Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

94 FABACW SMITHSONTAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
Abrus Adanson (Faboid)
Abrus precatorius
Abrus precatoriw Linnaeus, 1767a:472.
GIycine abrus Linnaeus, 1753:753.
Graines d’eglise, crabs’ eyes, jumbie bead.
Slender twiner, becoming woody; leaves to 15 cm long with
10-20 pairs of oblong leaflets, the rhachis ending in a bristle
(even-pinnate); corolla pale purple; pod oblong, beaked,
partitioned between the 3-5 seeds; seeds shiny, bright red with
a basal black spot.
Pantropical; common in Dominica near sea level: Cabrits
(Whitefoord 4023). Dublanc (Hodge 2515), Grand Bay (Wilbur
801 7), Layou (Hodge 587), Macoucherie (Hodge 3767), Mero
(Ernst 1422), Pointe Ronde (Hodge 2687), Portsmouth area
(DHN!), Rodney’s Rock (Nicolson 1970).
The seeds are used in necklaces but should not be eaten
(poisonous).
Acacia Miller (Mimosoid)
Woody plants, some armed; leaves bipinnately compound,
stamens many, free; flower yellow (ours); pods thin or woody,
not elastically dehiscent.
This genus needs collecting on Dominica; more species are
expected.
1. Legume turgid, woody; small tree with stipular spines at
each node. ................. A. farnesiana
1. Legume flat, leathery or papery; unarmed tree or scrambler
armed with interpetiolar recurved prickles.
2. Unarmed tree; flowers on elongate spikes .......
....................... A. muricata
2. Scrambler with recurved prickles, flowers in heads
........................ .A. retusa
Acacia farnesiana
Acacia farnesiana (Linnaws) WiUdenow, 1806, 4(2):1083.-Little & Wadswoxth,
1964:142, pl. 58.
Mimara farnesiana Linnaeus, 1753521.
Vachellia farnesiana (Linnaeus) Wight & Amott, 1834:272.
Shrub or small tree armed with paired stipular spines; pinnae
2-6 pairs, each pinna with 10-25 pairs of small, 3-5 mm long
leaflets; inflorescence capitate; pod turgid, woody, _+ curved.
Pantropical; common and sometimes dominant in dry
woodlands along west coast of Dominica: Cabrits (Whirefoord
4049), Colihaut (Kimber 1063), Dublanc (Whitefoord 4272),
Grand Savanne (Ramage s.n.), Macoucheri (Chambers 2732),
Point Ronde (Hodge 2700), Scotts Head (Hodge 1604, Webster
1341 7, Wilbur 7602). Flowering from February-September.
One specimen from near St. Joseph (Whitefoord 5686 at
BM), identified as Acacia tortuosa (Linnaeus) Willdenow by
C.D. Adams (Whitefoord, 1989:145), may well be that species
and represent a new record for Dominica. Its fruits appear to be
subpubescent and rather flatter than the glabrous, fat fruits of
typical A. fwnesiana.
Acacia muricata
Acacia mwicata (Linnaeus) Willdenow, 1806, 4(2):1058.-Little et al.,
1974246, pl. 356.
Mimosa muricata haeus. 1759a:1311.
Senegalia wicata (Linnaeus) Britton & Rose in North Amer. Fl., 1928,
23(2):113.
Small, unarmed tree; pinnae 4-6 pairs, each pinna with
8-16 pairs of large, 1-2 cm long leaflets; inflorescence on
elongate spikes; pods flat, k leathery.
West Indies; specimens not seen from Dominica but the
species was attributed to Dominica by Britton and Wilson
(1925, 5:352) and reported with an exclamation mark by
Howard (1988,4:341).
Acacia retusa
Acacia retwa (Jacquin) Howard, 1973b:459; 1988,4:342.
Mimosa retusa Jacquin, 176Q34.
Mimosa panicdata Vahl [in West, 1793:239. nom. nud.], 186‘. Eclog., 3:39,
non Acacia panicdata Willdenow.
Acacia guadallcpenris A.P. Candolle. 1825,2:464.
Acacia westiana A.P. Candolle, 1825,2464.
Senegalia guadalupensis (A.P. Candolle) Brittm & Rose in North Amer. Fl.,
1928,23(2):119.
Senegalia westiana (A.P. Candolle) Britton & Rose in North Amer. Fl., 1928,
23(2):119.
Acacia riparia sensu auctt., nm Kunth.
Scrambling woody climber with recurved prickles on stems;
pinnae 7-9 pairs, each pinna with 15-20 pairs of linear leaflets
6-14 mm x 1.5-2.5 mm; flowers capitate; legume flat, papery,
glabrous.
South America and West Indies; dry localities on west coast
of Dominica: West Cabrit top (DHN!), Petit Coulibri (Whitefoord
4673), Scotts Head (Hodge 1633), sine lcc. (Zmray433 at
GH).
Adenanthera Linnaeus (Mimosoid)
Adenanthera pavonina
Ahnanthera pavonina h aws. 1763:384.--Little & Wadsworth, 1964:144.
pl. 145.
Savonette, jumbie bead.
Unarmed tree; leaves bipinnate with 2-5 pairs of pinnae,
each with 10-20 alternate leaflets (1.5-4.5 em x 1-2.5 cm);
flowers racemose, yellow; stamens.10, the anthers with a
deciduous gland; pods 15-25 cm x 1-2 cm, papery, flat but
twisting; seeds bright red, lenticular.
Asian but widely introduced and naturalizing; rarely collected
on Dominica: Syndicate (DHN!, fr.), sine loc. (Zmay
119).