Rinorea deflexa (Benth.) S. F. Blake

Hoyos-Gómez, Saúl E., Ballard Jr., Harvey E., Callejas Posada, Ricardo & Wahlert, Gregory A., 2025, Taxonomic clarifications, a new combination, and three new species of Neotropical Rinorea (Violaceae), PhytoKeys 256, pp. 151-174 : 151-174

8. Rinorea deflexa (Benth.) S. F. Blake , Contrib. U. S. Natl. Herb. 20: 513. 1924.

≡ Alsodeia deflexa Benth. , Bot. Voy. Sulphur: 67. 1844.

Type.

Ecuador. Esmeraldas: • Atacames , s. d., G. W. Barclay s. n. (holotype: K [barcode K 000327511 ]!; isotypes: K [barcode K 000327512 ; specimen in same type folder as K 000327511 ]!; US [cat. no. 1056900; barcode 00114474]!) .

Description.

Treelet 2–6 m, branchlets sparsely pubescent, glabrescent. Leaves opposite, petiolate; petioles 2–6 cm long, pubescent when young, glabrescent; stipules deciduous, free, linear, 1.9–2.3 × 0.1–0.3 mm, pubescent with trichomes golden, apex mucronulate; lamina elliptic, 4.5–10 × 2.5–5.5 cm, foliaceous, glabrous on both sides, costa pubescent abaxially with golden trichomes, with 8 to 9 major secondary vein pairs, tertiary venation reticulate, base symmetrical, rounded, margin crenate, apex acuminate, acumen 0.1–0.5 cm long, mucronulate, domatia present. Inflorescences axillary and lateral, racemose, solitary, 3–6 × 1–2 cm, flowers dense near the apex, lax near the base, central axis golden brown, pubescent; pedicels 2–2.5 mm long, pubescent with golden trichomes, articulated near the base; bracts, triangular, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, densely pubescent, trichomes adpressed, 0.2–0.3 mm, golden, ciliolate margin, apex acuminate, mucronulate; bracteoles, triangular, 0.5–1 × 0.5–1 mm, densely pubescent, trichomes adpressed, 0.2–0.3 mm, golden, ciliolate margin, apex acuminate, mucronulate. Flower buds erect to the apex of the inflorescence, becoming strongly deflexed when flowering; sepals subequal, ovate, 1.5–2 × 0.75–1.3 mm, carnose near the base, scarious near the margin, densely pubescent with golden trichomes, mainly along the costa and near the apex, margin ciliate, apex obtuse; petals yellow, narrowly elliptic, tapering to the apex, 3–3.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, costa pubescent with golden trichomes, margin ciliate, apex obtuse; stamens 2.7–3.5 mm long, filaments free, 0.5–0.8 mm long, dorsal glands 0.5–0.7 mm long, covering the filament, carnose, glabrous, anthers ovoid, 1.2–1.3 × 0.3–0.4 mm, glabrous, connective narrowly deltoid, 0.6–0.9 mm long, glabrous, dorsal anther connective scale lanceolate, 2.2–2.8 × 0.6–0.8 mm, scarious, brownish, margin erose near the apex; ovary globose 0.8–1 cm in diam., pubescent with golden trichomes, style filiform, erect, 2–2.5 mm long, glabrous, stigma apiculate. Fruit a symmetrical subligneous capsule dehiscent along three sutures, born erect at maturity, ellipsoid, 12–16 × 10–14 mm, apex rounded, green at maturity, pubescence dimorphic with golden to ferruginous, small dense trichomes 0.1–0.2 mm long and longer dispersed trichomes 0.3–0.5 mm long, surface veined. Seeds one per valve, globose, 5–6 mm, glabrous, brown, with maculae (Fig. 7 ).

Distribution and ecology.

Rinorea deflexa has a restricted distribution in southern Ecuador and northern Peru, in the Western Ecuadorian and Ecuadorian biogeographical provinces (sensu Morrone 2014; Fig. 8 ). The species grows at elevations of 50–720 m, and it occurs in estuarine forest near riverbanks and in primary and secondary lowland dry forests.

Phenology.

The species flowers in January and fruits in January through March.

Notes.

