Rinorea ulmifolia (Kunth) Kuntze

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

6. Rinorea ulmifolia (Kunth) Kuntze , Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 42. 1891.

≡ Conohoria ulmifolia Kunth , Nov. Gen. Sp. (quarto ed.) 5: 387. 1823.

≡ Alsodeia ulmifolia (Kunth) Spreng. , Syst. Veg. 1: 807. 1825 [1824].

= Rinorea hymenosepala S. F. Blake , Contrib. U. S. Natl. Herb. 20: 504. 1924, syn. nov. Type: Colombia. Antioquia: Malena, 12 Jan 1918, 150– 170 m, F. W. Pennell 3783 (holotype: NY [barcode 00095077]!).

Type.

Colombia • Antioquia: Rio Magdalena, propé Bartholomé , May 1801, A. J. A. Bonpland 1608 (holotype: P [barcode P 02141374 ]!) .

Notes.

The type localities of Rinorea ulmifolia and R. hymenosepala are in the immediate vicinity of Puerto Berrío on the Magdalena River and are similar in terms of vegetation type and climate. In the description of R. hymenosepala, Blake (1924) notes that the new species most closely resembles R. ulmifolia , however, when citing the type of R. ulmifolia , he states that he did not actually examine it. One character Blake used to differentiate the two species was the margin of the dorsal anther connective scale: erose in R. hymenosepala and entire in R. ulmifolia . In reality, examination of the types and associated specimens all show that the anther scale margin is erose near the base. Another character used to differentiate the two taxa was the phyllotaxy: Rinorea hymenosepala appears to have alternate leaf arrangement on proximal portions of the stem and opposite arrangement on distal portions, whereas R. ulmifolia is consistently opposite. Field observations of whole plant architecture of species in Rinorea sect. Pubiflora do indeed show that leaves growing on first-year or very young stems are spirally arranged, but when the plant matures, the phyllotaxy becomes opposite. The type specimen of R. hymenosepala was taken from a very young plant and shows this pattern of phyllotaxy, which has been observed in the field in several species in R. sect. Pubiflora. After examining many other morphological characters, we found no differences that would allow us to maintain Rinorea hymenosepala as distinct from R. ulmifolia . In fact, the type specimen of R. hymenosepala fits neatly within the range of morphological variation of R. ulmifolia .