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(Last Modified On 9/11/2013)
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(Last Modified On 9/11/2013)
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Species
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Morinda citrifolia L.
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PlaceOfPublication
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Sp. P1. 176. 1753.
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Note
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TYPE: Herb. Linn. (LINN. 236.1, not seen; microfiche MO).
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Description
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Trees or shrubs to 25 ft tall, the branchlets 4-angled, glabrous, the nodes well spaced. Leaves oblong, 14-30 cm long, 12-18 cm wide, obtuse to acute at the apex, widely cuneate at the base, often slightly inequilateral, the costa grooved and subimmersed above, prominulous but appearing subplane beneath, to 0.3 cm wide proximally, the lateral veins ca. 8, prominulous, arcuate, the median veins to 5 cm apart, chartaceous to papyraceous, concolorous, glabrous or punctate above, glabrous beneath except the barbate vein axils; petioles to 2 cm long; glabrate, slightly alate adaxially; stipules oblong or oblong rotund, 10-20 mm long, 10-20 mm wide at the base, scarious, glabrous, appressed. Inflorescences axillary, glabrous, drying black, the peduncles 1-4, stout, to 3 cm long, the floral masses rotund to oblong, to 2 cm in diam. Flowers sessile, the hypanthium hidden in the floral mass, the calycine cup short, truncate, the margins scarious, the lobes evanescent, glabrous; corolla white, the tube cylindrical, ca. 6 mm long, carnose, glabrous outside, villose inside near the mouth, the lobes 5, narrowly oblong, to 9 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, obtuse, carnose, glabrous; stamens 5, long exserted at anthesis, the anthers subversatile, linear oblong, to 5.5 mm long, twisted and crescentic on shedding pollen, the filaments slightly unequal in length, inserted at the corolla mouth; stigmas 2, spread at anthesis, plumose in appear- ance, narrowly oblong, to 5.2 mm long, 0.8 mm wide, the margin erose. Fruits fleshy, succulent, as large as a man's hand, drying black.
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Habit
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Trees or shrubs
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Distribution
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India, Malaya, and tropical Australia; it has become naturalized in the West Indies and occurs sporadically in Central Amer- ica.
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Note
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The large succulent white fruit bears a resemblance to large edible fruits of Annona. The collection Dwyer & Lallathin 8794 has the following notes: "Flowers with yellow-green corolla tube, the lobes spreading to slightly reflexed, the lobes brown on the upper surface; fruits at maturity china white with distinct golden green 'eyes' (ovarian discs and calycine cups), to 0.8 cm in diam.; stipules green, to 2 cm wide; flowers to 1.5 cm long." Duke & Bristan 333 notes that M. citrifolia is used medicinally by the Cuna of Darien.
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Specimen
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BOCAS DEL TORO: Isla Col6n, Chiriqui Lagoon, Wedel 2942 (F, G). CANAL ZONE: Boyd Roosevelt Highway, 5 mi W of Sabanita, Croat 14074 (MO). Between Gatun and Fort Sherman, Croat 15403 (MO). Summit Garden, Croat 16645 (MO). Coco Solo, Dwyer & Duke 7906 (COL, MO, UC, VEN). Fort Clayton, Dwyer & Lallathin 8794 (MO). Mouth of Rio Chagres, Johnston 1771 (MO). Summit Garden, Nee 7046 (MO). Fort San Lorenzo, Porter et al. 5016 (MO). COLON: Portobelo, Croat 14127 (MO). Maria Chiquita, Dwyer 5018 (MO). Salid, Holdridge 6507 (MO). Quebrada Santa Marta, coast road 4?2 km SW of Pifia, Nee 11701 (MO). SAN BLAS: Ailigandi River, Duke & Bristan 333 (MO).
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