Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

188
RWIACEAE
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
Diodia ocymifolia
Dicdio ocymifolio (Willdenow) Bremekamp, 1934305, “ocimifolio”.-
Steyermark, 1972:791.
Spermcoce mymi~olio Willdenow in Roemer & Schultes, 1818,3:530.
Hemidiodio ocymi~olio (Willdenow) Schumann in Maltius, 1888, 6(6):30. pl.
72, “ocimjfolio”.-Adams, 1972:732.
Wild spinach.
Herbaceous perennial with stipular awns ciliate to apex; stem
terete with 2 lines of pubescence; axillary inflorescences
sessile; h it of 2 cocci, each with a basal ventral opening.
Neotropical but spreading weed, common in Dominica in
disturbed areas along roads or river beds: Carib Reserve
(Hodge 4008), Deux Branches (Chambers 2771, Hodge 3491),
Fond Figues bridge (Ernst I022), Freshwater Lake (Fosberg
48272, Hodge 1866), Grand Bay (Wilbur 8029), Hampstead
(Lloyd 608), Layou River mouth (Fosberg 48303), Milton
Estate (Hodge 2590), Montpellier (Lloyd 591), Pont CassC
(Wilbur 7730), Sylvania (Hodge 3984).
Erithalis Browne
Erithalis fruticosa
Eritholis fruficosa Linnaeus, 1759a:930,-Standley in North Amer. N., 1934,
32:280.-Adams, 1972715.
Erithalis odorifera Jacquin, 1763:72, pl. 173: fig. 23.4. Moore & Rendle in
Fawcett & Rendle, 1936,7:67.
Erithalisfiuticosa var. odorifera (Jacquin) Grisebach, 1861:336.
Erithalisfiuticosa subsp. odorifera (Jacquin) Steyermark, 1973:248; 1974:870.
Bois chandelle, bois flambeau, black torch, tuli (= torch in
Carib).
Small tree with obovate to elliptic leaves; stipules persistent,
usually with a medial apiculum; inflorescence cymose and
loose, long-pedunculate, borne in outer second to third leaf
axils; petals white to cream, with elongate lobes and a short
tube, calyx & truncate; berries longitudinally ridged.
Essentially Caribbean; common in Dominica at low elevations,
particularly in windswept vegetation along east coast:
East Coast (Chambers 2610, Ernst 1921, Hodge 684, 3063,
Nicolson 1991, StehlC 6648, Webster 13471, Wilbur 7528,
8328), North Coast (Cooper 129, Ernst 1553, Lloyd 607,
Wasshausen & Ayensu 381, Wilbur 7517, 8304), South Coast
(Ernst 1073, Webster 13450, Wilbur 8020), West Coast (Ernst
1432, Gillis 8132, Stern & Wasshausen 2399, Whitefoord
4021,4300).
Hodge and Taylor (1957:611) noted that the wood is hard
and useful for posts. The wood is split and bound in torches
3-4 ft [l m] long and 3-4 in [7-10 cm] thick and burn for
about two hours.
Steyermark (1974:870), Gillis (1976:81), Correll and Correll
(1982:1388), and Howard (1989, 6:406) recognized a taxonomic
distinction between Erithalis fruticosa and E. odori$era.
Steyermark treated them as subspecies, Gillis as species, the
Corrells as varieties, and Howard as species. Steyermark
emphasized contrasts in flowers, Gillis emphasized characters
in leaves and flowers, the Corrells emphasized floral and
stipular characters, and Howard emphasized floral characters.
Materials from the northern Caribbean seem to be smallerflowered
and -leaved (E.fruticosu, type locality: Jamaica) and
materials from the Lesser Antilles appear to be generally
larger-flowered and -leaved (E. odorifera, type locality:
Martinique). Surprisingly, the most southerly materials, Cuqao
and Venezuela, approach the northerly materials. I am
inclined to agree with Little et al. (1974:930): “This is a
variable species with races differing in leaves, flowers and
hits.” For purposes of this work I recognize only one taxon.
Most Dominican materials are intermediate with a few
representatives of each extreme but Howard (1.c.) only
attributed E. odorifera to Dominica.
Exostema (Persoon) L.C. Richard ex Humboldt
& Bonpland
Flowers >5 cm long; fruit a many-seeded capsule.
1. Flowers solitary in axils, white; leaves 40 cm long
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E.caribaeum
1. Flowers in terminal cymes, pink to purple; leaves >10 cm
long . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . E. sanctae-luciae
Exostema caribaeum
Exartem coribaewn (Jacquin) Schultes in Roemer & Schultes, 1819,
5:18.--Standley in North Amer. Fl., 1921, 32:120.
Cinchona caribaea Jacquin, 1760:16.
Shrub or small tree to 5 m; stipules persistent, acute;
flowering June-August with a vanilla fragrance.
Caribbean; occasional in Dominica in scrublands along west
coast: Cabrits (Ernst 1927, Whitefoord 4042), Gabriel (Wilbur
8240), Grand Savanne (Lloyd 828), Stern & Wasshausen
2453, Pointe Ronde (Ernst 1561, Hodge 2745). Collected in
fruit without leaves in April.
Exostema sancta-luciae
Exartem sancfae-luciae (Kentish) Britten, 1915:138. “Exartemma.”
Cinchona soncfae- Iuciae Kentish, 1784:52.
Cinchona jloribunda Swam, 1788:41.
Emsfem floribundum (Swertz) Schultes in Roemer & Schultes, 1819,
5:19.-Standley in North h er. Fl., 1921, 32122.
Quina, chinna rouge, bois amer, utauaho (Carib).
Tree to 12 m; leaves elliptic -15 cm x 7 cm; stipules tubular,
obtuse.
Guadeloupe(?) to St. Vincent; occasional in Dominica in
wet, open woodlands from 100-1OOO m: Carib Reserve
(Taylor 143, La ChaudiBre (Hodge 3609), Concorde (Nicolson
4063), Freshwater Lake (Eggers 542), Hatton Garden (Hodge
3018), Lisdara (Cooper 52, 164), Providence Valley (Hodge
2047, South Chiltem (Ernst 1110, Stern & Wasshausen 2490),
Syndicate (Hodge 2909, Whitefoord 3656), sine loc. (lmrq