Esenbeckia pumila Pohl

  • Authority

    Kaastra, Roelof C. 1982. A monograph of the Pilocarpinae (Rutaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 33: 1-198. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Rutaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Esenbeckia pumila Pohl

  • Type

    Type. Pohl 750 delta = 739 Herb. Bras., Brazil. Goiás: Serra dos Crystaes, Nov-Dec 1819, fl (holotype, W, the lowest specimen on the sheet, from which the drawing in Pohl was made; isotypes, K-Herb. Hooker, photo NS 2862 made by NY, NY; K-Herb. Bentham ex W).

  • Synonyms

    Esenbeckia latifolia Mart., Colythrum pumilum (Pohl) Schott, Colythrum latifolium (Mart.) Schott, Colythrum puberulum Schott, Esenbeckia choisyoides Schltdl., Esenbeckia leucophylla Turcz., Esenbeckia pumila var. genuina Engl., Esenbeckia pumila var. latifolia (Mart.) Engl., Esenbeckia pumila var. leucophylla (Turcz.) Engl.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Subshrub with clumps of several branches inserted on a woody base, 25-100 cm tall, sometimes arborescent to 3 m; branchlets 3-5 mm in diam., brown turning red, ± tomentose when young with grayish hairs to 0.5 mm long. Leaves alternate, 3-foliolate except for the uppermost, occasionally some 2- or 5-foliolate, towards and in the inflorescence gradually being replaced by 1-foliolate and simple leaves, with usually sessile leaflets; petiole semiterete, (slightly) canaliculate, obsoletely winged or ribbed, 1-4(-7.3) cm long and to 3 mm thick, the wings to 0.3(-l) mm broad, usually without auricles, indument like that of the branchlets or less dense; leaflet blades elliptic or (narrowly) obovate, those in the inflorescence narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, 6-14.5(-17) × 2-7 cm, the lateral leaflets and the leaflets of the uppermost leaves smaller, usually (narrowly) cuneate at base, sometimes obtuse or somewhat shortly attenuate to 3 mm, slightly unequal at base, at apex rounded or obtuse and slightly acuminate with emarginate tip, occasionally subacute, margin thick and ± revolute, blades chartaceous or subcoriaceous, dull, paler beneath than above, subglabrous to pilose above with hairs to 0.5 mm long, minutely pubescent to tomentose below with hairs 0.5-1 mm long, venation camptodromous, prominent particularly below, midvein somewhat impressed above. Inflorescences terminal, many-flowered, consisting of 1 main branch and few alternate secondary branchlets subtended by a 3-foliolate leaf or, towards the tip, an 1-foliolate or simple leaf or a bract, ± densely tomentose with hairs to 0.5 mm long, primary and secondary branchlets erect, paniculately-branched, 5-13 x 2-12 cm, with alternate or subopposite side-branchlets, bracts (broadly) ovate, ca. 1-3 x 0.7-2 mm, or longer and narrower when intermediate between 1-foliolate leaf and bract, the indument like that of the branchlets but often less dense, provided with a false glandular midrib; pedicels 1-4 mm long; bractlets 2, alternate or subopposite. Flowers 6-7.5(-9.5) mm in diam.; calyx lobes quincuncial, broadly or depressedly ovate, 1-1.3 (-2.2) × 1.3-1.6(-2) mm, rounded at apex, coriaceous, often brown-pigmented with yellow margins when dried, minutely pubescent below, parallel-nerved, with a false midrib; petals cochlear or quincuncial, adnate to the disc, spreading, ovate or elliptic, 3-3.5(-4) × 1.9-2(-2.6) mm, rounded or obtuse at apex, papery or rarely coriaceous with papery margins, often brown-pigmented when dried except for the yellow margins, creamish when fresh, papillose above, sparsely or densely minutely pubescent below with hairs 0.05-0.1 mm long, venation actinodromous, the nerves branched towards the margin; filaments subulate, flattened towards the base, 1.8-2.5 mm long and 0.4-0.6 mm thick, glabrous; anthers heart-shaped, 0.9-1.2 × 0.7-0.9 mm including a tip 0.05-0.1 mm, becoming pigmented on the back and at tip, papillose; disc cup-shaped, with 5(-10) slight incurvations, 0.50.8 mm high, 0.2-0.4 mm thick, ca. 1.5-2.3(-2.8) mm in diam., coriaceous, glabrous; carpels adnate to the disc in the lower part, 0.5-0.7 mm high, densely charged with conical or finger-like glandular protuberances 0.5 mm long, glabrous; style inserted 1/3 to 1/2 from base of the carpels, 1.4-1.6 mm long and 0.1-0.4 mm thick, projecting ca. 0.7-1 mm beyond the ovary including its protuberances, glabrous; stigma capitate, 0.2-0.3 × 0.2-0.4 mm. Fruits depressed, stellately-globose with flattened top when still closed, 1.5-2.5 × 2-3 cm(-4 cm when dehisced), sparsely minutely puberulous with hairs 0.05-0.1 mm long; loculi dorso-apically trigonous, muricate with prickles and tubercles to 4 mm long, wrinkled, dehiscing septicidally from up to 5 mm above the base and to 2 mm from the axis, the exocarp rather thick; seed obliquely tear-shaped, 10.5-12 × 5.7-6 × 5 mm, flattened near the base, blunt and obsoletely curved or straight at the apex, testa 0.4 mm thick, chestnut with shining granules, granulate-pusticulate, the granules ca. 0.05 mm long; chalazal area not seen; hilum 1.5 mm broad; embryo 1, apex acute, cotyledons unequal, radicle ca. 1 mm long and projecting 0.5 mm beyond the ears.

