Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

NUMBER 77
VERBEN ACEAE 223
10298, Stern & Wasshausen 2564), Hampstead (Lloyd 606),
Layou Valley (Nicolson 4183, Stehlk 6329). L’Imprevue
(Narodny s.n.), Lisdara (Cooper 163, Mome Diablotins
(Hodge 2802, Whitefoord 3500, 5722), Petite Macoucherie
(Webster 13557), Petite Soufrihe Bay (Stern & Wasshausen
2484), Point Lo10 (Nicolson 1847), Rasade (Nicolson 4041),
Salybia (Hodge 3093), South Chiltem (Hodge 1549), Sylvania
(Cooper 60, 80). Woodford Hill (Nicolson 4242). Flowering
March-November, fruiting January-July.
Material from higher elevations (including summit of
Diablotins) generally has larger leaves and flowers. Moldenke
(1980: 100) reported Aegiphila martinicensis var. oligoneura
(Urban) Moldenke for Dominica.
Leaves are used in a ritual bath by Caribs and fruits are used
as bait for snaring birds (Hodge and Taylor, 1957:600).
Citharexylum Linnaeus
Citharexylum caudatum Linnaeus, with secondary veins
broad-arching from midrib and slightly longer pedicels, was
reported for Dominica by Adams (1972:633), perhaps an error
for the Dominican Republic, because C. caudatum is a Central
American species extending into the Greater Antilles.
Citharexylum fruticosum Linnaeus was reported from
Dominica by 0. Schulz (in Urban, 1909,4539, Britton and
Wilson (1925,6:146), and Moldenke (1980100). This species,
if distinct from C. spinosum, is primarily found in the Greater
Antilles and may extend through the Lesser Antilles into South
America. It is supposedly distinguished from C. spinosum by
more chartaceous leaves with secondary and tertiary venation
more conspicuous and flowers with shorter pedicels. Dominican
specimens approximating these leaf characters (Wilbur
7379, 8236, 8263) have been cited by Moldenke (1975a:200)
as C. spinosum. Moldenke (1980:lOO) also reported
Citharexylum fruticosum var. subvillosum (Moldenke) Moldenke
and Citharexylum fruticosum var. villosum (Jacquin)
Moldenke for Dominica.
Citharexylum spinosum
Citharexylwn spinoswn Linnaeus, 1753:625.-Moldenke, 1975a:ZW.
Citharexylwn qlcodrangulare Jacquin, 1760:26.4risebach, 1862:497.
Bois cotlette, cotlette.
Tree to 15 m; twigs usually quadrangular; leaves membranous
to chartaceous, broadly to narrowly elliptic, 15(-20) cm
x 5(-8) cm, apex acute or obtuse, base obtuse to tapering,
venation -+ prominent; petioles 1-3 cm, sometimes pinkish;
inflorescence a raceme 10-20 cm long; pedicels to 2 mm; calyx
campanulate, k truncate, 2-3 mm long; corolla fragrant, white,
salverform, tube to 6 mm, pubescent within, lobes round,
spreading, to 3 mm long; drupe round, fleshy, with 2 2-seeded
pyrenes, orange but turning black, 0.7-1 cm long.
Antilles to northern South America, cultivated elsewhere;
common in Dominica to 500 m on drier west side: Cabrits
(Hodge 871, Nicolson 1883, 1900, Whitefoord 3990, 4009,
Wilbur 8263), Clarke Hall (Wilbur 7379), Gabriel (Wilbur
8236), Lisdara (Hodge 872,2467), Mero (Erst 1752, Stern &
Wasshausen 2436), Prince Ruperts Head (Finlay s.n. at K), St.
George Parish (Gillis 8149), sine loc. (Imray 100 at K).
Flowering May-November, fruiting July-March.
Adjanohoun et al. (1985:185, pl. 152) discussed the
medicinal uses of a Dominican plant called Citharexylum
fruticosum, which may be misidentified.
Clerodendrum Linnaeus
Clerodendrum buchananii (Roxburgh) Walpers (“buchanani”)
was reported for Dominica by Moldenke (1980: loo),
perhaps an error for Martinique, because Dominica is not cited
for the distribution of cultivated material on p. 348 and
Martinique is. It is similar to C. specisossimum Morren.
Clerodendrum paniculatum Linnaeus was reported for
Dominica by Howard (1989,6:220) but the basis of his record
wasn’t given. This species was not attributed to Dominica by
Moldenke (1971, 1980).
Clerodendrum ugandense Rain, with two-toned blue flowers,
has been collected in the Roseau Botanic Garden (Fairchild
2673, Hodge 1005).
Clerodendrum wallichii Memll (Clerodendrum nutans
Wallich ex D. Don, non Jack), with apiculate leaves obovate to
oblanceolate, a small purple calyx and large white flowers, is an
Asiatic species occasionally cultivated in the neotropics. A
Dominican collection (Gillis 8228) from “near Freshwater
Lake on top of mountain” probably involves a location error,
because that area is improbable for this cultivated plant. It is
possible that this is the correct label information for Gillis
8242, which is Tibouchina ornata supposedly but surely
erroneously from Antigua.
1. Armed with short recurved spines at petiole bases; leaves
ovate to elliptic; flowers white; native. . . C. aculeatum
1. Unarmed; escaping from cultivation.
2. Leaves ovate to elliptic.
3. Corolla tube white, >5 cm long . . . . . C. indicum
3. Corolla tube red,