Charianthus grenadensis Penneys & Judd
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Description
Description Author and Date: D. Penneys, Oct. 2011, modified from Penneys & Judd, 2005.
Type: Grenada, Dec. 1889, H. F. A. Eggers 6221 (holotype: A!; isotypes: P!, US!; photo of holotype at A, GH!).
Description: Evergreen shrubs or small trees to 10 m high; young twigs with an indumentum of multicellular multiseriate setae, inconspicuous, sparse stellate hairs, and sessile glandular hairs, the stellate hairs (0.06)0.08 - 0.19(0.25) mm in diameter, twigs finally glabrous; nodes (2.87)3.47 - 5.0(7.67) mm in diameter, with sparse to dense multicellular multiseriate setae, the hairs (0.41)0.80 - 1.40(2.07) mm long. Leaf blade coriaceous, ovate to widely elliptic, suborbiculate or orbiculate, (3.4)4.4 - 6.8(9.0) cm long, (3.2)3.4 - 5.2(8.3) cm wide, slightly revolute abaxially, apex obtuse, the tip (acute) acuminate; base obtuse and cordate, adaxial surface of young blades with stellate hairs, some slightly sunken in pits appearing as punctations, and few sessile-glandular hairs (unicellular hairs and multicellular uniseriate hairs), mature leaves with sessile glandular hairs, the aged remains of the central stalk and disc of stellate hairs, densest near base and generally appearing as minute punctations, sometimes slightly sunken in pits, sparse stellate hairs and unicellular hairs, abaxial surface of young blades stellate and sessile-glandular pubescent, with few multicellular uniseriate hairs mostly restricted to midrib, with stellate hairs (0.06)0.10 - 0.19(0.24) mm in diameter, mature leaves with minute punctate-like bases of aged stellate hairs, these frequently slightly sunken in pits, and few stellate hairs unicellular hairs, and multicellular uniseriate hairs, the sessile glandular hairs (0.06)0.08 - 0.12(0.12) mm in diameter; margin slightly revolute, entire; venation basal with 2 or 3 pairs of secondary veins, and 1 pair of inconspicuous submarginal secondary veins, the tertiary veins (17)20 - 24(27), intergrading with quaternary veins at base and apex. Petiole (0.75)1.2 - 2.3(3.6) cm long, canaliculate, moderately pubescent, with multicellular multiseriate hairs, these primarily on the sulcus edges, (0.76)0.80 - 1.15(1.56) mm long. Inflorescence terminal, cymose, loosely corymbose, (3.5)4.2 - 6.8(9.3) cm long, (2.2)2.5 - 3.9(5.2) cm wide, with 2 - 4 orders of branching, the caducous bracts to ca 2.0 cm long; peduncle (0.65) 1.15 - 2.5(4.7) cm long, first internode above peduncle (0.85) 0.94 - 2.00(2.30) cm long, first lateral internode (0.81)1.04 - 2.10(2.30) cm long, the flowers (15)21 - 38(45) per inflorescence. Pedicels (2.67)3.27 - 5.60(8.67) mm long, with stellate hairs and very sparse sessile glandular and unicellular hairs, the stellate hairs (0.03)0.08 - 0.18(0.21) mm in diameter. Hypanthium (4.0)4.14 - 4.94(5.20) mm long as measured from base to torus, (2.19)2.50 - 4.80(5.00) mm wide, indumentum of sparse stellate hairs (sessile glandular hairs), the stellate hairs (0.05)0.06 - 0.13(0.18) mm in diameter, the portion of hypanthium free from ovary (1.02)1.06 - 1.38(1.47) mm long; inner hypanthium smooth (granular textured), torus to calyx apex length (1.66)1.82 - 2.38(2.60) mm, torus to calyx notch length (0.44)0.47 - 1.03(1.32) mm. Calyx lobes (1.13)1.40 - 2.13(2.74) mm long, (3.00)3.34 - 4.00(4.34) mm wide, lobes broadly triangular, the apex acute (acuminate), the indumentum similar to that of hypanthium, the external calyx teeth (0.63)0.67 - 0.80(0.94) mm long, bluntly and broadly rounded. Petals yellow or red, irregularly wide elliptic to suborbiculate, (8.88)9.50 - 14.13(14.63) mm long, (6.63)6.88 - 9.38(10.0) mm wide. Stamens 15.0 - 18.0(19.5) mm long; filaments cream, 12.4 - 16.6 mm long, with proximal filament segment (0.47)0.53 - 1.07(1.13) mm wide, distal segment (0.47)0.53 - 0.81(1.00) mm wide; anthers yellow, (2.54)2.60 - 2.75(2.91) mm long, (0.66)0.72 - 0.81(0.95) mm wide, longitudinal slits (1.84)2.04 - 2.38(2.47) mm long. Ovary (2.44)2.50 - 3.27(3.41) mm long, (1.72)2.04 - 2.32(2.69) mm wide, style cream, (16.0)17.0. - 22.0(23.0) mm long, (1.0)1.03 - 1.07(1.13) mm wide. Berries 4 - 7 mm in diameter. Seeds 0.6 - 0.8 mm long, ca. 0.4 mm wide. See Figs. 2, 8, 9.
Habitat and Distribution: Charianthus grenadensis is endemic to the elfin forests of Grenada from about 550 to 800 meters (Fig. 9). Organizations involved in the identification of rare plants in need of conservation should consider this taxon for protection.
Phenology: Charianthus grenadensis is not well collected and reproduction has been documented only in October through December and May. Future observations may indicate that this species has a wider reproductive period than is reported here.
Taxonomy and Systematics: Charianthus grenadensis is most similar to C. purpureus, from which it may be distinguished by the multicellular multiseriate setae present only at the nodes vs. broadly distributed, corolla red, cream or yellow vs. always red, and a thin band of nodal xylem vs. a wide band of nodal xylem. Charianthus grenadensis and C. dominicensis were formerly included within the broadly circumscribed (and polyphyletic) C. purpureus (see Penneys and Judd 2004). The specific epithet alludes to the fact that this species is endemic to the Lesser Antillean island of Grenada.
- Sorry, no descriptions available for this record.
