Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

NUMBER 77
COMB RETACEAE~ONVOLVUIACEAE 69
(Hodge 2694), Rosalie River bridge (Ermr 1374).
Caribs use the wood and eat the ripe seeds (Hodge and
Taylor, 1957:592).
CONNARACEAE
(by R. DeFilipps)
Connarus grand(fo1ius
Conmrus grandifolius F'lanchon, 1850:432.-SChellenberg in Engler, 1938,
IV.127 (Heft 103):246.
Liane caco, laica.
Liana; branches, inflorescences and flowers red-tomentose;
leaflets 3-5, to 28 cm x 12.5 cm, rounded, glabrous; flowers in
large, axillary panicles, petals 5, stamens 10; hits follicular,
woody, stipitate, laterally compressed, obliquely obovoid,
3.0-4.5 cm long, 1-seeded; seeds black with bright yellow,
fimbriate aril,.oblongoid, 2.5 cm x 1.0-1.3 cm.
Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Kitts; in Dominica (type
locality) in woodlands 65-550 m: Castle Bruce, Dleau
Gommier (Shillingford 520), upper Layou Valley (Nicolson
4181), Sugar Loaf (Eggers 717).
CONVOLWLACEAE
(by D. Powell)
Argyreia nervosa (N. Burman) Bojer, a heavy creeper with
tomentose stems and large cordate leaves, the undersides of
which are silvery white, velvety tomentose, the flowers lilac
with dark centers in masses around Christmas.
Evolvulus tenuis subsp. longifolius (Choisy) Ooststroom, a
subshrub (usually potted) with numerous delicate sprays of
bright blue flowers.
Porana paniculata Roxburgh, a high climbing vine with
large panicles of small creamy flowers in November and
December.
Turbina corymbosa (Linnaeus) Rafinesque would key here
to Stictocardia or Zpomoea; there may or may not be dots on the
undersurface of Twbina leaves and the fruit is ellipsoid,
beaked, circumscissile at the base with 1-2 seeds instead of
valvate with 4 or 6 seeds. Its large perfumed clusters of white
flowers with dark centers attract numerous bees. The abundance
of flowers and winter-flowering earned it the name of
Christmas pops, Christmas vine, or Christmas wreath in other
islands.
1. Plants parasitic, stems yellow to orange, leaves reduced to
scales ....................... Cuscuta
1. Plants autotrophic, leafy.
2. Subshrubs or small, prostrate, creeping plants with
orbicular, oval or linear leaves; corolla c1 cm long;
styles 2 .................... Evolvulus
2. Shrubs or prostrate or climbing plants; leaves usually
cordate or hastate; corolla 2 cm or more, style 1.
3. Plants with branched hairs; capsule 8-valved or
operculate.
4. Stems without wings, pubescent at least at leaf
mils; flowers blue or red-purple; fruit finally
8-valved .............. Jacquemontia
4. Stems usually winged, bearing very few microscopic
hairs; flowers yellow, fruit operculate
..................... Operculina
3. Plants with simple hairs or glabrous, capsule 4- or
3-valved, operculate, or indehiscent.
5. Pollen spinulose, anthers straight; flowers lilac,
red-blue or white; leaves entire to 3-lobed.
6. Plants lacking glandular dots or, when present,
Zpomoea
restricted to leaves; fruits valvate ...
6. Plants with black or brown glandular dots on
under-surface of leaves, on sepals and corolla;
fruit indehiscent .......... Stictocardia
5. Pollen smooth, anthers twisted after dehiscence;
flowers white or yellow.
7. Leaves palmately compound or lobed; flowers
white or with dark centers ...... Merremia
7. Leaves entire or k 3-lobed; flowers yellow
8. Stems without wings, often pubescent, especially
at the nodes; inflorescence umbellate;
capsule 4-valved ......... Merremia
8. Stems often winged, glabrous or with very few
hairs; flowers usually solitary; capsule operculate
............... Operculina
Cuscuta Linnaeus
Cuscuta americana
Cuscufa americunu Linnaeus, 1753:121.--Yuncker,
1979221.
1932:219; Powell,
Common parasite with stems orange, the entire plant drying
dark brown to black; flowers -2 mm long, creamy white; calyx
about as long as corolla tube, sepals almost completely joined,
lobes rounded; corolla lobes erect, rounded; fruit circumscissile.
Lowland neotropics; in Dominica in coastal areas: Cabrit
swamp (Nicolson 1899, Whitefoord 4083), Capucin (Wasshausen
& Ayensu 386), Castle BNCe (Whitefoord SSOO), Lagon
Village near Portsmouth (Ernst 1053, Morne Daniel (Hodge
2504,3897).
Adjanohoun et al. (1985:93, pl. 60) reported medicinal
usage.
Two other species are likely to occur in Dominica: C.
globulosa Bentham, very much like C. umericana, but with
larger and fewer flowers that do not turn dark in drying and C.
campestris Yuncker with reflexed calyx and corolla, the calyx
scarcely coming half-way up the depressed, globose, indehiscent
capsule with its conspicuous intrastylar opening.