  • Discussion

    Uses. The bark possibly used like that of Esenbeckia febrifuga (see PHYTOCHEMISTRY).

    This species is distinguished by its flat and broad petioles.

    Through specimens received from NY (Irwin et al., Anderson et al.) and collections of Harley et al. (K) several fruits came to my disposal; fruits were seldom collected before. Ripe seeds however, are still very rare (Lutzelburg 1912/284). By studying these collections it became clear that var. leucophylla (=Colythrum puberulum Schott) is untenable. Several collections show a gradient from the typical tomentose indument of var. leucophylla to the subglabrous hair-cover of var. pumila: e.g. Irwin et al. 14400, 12175; Pereira & Pabst 4752; Smith & Macedo (in Macedo) 4652.

    Esenbeckia choisyoides is probably not different. The ample description agrees fully with tomentose specimens of E. pumila. No type is known, either at HAL or elsewhere.

    The type of E. latifolia was indicated as from "in confiniis Prov. Minarum et Goyaz, in campis editis versus Vão do Paranán, Sept." The specimen at M collected by Martius in: "M. G. et Goy. Chapada do Paranán [=Paraña] Sept. in campis elevatis," is the type of E. latifolia from which the drawing in the protologue was apparently made. Unfortunately the inflorescence has disappeared. Thus no conclusions can be drawn about the size of the flowers which should be smaller, according to Martius, than those of E. pumila. Some small differences in the vegetative parts are of minor importance. Therefore, I decided to reduce E. latifolia to synonymy of E. pumila. Engler made a variety of it and added the diagnostic character "foliis atque ramulis floriferis omnino glabris." The leaves however, are not fully glabrous: there are some appressed hairs present as in E. pumila. Engler did not see the type of E. latifolia, but only used the original description with drawing.

    Glaziou 20798 has some 5-foliolate leaves.

  • Distribution

    Brazil: Piauí, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Distrito Federal, Bahia, and Minas Gerais. Chiefly in cerrado and grassy campos but also in forest and gallery margins; alt. to 1000 m. Common in some areas, otherwise infrequent. Flowering Sep-Dee. Fig. 15A.

    Piauí Brazil South America| Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America|