Stenandrium acuminatum Urb., Symb. Antill.

Franck, Alan R. & Daniel, Thomas F., 2015, Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Notes on Six Genera of Acanthaceae in the West Indies, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 62 (10), pp. 309-329 : 319-320

1. Stenandrium acuminatum Urb., Symb. Antill. 7:382. 1912. Gerardia acuminata (Urb.) S.F. Blake, Contr. Gray Herb. 52:100. 1917. TYPE.— HAITI. Grand’Anse: “ Prope Corail ad occidentem versus in Plaine des Gommiers locis satis humidis umbrosis, 80 m. alt., m. Aug. flor. et fruct.” (fide protologue), Christ 2217 [not located].

DISCUSSION.— Moscoso (1943) and Liogier (1997) erroneously listed Gerardia acuminata as a synonym of Barleriola solanifolia .

In the protologue Urban (1912) indicated affinities between this species and S. droseroides from Cuba. The type of S. acuminatum has not been located. Eugène Christ’s collections from Haiti (1899–1910) were deposited primarily at B (with duplicates at G, L, NY, US, and VEN) (Lanjouw and Stafleu 1954); additional specimens of his collections are at BR, GH, K, and M. The holotype was likely destroyed at B, and we have not located any duplicates to date. Liogier (1995) cited the type and five additional collections of the species from Haiti. One of these ( Haiti: Massif de la Hotte, western group, between Maron and Maffrand, steep hillside, ca. 100 m, 5 Jul 1928, Ekman 10276, K!) was identified by Ekman (and confirmed by Urban’s annotation) as this species. This plant pertains to the S. tuberosum complex and shows the following characteristics: rosulate perennial herbs to 1.5 dm tall from a woody rhizome; leaves chartaceous, long-petiolate (petiole mostly longer than blade), petioles 12–62 mm long, pubescent with flexuose eglandular trichomes to 1.5 mm long; blades elliptic, 21–50 x 12–25 mm, 1.8–2.3 x longer than wide, pubescent like petioles, rounded at apex, cuneate at base, surfaces punctate (less conspicuously so abaxially), margin sinuate, not revolute; spikes to 15 cm long, peduncle to 43 mm long, pubescent like petioles, fertile portion of spike to 110 mm long, bracts lanceolate, 4. 5–6 mm long, bracteoles lance-subulate, 2– 2.3 mm long; calyces 2.5– 3 mm long, corollas not seen; capsules 4 mm long, glabrous.

In his key to species of Stenandrium on Española, Liogier (1995) indicated that peduncles of this species were glabrous to glabrescent. Urban (1912) had described the peduncles as being “tenuiter pubescente,” which agrees with our observations of Ekman 10276. The glabrous capsules of Ekman 10276 do not concur with descriptions of Urban (1912) and Ekman (1995) in which the capsules are described as distally pubescent with spreading trichomes.