1475),
Springfield (Steyskal s.n., Wilbur 7684, Sylvania (Cooper I,
Hodge 434), Syndicate (Whitefoord 3505).