Desmopsis bibracteata (B.L.Rob.) Saff.
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.01.07 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3E2187B4-F554-FFD5-FCA2-F994FE02F93F |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Desmopsis bibracteata (B.L.Rob.) Saff. |
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1. Desmopsis bibracteata (B.L.Rob.) Saff. View in CoL — Fig. 1a View Fig ; Map 1 View Map 1
Desmopsis bibracteata (B.L.Rob.) Saff.(1916) View in CoL 190,t. 9. — Unona bibracteata B.L.Rob. View in CoL (in Robinson & Greenman 1895) 175. — Type: Wright 1 (holo GH; iso US 2 sheets), Nicaragua.
Tree or shrub 1–7(–12) m tall, 8–15 cm diam; young twigs and petiole sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 2–5 mm long, c. 1 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 5–16 by 2–5 cm, membranous, shiny and glabrous above, glabrous below, base acute and slightly attenuate, apex acute to shortly acuminate (acumen to c. 5 mm long), the extreme tip obtuse to mostly rounded, primary vein slightly impressed to flat above, secondary veins 9–14 on either side of primary vein, flat to slightly raised above, tertiary veins slightly raised to flat above, reticulate. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts glabrous or sparsely covered with appressed pale brown hairs, outer side of sepals and petals rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed hairs. Inflorescences 1 (or 2)-flowered, leaf-opposed; pedicels 20–50 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam, to c. 2 mm diam in fruit; basal bract leafy, broadly ovate to circular, 4–20 by 4–20 mm, upper bract leafy, broadly ovate-triangular, 3–4 by 3–4 mm; sepals broadly ovate-triangular, 2–4 by 2–5 mm, spreading to slightly reflexed; petals green, maturing yellow, brown in sicco, fleshy, subequal, ovate to ovate-triangular, 11–25 by 5–9 mm, acute, but the extreme tip rounded, margins often revolute. Monocarps 10–30, green, maturing from yellow, orange, to finally blackpurple, pulp orange, spherical to oblongoid-ellipsoid, 5–20 by 5–10 mm, glabrous or with some appressed hairs when young, apex rounded, usually strongly constricted between the seeds upon drying, wall c. 0.2 mm thick, stipes 6–17 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam. Seeds 1–4, in one row, spherical, discoid or hemispherical, 5–13 by 2–6 mm, grooved, pitted.
Distribution — El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama.
Habitat & Ecology — In lowland, montane, or semi-deciduous forests. At elevations of 0–1400(–1800) m. Flowering: September to April, June; fruiting: all year through.
Vernacular names — Costa Rica: Flor de Guineo (Walker 374), Guinea, Posa de los Indios. El Salvador: Flor de Guineo.
Field observations — ‘ Flores con aroma dulce’ ( Acosta 658, Costa Rica); ‘flowers smelling like rotting fruit’ (Davidse et al. 23479, Costa Rica); ‘flores con olor un poco fuerte a frutos de carambola’ ( Fernández 1729, Costa Rica); ‘flores con leve olor a banana’ ( Jiménez Madrigal 955, Costa Rica); ‘flowers very fragrant like banana (methyl-ester, ethyl-acetate), Nitidulid beetles collected from inside flowers’ (Schatz & Janzen 1087, Costa Rica); ‘flores aromáticas’ ( Solano 946, Costa Rica); ‘flowers with an odor like bananas’ (Walker 374, Costa Rica).
Note — Typical D. bibracteata is distinguished, by its acute apex (with the extreme tip obtuse to rounded), relatively small leaves, small petals with the extreme tip rounded and brown in sicco, having margins that are revolute, and mostly strongly constricted and thin-walled monocarps. Moreover, both bracts are leafy and often persistent.
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