(Last Modified On 11/14/2012)
|
|
(Last Modified On 11/14/2012)
|
Species
|
INGA PUNCTATA Willd.
|
PlaceOfPublication
|
Sp. Pl. 4:1016. 1806.
|
Synonym
|
Mimosa sericea Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Meth. Suppl. 1:42. 1810. Inga leptoloba Schlecht. in Linnaea 12:560. 1838. Inga Punctata var. panamensis Benth. in Trans. Linn. Soc. 30:613. 1875. Feuilleea punctata Ktze. Rev. Gen. P1. 1:188. 1891. Inga punctata chagrensis Pittier, in Jour. Dept. Agr. Porto Rica 13:135. 1929.
|
Description
|
Small or moderate tree to 15 m., the branchlets-strigose-puberulent and mark- edly lenticellate. Leaves moderately large, pinnate, 4- to 6-foliolate; petioles 2-4 cm. long, terete or nearly so, puberulent like the branchlets, swollen-callous basally; rachis similar to and (the internodes) about as long as or slightly longer than the petiole, wingless, bearing disc-like or subconic glands between insertions of *the petiolules (or these glands in part or entirely suppressed in some specimens); leaf- lets 2 or 3 pairs, elliptic to ovate, acuminate, those of the apical pair larger, up to 20 cm. long and 9 cm. wide, those of the lowermost pair usually about half as long and.broad, strigose-puberulent on both surfaces; stipules linear-lanceolate, 3-4 mm. long, caducous. Inflorescence an axillary, subterminal, paniculate or corymbi- form branch, the secondary spicate peduncles umbellate from the nodes, or some- times the spikes fasciculate or simple-umbellate directly from the axil; spikes short, the floriferous portion scarcely more than I cm. long, the many flowers densely congested. Flowers sessile, whitish; calyx subturbinate, 3-5 mm. long, the 5 teeth conspicuous but only about 0.5 mm. long, puberulent without; corolla tubular, somewhat expanded above the calyx, 7-9 mm. long, the lobes about 1 mm. long, pubescent without; stamens many, the filaments almost 2 cm. long in age, united into a tube for about I/2 their length, glabrous, the anthers minute, bilocular, only a fraction of a mm. long; ovary and style glabrous. Legume linear-oblong, about 13 cm. long and 2.5 cm. wide, slightly arcuate, lightly pubescent, flattened, some- what margined, apparently indehiscent.
|
Habit
|
tree
|
Distribution
|
Mexico and Central America to the Amazon Valley and Peru; Tobago.
|
Specimen
|
BOCAS DEL TORO: Changuinola Valley, Cooper d Slater 73; Chiriqui Lagoon, H. von Wedel i069, I230, 2357, 2387. CANAL ZONE: Barro Colorado Island, Zetek 3837, 3847, 3867; "Chagres," Fendler 89; R. Chagres, Steyermark d Allen i6778; Gatu'n, Goldman i865; Hayes 55. CHIRIQUf: Boquete, Davidson 8I4. COCL': El Valle de Ant6n, Allen 3700. CoLON: R. Culebra, Pittier 4I6i. DARIEN: El Real, Allen 966; Pinogana, Allen 428i. PANAMA: Chepo, Hunter d Allen 95. VERAGUAS: near Sona, Woodson, Seibert d Allen 486.
|
Note
|
Inga leptoloba has been retained as a species distinct from I. punctata by most authors (Bentham, Britton & Rose, etc.), and Standley (Flora Guatemala) lists it as doubtfully distinct. Bentham's distinction between I. leptoloba and I. punctata is not clear, while Britton & Rose and Standley separate the two species on the basis of bifoliolate leaves in the latter vs. trifoliolate leaves in the former. However, many specimens occur with both bi- and tri-foliolate leaves on the same plant, and no supporting or correlating characters are apparent to strengthen this demarcation. Both bi- and tri-foliolate specimens exhibit the same range of variability in rachial gland structure, flower size, and type of inflorescence, and none of the vegetative distinctions mentioned by Pittier (Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 18:187) exhibit con- stancy when large numbers of specimens are examined. Thus it seems most prac- tical -to unite these two names as a single species, or at least reduce I. leptoloba to varietal status under I. punctata.
|
Tag
|
|
Project Name
|
Tag
|
|
|