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(Last Modified On 5/13/2013)
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(Last Modified On 5/13/2013)
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Species
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Vitex flavens H.B.K.
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PlaceOfPublication
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Nov. Gen. Sp. P1., ed. folio. 2: 199. 1817.
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Synonym
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Vitex rusbyi Moldenke, Phytologia 1: 103. 1934.
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Description
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Shrub or tree to 20 m tall; branchlets stout, obtusely tetragonal, gray or brownish, flavescent-tomentose when young, becoming merely brown-puberulent or even glabrescent, not noticeably lenticellate, the twigs densely short-pubescent with flavescent or fulvous hairs. Leaves 5-foliolate, very immature at time of anthesis; membranous, the central leaflets oblong or lanceolate-oblong to narrow- This content downloaded from 192.104.39.2 on Thu, 9 May 2013 15:26:14 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions136 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN [VOL. 60 elliptic, 4-10 cm long and 1.5-3.7 cm wide, apically acute or short-acuminate, rarely obtuse, basally acute, entire, dark-green above, brunnescent or nigrescent in drying, flavescent or fulvous beneath, lightly appressed-pubescent throughout above, densely and softly velutinous-tomentellous beneath with flavescent or fulvous hairs, the lateral leaflets similar but often smaller and less acuminate; petioles 2-12 cm long, densely short-pubescent with flavescent or fulvous hairs; leaflets subequal or the lowermost pair somewhat smaller than the central leaflets, sessile or subsessile when immature but the petiolules becoming 2-12 mm long, densely flavescent or fulvous, short-pubescent or velutinous-tomentellous. In- florescences axillary, cymose, 3-8 cm long and 1.5-4.5 cm wide, usually half as long as the subtending petiole, often corymbiform, 1-4 times dichotomous, usually densely many-flowered, canescent- or flavescent-puberulent or short pubescent throughout; peduncles 0.7-4.5 cm long, flattened; pedicels obsolete on lateral flowers or to 6 mm long on central flowers; bractlets oblong or spatulate to linear, sessile, 3-6 mm long; prophylls linear or setaceous, ca. 1 mm long. Flowers with the calyx campanulate, 2-3.5 mm long and wide, densely appressed-pubescent with short, flavescent, antrorse hairs, deeply 5-dentate, the teeth ovate-triangular, acute or blunt, often recurved or reflexed, brunnescent on the inner surface; corolla purple or lilac to blue, lavender-blue, or blue-violet, hypocrateriform the tube ca. 5 mm long, densely short-pubescent outside, the limb with 4 small lobes, 2-3 mm long, obtuse, the lower lip greatly enlarged, lingulate, 6-7 mm long, crisped along the rounded margins. Fruits fleshy drupes ca. 5 mm long and wide; fruiting-calyx cupuliform, ca. 4 mm long and 5 mm wide, triangular-toothed.
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Habit
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Shrub or tree
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Distribution
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Apparently widespread from Colombia to Ecuador, Peru, and Amazonian Brazil; on hilly land, light forests, especially rocky hills, bluffs, gorges, damp ground in quebradas, and streamsides.
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Note
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In Ecuador the wood is considered excellent for building houses.
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Common
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Taruman taruman tuira
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Common
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acietuno pechiche
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Common
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taruma mameira
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Common
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taruma grande do campo
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Note
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I have seen no Panama material, but there is a collection, Barclay s.n. (K) labeled "Central America." The Pavon specimens labeled "Nueva Espana" are probably from Peru.
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Tag
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Project Name
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Tag
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