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(Last Modified On 6/17/2013)
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(Last Modified On 6/17/2013)
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Species
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Melanthera aspera (Jacq.) Small
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PlaceOfPublication
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Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 36: 164. 1909
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Synonym
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Calea aspera Jacq., Coll. 2: 290. 1788 (1789); Ic. P1. Rar. 3: 15, tab. 583. 1789. TYPE: not seen. Melananthera deltoidea Michx., Fl. Bor. Amer. 107. 1803. Based on Calea aspera. Melanthera urticaefolia Cass., Dict. Sci. Nat. 29: 484. 1823. Based on Melananthera deltoidea Michx. and Calea aspera Jacq. Amellus asper Kuntze, Rev. Gen. P1. 1: 305. 1891. Based on Calea aspera Jacq. Amellu asper var. glabriusculus Kuntze, Rev. Gen. P1. 1: 305. 1891. TYPE: Panama, Colon, ?Kuntze (NY, not seen). Melanthera brevifolia 0. E. Schulz in Urb., Symb. Antil. 7: 123. 1911. TYPE: Cuba, Ekman 15505 (NY). Melanthera hastata var. cubensis 0. E. Schulz in Urb., Symb. Antil. 7: 123. 1911. TYPE: Cuba, Wright 3600 (NY). Melanthera crenata 0. E. Schulz in Urb., Symb. Antil. 7: 123. 1911. TYPE: Bahamas, New Providence, Northrop & Northrop 58 (NY). Melanthera calcicola Britt. in Britt. & Wils., Sci. Surv. Puerto Rico 6: 309. 1925. TYPE: Britton et al. 6784 (NY). Melanthera confusa Britt. in Britt. & Wils., Sci. Surv. Puerto Rico 6: 309. 1925. TYPE: Tortola, Fishlock 440 (NY). Melanthera aspera (jacq.) Rendle in Fawcett & Rendle, Fl. Jamaica 7: 232. 1936, redundant comb. Melanthera aspera (P. Brown) D'Arcy, Phytologia 30: 6. 1975, superfluous comb.
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Description
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Erect or sprawling perennial herb to 80 (150) cm; stems drying sulcate, sparingly appressed-pubescent with verrucose hairs, lower nodes with a conspicuous interpetiolar ridge. Leaves opposite, ovate, 5-11 cm long, apically acumi- nate, basally obtuse, truncate or hastate-lobed, marginally serrate, 3-veined from the base, drying darker above, scabrous, the many-celled bases of the short hairs sometimes imparting a punctate appearance, drying green beneath, sparingly pubescent with reduced, more or less appressed simple hairs and with tufts in the axils of the secondary veins; petiole slender, 1-3 cm long. Inflorescence undiffer- entiated, 1-several terminal or subterminal heads on slender, sulcate, ascending, 0.5-5 cm long pedicels; one or more minute linear bracts sometimes present at or near the base. Heads discoid, globose, 8-12 mm across; involucral bracts in 2-3 imbricate, somewhat unequal, similar series, ovate, acute, indurate, apically green, basally ochraceous or stramineous, the venation obscured by numerous, appressed, ascending whitish hairs, 2-3 mm long; receptacle convex, white, 3-4 mm across; paleas indurate, thickening upward, apically obtuse with a short (less than 1 mm long) cusp, many nerved, enfolding the florets, the keel slightly excurrent; florets ca. 7 mm long, the corolla tubular, ca. 5 mm long, the 5 white lobes acute, long-papillose on the dorsal surface and on the margins, the tube short, not basally expanded, outside with minute ascending hairs, the stamens ca. 5 mm long, the appendages deltoid, infolded, the adjacent auricles connate, the style branches long acuminate, the style base not expanded, the ovary 3-4-angled, the nectary columnar, 0.5 mm tall, expanded in the basal half, the pappus caducous, of 2-several weak bristles and a ring of short hairs or scales, often in more than 1 series. Achene ca. 2 mm long, 3-4-angled slightly compressed, broadening upward, greyish or brownish, the pericarp thin, whitish or yellowish, the endocarp black, striate, stony; carpopodium yellow, the apex truncate, some- times recessed; pappus mostly wanting.
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Habit
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herb
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Distribution
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Melanthera aspera is a frequent weed of roadsides, fields, and shores of lowland Panama.
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Note
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It is recognizable by its whitish globose heads and plump apically truncate achenes.
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Distribution
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This species ranges from Florida to Panama and Venezuela.
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Note
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Plants of seacoasts may have fewer, more appressed trichomes and slightly longer palea apices and were recognized by Parks (1968) as var. glabriuscula. This distinction is not evident in Panamanian plants.
