Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

222 URTICACEAE-VERBJ?NACEAE SMITHSO” CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
Rousselia lappulacea (Swam) Gaudichaud, 1830:503.
Monoecious, non-stinging herb to 4 dm; leaves alternate,
entire, acute to rounded, the blades to 3 cm long; flowers in
compact axillary clusters.
Greater Antilles; cited for Dominica by Grisebach
(1860: 160), based on an Imray collection, and subsequently by
Urban (1920,8:181) and others.
I have grave doubts that this species is on Dominica, because
this is the only Lesser Antillean record south of St. BarthBlemy.
Could the Imray specimen be misidentified, say a Pilea
microphylla?
Urera Gaudichaud
Urera caracasana
Urera caracasana (Jacquin) Gaudichaud ex Grisebach, 1860.154.
Urtica caracasana Jacquin. 1789, Pl., 1:71, pl. 396.
Monoecious, often stinging shrub to 4 m; pistillate flowers
pedicellate and separate; staminate flowers in terminal glomerules.
Neotropics; apparently rare in Dominica and only known
ftom areas slightly above Syndicate at 700-800 m: Mome
Diablotins (Ernst 2012, Hodge 2781, Whitefoord 4546).
It is superficially similar to Gyrotaenia crassifolia in
vegetative condition but lacks the radiate cystoliths of that
species.
Kellogg (in Howard, 1988,4:92) attributed the combination
to “Steudel, Nomencl. Bot. ed. 2, 2:734. 1841.” Alas, the
combination is under Urtica, not Urera, Steudel citing the latter
as a synonym of Urtica.
VERBENACEAE
(by A.C. Nicolson)
Faradaya splendida Mueller, a vine with elliptic, apiculate
leaves and large (4 cm) flowers, was reported ftom Dominica
by Moldenke (1971:363) but was omitted in his later list
(1980:lOO).
Gmelina arborea Roxburgh was reported for Dominica by
Moldenke (1971:363) but was omitted in his later list
(1980: 100).
Gmelina philippensis Chamisso (Gmelina hystrix Schultes
ex Kurz), a shrub, sometimes with axillary spines, elliptic
leaves, and large, yellow flowers was cited as “currently
cultivated” on Dominica and other islands by Howard (1989,
6:2 14).
Holmskioldia sanguinea Retzius, a lax shrub with spreading,
orbicular 2 cm broad calyx and red, cylindric corolla 2 cm long,
was reported as “naturalized” on Dominica (Eggers 1451,
without locality). It has not been recollected.
Tecfona grandis Linnaeus f., the teak of Asia, a tree with
elliptic-ovate leaves stellate-tomentose beneath and large
terminal, profusely branching cymes and small flowers was
collected at Woodford Hall (Ernst 2092) and in a small
plantation on West Cabrit (Whitefoord 3988).
1. Flowers sessile, in a spike or head.
2. Flowers in an elongate spike >5 cm long .......
..................... Stachytarpheta
2. Flowers in heads (sometimes a spike 1 cm long;
Petrea
climber ................
9. Calyx lobes and pedicels