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(Last Modified On 3/28/2013)
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(Last Modified On 3/28/2013)
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Species
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Casearia commersoniana Camb.
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PlaceOfPublication
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Fl. Bras. Merid. 2: 235, 1830.-Fig. 9.
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Synonym
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Casearia myriantha Turcz., Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou 36(1, fasc. 2): 609, 1863; Johnston, Sargentia 8: 212, 1949. C. javitensis Auct. non H.B.K.; Standley, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 27: 274, 1928.
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Description
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Shrub or small tree 3-10(-15) m tall, the trunk to 10-20 cm in diam, the bark smooth, the branchlets glabrous or almost so. Leaves glabrous, short-petiolate, the petiole to 5-8 mm long, the stipules linear-subulate, early caducous; blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate-elliptic to narrowly oblong, sometimes elliptic, acute at the base, acuminate at the apex, the acumen usually long and rather blunt, re- motely crenulate-serrulate to almost entire along the margins, to 25 cm long and 9 cm wide, rigid-chartaceous, lustrous especially above, dark green, without pellucid dots, the costa and 5-8(-10) pairs of lateral veins prominent beneath. Inflorescences sessile, fasciculate, the fascicles few- to many-flowered, the bracts small and form- ing a cushion in the leaf axils. Flowers white or greenish, the pedicels 3-10 mm long, articulated below the middle, puberulous; sepals 4-5, scarcely united at the base, ovate, acute, unequal, ca 3-4 mm long, reflexed to erect-patent at anthesis, puberulous especially outside, persistent or slightly accrescent; stamens 9-15, slightly longer than the sepals, the filaments to 4.5 mm long, slightly unequal, glabrous, the anthers ellipsoid, ca 0.5-0.7 mm long, eglandular; staminodes intrastaminal, usually isomerous with the stamens, linear, ca 1.5-2 mm long, puberulous, especially towards the apex; gynoecium ca 3.5-4.2 mm long, the ovary subglobose, ca 1-1.5 mm in diam, sparsely to more or less densely hirsute, the style glabrous or nearly so, divided at the apex into 3 branches to 0.8 mm long, the stigmas 3, capitate. Capsule sub- globose, 3-angulate, apiculate, 5-10(-15) mm long, red or brownish outside when fresh, blackish outside and yellowish brown insidee when dry, sparsely appressed- pilose, thin-walled, splitting into 3 valves at maturity; seeds 1-2, subglobose, 4-5 mm long, the testa brown, whitish-pilose, the aril pale, incomplete, subentire, carnose.
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Habit
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Shrub or small tree
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Distribution
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Southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
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Specimen
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BOCAS DEL TORO: Almirante, just N of Dos Milla, hillside, McDaniel 5123 (MO). CANAL ZONE: Chagres, Isthmus of Panama, Fendler 185 (type C. myriantha, MO, US); headwaters Rio Arenal, Johnston 1501 (MO); Camp Pina, vic of Hill C-6, Ft. Sherman, Duke 4406 (MO); Mount Hope Cemetery, moist thicket, Standley 28834 (US); Gatun, Hayes 98 (NY), 606 (NY), 613 (NY); Barro Colorado I, Bangham, 443 (F), 587 (F, US), Shattuck 1151 (F, MO), Starry 289 (F); Gamboa, Stevens 1058 (US); Obispo, moist woods, Standley 31759 (US); Ft. Clayton nr old hospital building #519, Tyson & Blum, 3911 (MO); Cerro Galero, Rd K6, alt 1000 ft, Stern & Chambers 29 (F, MO, NY, US); s. loc.; Epplesheimer s.n. (F). CHIRIQUI: vic of David, alt 30-80 m, along streamlet, Pittier 2831 (US); vic of San Felix, alt 0-120 m, Pittier 5256 (F, NY, US). COLON: betw France Field, Canal Zone, & Catival, brushy slope, Standley 30322 (US); Loma de la Gloria, nr Fato (Nombre de Dios), in forests, alt 10-104 m, Pittier 3854 (F, NY, US). DARIEN: Rio Pirre, Duke & Bristan 8295 (MO); Camp Esloganti, helipad in premontane rain forest, alt 656 ft, Duke 15502 (MO). PANAMA: hills above Campana, alt 600-800 m, Allen & Alston 1863 (F, MO); Rio Tapia, moist forest, Standley 28259 (US); San Jose I, Andersson s.n. (MO, US), 1347 (MO, US). SAN BLAS: Ailigandi, Duke 9318 (MO), Dwyer 6837 (MO).
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Note
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Because of insufficient material, a few collections of Casearia remain unnamed: (1) Hayes 3 (MO, US) = 899 (NY) (Canal Zone: nr Gatun): tree 10 m high, the branchlets rusty-tomentose; leaves short-petiolate, the blade ovate to obovate, discolorous, shiny and glabrous above, rusty-pubescent below; capsule ? globose, apiculate, with 3 longitudinal, prominulous ridges, to 2.5 cm long, tawny-tomentel- lous; this collection can perhaps be referred to the West Indian species Casearia hirsuta Sw. (2) Woodsion et al. 987 (MO) (Chiriqui: vic of Casita Alto, Volcan de Chiriqui, alt ca 1500-2000 m); tree 6 m high; leaves like in C. arguta; capsule to 3 cm long, glabrous, the seeds conglutinate, to 12 mm long; this collection is related to C. arguta, but the capsule and seeds are unusually large. (3) Williams 646 (NY, US) (Darien: nr Marraganti): according to the field notes, this is a plant 5 m high, with the stem ca 6.5 cm in diam, with thorns 2.5 cm long; it is perhaps related to C. aculeata Jacquin, but the absence of stipules and flowers makes positive determination difficult.
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