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Specimen
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BOCAS DEL TORO: Santa Catalina, Blackwell et al. 2714 (MO). Almirante, Blum 1319 (MO). Bocas del Toro, Carleton 154 (US). Changuinola Valley, Dunlap 336 (GH). Chiriquicito to 5I mi S along Rio Guarumo, Lewis et al. 2088 (MO). Lower Changuinola, Stork 135 (MO). Without definite locality, Wedel 271 (GH, MO). Isla Colon, Wedel 538 (MO). Water Valley, Wedel 751 (MO), 931 (MO, US). Near Chiriqui Lagoon, Wedel 1339 (MO), 1797 (MO, US). Old Bank Island, Wedel 1962 (MO). Changuinola River, Wedel 2602 (MO, US). Near Nievecita, Woodson et al. 1818 (MO, NY, US). CANAL ZONE: Matachin, Cowell 191 (NY). Colon to Empire, Crawford 402 (NY). 21/2 mi N of Gamboa gate, Croat 9343 (MO, NY). Railroad near Pedro Miguel, Croat 7148 (MO). Hill S of Pedro Miguel locks, Croat 9177 (MO). 1 mi N of Summit Garden, Croat 12866 (MO). Road C21 3 mi from Gaillard Hwy., Croat 13003 (MO). Fort Sherman, Duke 4335 (MO). Madden Dam, Dwyer 3040 (NY). Chagres, Fendler 164 (NY). Outskirts of Ancon, Greenman & Greenman 5045 (GH, MO). Between Gamboa and Darien, Heriberto 33 (US). Chagres River, ca. 3 mi above Gamboa Bridge, Kennedy et al. 2289 (MO). Between Frijoles and Monte Lirio, Killip 12115 (GH, US). Fort Sherman, Lazor & Blum 5388 (MO). Between Rodman Marine Base and Chorrera, Nowicke et al. 3607 (MO). Corozal, Piper 5296 (GH, US). Empire to Mandinga, Piper 5570 (GH, US). Rio Grande near Culebra. Pittier 2101 (NY, US). Balboa, Standley 25556, 32135 (both GH, US). Near Summit, Standley 25778 (US). Corozal road near Panama, Standley 26790 (US). Near Gatuin, Standley 27220 (US). Frijoles, Standley 27650 (US). Near Fort Randolph, Standley 28749 (US). Between Fort Clayton & Corozal, Standley 29008 (US). Obispo, Standley 31211 (US). Summit, Standley 26920 (US). Fort Sherman, Tyson 2263 (MO). Curundu, Tyson & Blum 2527 (MO). 6 mi N of Gamboa, Tyson 3499 (MO). Fort San Lorenzo, Tyson & Blum 3672 (MO). BARRO COLORADO ISLAND: Croat 12945 (MO); Shattuck 537 (MO); Wetmore & Abbe 37 (GH, MO); Woodworth & Vestal 395 (GH, MO). CHIRIQUI: San Bartolo Limite, Busey 538 (MO). Bajo Mono, Boquete District, Davidson 499 (GH, MO). From Boquete to 3 mi N, Lewis et al. 636 (MO, US). Near Boquete, Maurice 701 (US). Near San Felix, Pittier 5153 (GH). Rio Caldera beyond Bajo Mono, 1700 m, Wilbur et al. 11054 (MO). COCLE: Near El Valle de Anton, Croat 13279 (MO). Ridge S of El Valle, Gentry 6802 (MO). El Valle de Anton, Lewis et al. 2524 (MO). Boca del Toabre at Rio Cocle del Norte, Lewis et al. 5504 (MO). Cerro Pilon above El Valle de Anton, 2000 ft, Porter et al. 4641 (MO). Bismark above Penonome, Williams 281 (NY, US). COLON: Miguel de la Borda, Croat 10049 (MO). Near Portobelo, D'Arcy & D'Arcy 6689 (MO). Maria Chiquita E of Rio Piedras, Dwyer & Kirkbride 7791 (MO, NY). Portobelo, Ebinger 128, 448 (both MO). Near Salamanca, Gentry 6715 (MO) . Manzanillo Island, Hayes 4 (US), 687 (NY). Aspinwall, Hayes 845 (NY). Mouth of Rio Piedras, Lewis et al. 3183 (MO). Porvenir, Montgomery 207 (MO). Without definite locality, Tyson et al. 4528 (MO). DARIEN: Rio Balsa, Duke 8721 (MO). Rio Pifias, Duke 10553 (MO). Around Puerto Obaldia, Pittier 4403 (US). LOS SANTOS: 5 mi S of Pocri, Croat 9734 (MO). Punta Mala, Tyson 2721 (MO). PANAMA: Taboga Island, Allen 138 (MO). Las Sabanas, Celestine 113 (US). Cerro Azul, Dwyer 2179 (MO). San Jose Island, Johnston 1103, 1203 (both US). Taboga Island, Killip 3203 (NY), 3206 (US). Chimaln, Lewis et al. 3288 (MO). Las Sabanas, Macbride 2643 (US); Paul 191 (US). Matias HernaIndes, Pittier 2899 (US). Old Panama, Porterfield 1933 (NY). Rio Tapia, Standley 28064 (US). Cerro Azul, Tyson 6322 (MO). SAN BLAS: Near Puerto Obaldia, Croat 16869 (MO). Airport at Irandi, Duke 6516 (GH, MO). Puerto Obaldia, Gentry 1572 (MO). Soskatupu, Kirkbride 204 (MO, NY). VERAGUAS: 5 mi W of Santa Fe, Croat 23036 (MO).
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