Appunia morindoides (A. Rich.) Delprete, C.M. Taylor & T. McDowell

Delprete, Piero G., Taylor, Charlotte M. & McDowell, Timothy D., 2021, The identity of the long-overlooked Ronabea morindoides and Patabea tenuiflora, synonymous with a species of Appunia (Rubiaceae), Candollea 76 (1), pp. 83-92 : 90

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.15553/c2021v761a8

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6329649

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DA879E-FFC1-AF0F-FFA2-B3F6FB04F8B9

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Appunia morindoides (A. Rich.) Delprete, C.M. Taylor & T. McDowell
status

comb. nov.

Appunia morindoides (A. Rich.) Delprete, C.M. Taylor & T. McDowell View in CoL , comb. nov. ( Fig. 3 View Fig ).

Ronabea morindoides A. Rich. View in CoL in DC., Prodr. 4: 504. 1830. ≡ Psychotria morindoides (A. Rich.) Lemée, Fl. View in CoL Guyane Franç. 3: 564. 1954 [nom. illeg., non Hutch. 1916].

Lectotypus (designated here): FRENCH GUIANA: sine loco, s.d. [1781–1785], L.C.M. Richard s.n. ( P [ P00837122 , excl. the small branch at the top of the sheet] image!) ( Fig. 1 View Fig , branches labeled B and C) .

= Patabea tenuiflora DC., Prodr. View in CoL 4: 538. 1830. ≡ Cephaelis tenuiflora (DC.) D. Dietr., Syn. Pl. View in CoL 1: 774. 1839. ≡ Ixora tenuiflora (DC.) Lemée, Fl. View in CoL Guyane Franç. 3: 536. 1954 [non Appunia tenuiflora (Benth.) Jacks. & Hook. View in CoL f. 1893], syn. nov. Holotypus: FRENCH GUIANA: “ Cayenne ”, IX.1785, Patris s.n. ( G-DC [ G00667064 ]!) ( Fig. 2 View Fig ).

= Bellynkxia brachycalyx Bremek. View in CoL in Recueil Trav. Bot. Néerl. 31: 277. 1934. ≡ Appunia brachycalyx (Bremek.) Steyerm. View in CoL in Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 17: 359. 1967. ≡ Morinda brachycalyx (Bremek.) Steyerm. View in CoL in Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 385. 1972, syn. nov. Holotypus: SURINAME: Emma Range, 15.III.1922, Gonggrijp & Stael 5679 ( U [ U0006082 ]!) .

= Bellynkxia surinamensis Bremek. View in CoL in Rec. Trav. Bot. Neerl. 31: 276. 1934. ≡ Appunia surinamensis (Bremek.) Steyerm. View in CoL in Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 17: 359. 1967. ≡ Morinda surinamensis (Bremek.) Steyerm. View in CoL in Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 386. 1972, syn. nov. Holotypus: SURINAME: Para, II–IV.1844, Kappler 1453 ( U [ U0006085 ]!; iso-: MO-124295 !, P [ P04579957 ]!, S-S05-1569 !) .

Habitat and Distribution. – This species is mostly found in the Guianas, northeastern South America, in primary and secondary moist forests, on lateritic and brown sand soils, at 50–700 m elevation. It is also known by a few collections in Amazonian Brazil, in the states of Amapá, Pará, Mato Grosso, and Acre.

Notes. – A full description, habitat, and range of this species will be presented in the forthcoming Appunia treatment (McDowell, in prep.) of the Flora of the Guianas Rubiaceae (Delprete et al., in prep.). Selected additional information about Ronabea and Appunia is available in the RUBIACEAE PROJECT (2020) .

Appunia morindoides is recognized by its inflorescences that are leaf-opposed, which develop on distal nodes with one opposed leaf, or with three leaves forming a false whorl due to the extremely reduced final internode ( Fig. 3A View Fig ). The inflorescences may also appear to be axillary ( Fig. 3A View Fig ), due to reiteration of the corresponding axillary branch of the same node, and are often present at alternate nodes, resulting in branches with 2–6(–10) peduncles present at the distal nodes. Each peduncle bears a head of (2–)5–9(–12) flowers, and may have one (occasionally two) sessile or subsessile flower at the base ( Fig. 3C–D View Fig ). Sessile flowers at the base of the peduncle may also rarely occur in A. tenuiflora (Benth.) Jacks. & Hook. f. and other Appunia species occurring in the Guianas.

The stipules of Appunia morindoides are 2 –7(– 10) mm long, usually longer than in most other species of the genus, puberulent, and entire ( Fig. 3B View Fig ) or bifid at apex. Its leaf blades are often relatively large, (5–)10–15(–30) × (1.5–)3–7(–10) cm, and membranaceous to chartaceous ( Fig. 3A View Fig ), while blades are usually smaller, and papyraceous to subcoriaceous in most other species of the genus. Appunia morindoides is similar to A. calycina (Benth.) Sandwith , but the latter can easily be differentiated by its conspicuously larger calyx, which is funnelform to broadly cupular with the free portion of the tube 3–6 mm long and the 5 rounded lobes about 2 mm long; also its calyx is pubescent outside with sparse, stiff hairs (vs. a very short calyx tube, 0.2 mm long that is entire or sometimes denticulate and minutely puberulent or glabrous outside in A. morindoides ). In A. calycina the funnelform calyx continues to expand after anthesis and forms a conspicuous crown above the fruit, which is lacking in A. morindoides .

P

Museum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN) - Vascular Plants

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Gentianales

Family

Rubiaceae

Genus

Appunia

Loc

Appunia morindoides (A. Rich.) Delprete, C.M. Taylor & T. McDowell

Delprete, Piero G., Taylor, Charlotte M. & McDowell, Timothy D. 2021
2021
Loc

Bellynkxia brachycalyx

Steyerm. 1972: 385
Steyerm. 1967: 359
Bremek. 1934: 277
1934
Loc

Bellynkxia surinamensis

Steyerm 1972: 386
Steyerm. 1967: 359
Bremek. 1934: 276
1934
Loc

Ronabea morindoides

A. Rich. 1954: 564
DC. 1830: 504
1830
Loc

Patabea tenuiflora

DC. 1839: 774
Patabea tenuiflora DC., Prodr. 4: 538. 1830.
Ixora tenuiflora (DC.) Lemée, Fl. Guyane Franç. 3: 536. 1954
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