Tetrapterys tinifolia Triana & Planch., Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot., sér. 4, 18: 336. 1862.

Lianas, woody vines or bejucos or rarely reported as tree to 7 m; young branchlets sparsely to abundantly appressed sericeous but without dense layers, rapidly glabrescent, the trichomes primarily sessile but few with longest stalks ca. 0.025 (0.05) mm, not noticeably persisting after trabeculae lost, longest trabeculae 0.2—0.5 mm, straight. Larger leaves 11—18 × 5—8 cm, elliptic or oblanceolate, chartaceous, lateral veins not at all to slightly raised on abaxial surface evaluated by touch, adaxial surface glabrous or rapidly glabrescent, abaxial surface glabrous or rapidly glabrescent or sparsely sericeous on surface or at base along midrib, trichomes all sessile, the longest trabeculae 0.2—0.6 mm, straight, larger abaxial glands in basal 1/10th of blade closer to margin than midrib with additional smaller glands per side of midrib 2—5 in a row near midrib to ½ way between midrib and margin in Costa Rica or in Panama near margin 2—17 in row or random, the base rounded, cuneate, or obtuse, the margin without glands, the apex acute or acuminate; stipules connate, together 0.5—3.5 × 0.5—1.25 mm, drying brown, flat, appressed to stem then slightly curving away at apex, caducous or eventually deciduous; petiole at non-branching and non-inflorescence bearing nodes 0.7—1.5 cm × 1—2 mm, abundantly appressed sericeous to glabrous. Inflorescence leaves as wide as long or longer, abaxially abundantly appressed sericeous with the trichomes not totally covering surface, inflorescence branch, peduncle and pedicel indumentum usually stramineous, inflorescence branches abundantly to densely, sometimes patchy, appressed sericeous; bracts 1.25—2 mm; peduncles 3.5—5 mm, densely appressed sericeous, trichome trabeculae more or less straight at least some persisting into fruiting; bracteoles 1—1.5 × 0.75—1 mm, positioned at apex of peduncle, erect or slightly spreading apically; pedicels 5—6 mm, densely tightly appressed sericeous, trabeculae more or less straight at least some persisting into fruiting or all lost. Flowers with sepals abaxial surface densely and partially persistently sericeous above glands for 3/4 to full length, irregularly ciliate; lateral petals with limbs 4.5—7 mm; stamen filaments abaxially glabrous above base, anthers with connectives adaxially glabrous; style apices dorsally rounded. Samara wings sericeous above base, two upper lateral wings 4—6.5 × 1—2 cm, the length 3—5.5 × the width, apex rounded, two lower lateral wings 0.9—2 × 0.5—0.9 cm, the upper wings 3—4.4 × as long as the lower, the lateral wings free, the upper appearing to attach to the nut adaxial or ca. 1 mm distal to the lower, the dorsal wing widest near midpoint on the dorsal side of nut, 3.5—10 mm wide on dorsal side, 0.75—2 mm wide on ventral side, attached dorsally at base of nut, wavy, projections between dorsal wing and lateral wings absent or one, ca. 15 mm; nut 6--8 × 6 mm, ca. 5 mm thick, densely appressed tomentose over tomentose-scurfy or tomentose-scurfy only, the trichomes of upper layer with longest stalks 0.05 mm and longest trabeculae ca. 0.3 mm, straight, sinuous and tortuous.

Expected in Nicaragua. Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia. The name Tetrapterys tinifolia was used in a broader sense in the printed version of the Flora. It is applied here with lack of confidence for a handful of specimens from, northeastern Costa Rica and eastern Panama with leaf glands on abaxial surface of leaves, flowering pedicels appressed sericeous on all sides, sepals pubescent for most of their length, and samaras with upper lateral wings much larger than lower, characteristics also found in T. tinifolia as known from Colombia. The specimens from Panama and Costa Rica differ markedly from each other in the distribution of the abaxial leaf glands.