Erisma

• Authority

  Andersson, Lennart. 1998. A revision of the genus (Rubiaceae--Cinchoneae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 81: 1-75.

• Family

  Vochysiaceae

• Scientific Name

  Erisma

• Description

  
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  Description - Emergent or canopy trees. Hairs yellowish, gray, or brown, stellate. Leaves simple, entire, opposite, rarely in tetramerous whorls, petioled; blades mostly coriaceous, variously pubescent, midvein sulcate or prominent above, prominent below, the venation usu ally brochidodromous, lateral veins to ca. 20 pansangle with midvein 40-80°, tertiary veins randomly reticulate or percurrent; petiole terete or canaliculate, stipules present or absent. Inflorescences panicles o cincinni, terminal, very rarely axillary, subtermina. cincinni with 2-5 flowers. Flowers zygomorp ucbracteate, mostly short-pedicellate; bracts deciduous, outer bracts overlapping the buds or not, inner ones present or absent; calyx with 5 unequal lobes, connate at base, the largest one spurred, obcordate, convolute, the outer side sepal-like, the inner side petal-like and villose; spur globose, cylindric, or uncinate-incurved, deciduous with the larger calyx- lobe; petal 1. in front of spurred calyx-lobe, white to yellow, or purple, puberulous, convolute in bud, obcordate, unguiculate, deciduous; stamen one, in front of fifth calyx-lobe, outside the plane of symmetry; anther sagittate, dorsifixed; pollen grains tricolporate, exine striate; staminodes 0-4; style 1, pilose at base or glabrous, stigma terminal, capitate; ovary inferior, unilocular, with two apical ovules. Fruits indehiscent, samaroid, 4-winged by the unequally enlarged and persistent calyx-lobes; wings elliptic to oblong, the major and second major wing corresponding to third and second calyx-lobes, respectively, the two smallest wings corresponding to first and fifth calyx-lobes; fruits wingless and nut-like only in E. calcaratum; seed 1, lacking endosperm, the cotyledons fleshy.

• Discussion

  Etymology. The name Erisma is derived from the Greek epetdaj, “to support.” It refers to the overlap¬ping bracts that subtend the flowers.