Alsodeia deflexa was described by Bentham based on a single flowering specimen. Over the course of revising the genus from Colombia, many additional fruiting herbarium specimens from Ecuador were observed and allowed us to provide an updated description.

Additional specimens examined.

Ecuador. Prov. Guayas: • Guayas, Naranjal , 02°27'S, 79°38'W, 350 m, 28 Dec 1991 (st), C. E. Cerón Martínez 17807 ( MO) ; • ibid., 250–350 m, 28 Feb 1992 (st), C. E. Cerón Martínez 18340 ( MO) ; • ibid., 02°24'S, 79°36'W, 350–380 m, 11 Aug 1992 (st), C. E. Cerón Martínez 20069 ( MO) ; • ibid., 340–370 m, 17 Aug 1992 (st), C. E. Cerón Martínez 20331 ( MO) ; • ibid., 02°27'S, 79°38'W, 50–70 m, 27 Sep 1992 (st), C. E. Cerón Martínez 20389 ( MO) ; • ibid., 150–200 m, 2 Oct 1992 (st), C. E. Cerón Martínez 20621 ( MO) ; • Guayas, 02°27'S, 79°36'W, 180 m, 21 Mar 2006 (fr), T. B. Croat et al. 96202 ( MO) ; • Cerro Azul , 02°15'S, 80°00'W, 50–300 m, 17 Jan 1991 (fl), A. H. Gentry et al. 72346 ( ECUAMZ, MO, JAUM) ; • Guayas, 12 km from Guayaquil, 18 Feb 1962 (fr), A. J. Gilmartin 590 ( US) ; • Cerro Blanco , 02°10'S, 79°58'W, 370 m, 27 Feb 1996 (fr), D. A. Neill et al. 10449 ( MO, QNCE) ; • ibid., 02°10'S, 79°57'W, 420 m, 29 Feb 1996 (fr), D. A. Neill et al. 10495 ( MO, QNCE) ; • Cerro Azul, 02°10'S, 79°58'W, 500 m, 18 Mar 1992 (fr), W. A. Palacios et al. 9983 ( MO) ; • Guayas, Guayaquil , 02°10'S, 79°58'W, 400 m, 21–25 Jan 1992 (fl), D. Rubio et al. 2319 ( ECUAMZ, MO, QNCE) ; • ibid., (fr), D. Rubio et al. 2367 ( ECUAMZ, MO, QNCE) . Prov. Loja: • Lajas, 03°53'S, 80°04'W, 350 m, 8 Jun 1995 (fl), X. Cornejo et al. 4139 ( U) . Prov. Manabí: • estero Perro Muerto , 01°36'S, 80°42'W, 400–420 m, 23 Jan 1991 (st), A. H. Gentry et al. 72673 ( F, MO) ; • Jama , 0°04'S, 80°09'W, 50 m, 6 Jan 2006 (fl), D. A. Neill 15107 ( MO, QNCE) . Peru. Dept. Tumbes: • Zarumilla , 03°50'S, 80°15'W, 720 m, 25 Jul 1992 (st), C. Díaz de la Guardia Guerrero 5127 A ( MO) ; • Zarumilla, Campo Verde el Caucho , 03°50'S, 80°15'W, 500 m, 12 Nov 1992 (st), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6038 ( MO) ; • ibid., 12 Nov 1992 (st), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6087 ( MO) ; • ibid., 12 Nov 1992 (st), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6088 ( MO) ; • ibid., 12 Nov 1992 (st), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6089 ( MO) ; • ibid., 10 Feb 1993 (fr), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6259 ( MO) ; • ibid., 15 Feb 1993 (fr), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6435 ( MO) ; • ibid., 18 Feb 1993 (fr), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6620 ( MO) ; • ibid., 18 Feb 1993 (fr), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 6664 ( MO) ; • ibid., 20 Jan 1995 (fr), C. Díaz Santibáñez et al. 7442 ( MO) .

Figures

Figure 7. Rinorea deflexa (Benth.) S. F. Blake A twig with fruits showing one seed per valve B detail of pubescence on fruit surface C detail of fruit showing dehiscence with one seed per valve D seed, glabrous with maculae (A – D: C. E. Cerón Martínez 18340 [MO]).

Figure 8. Distribution of Rinorea bicornuta (stars) and R. deflexa (triangles).