(Last Modified On 10/15/2013)
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(Last Modified On 10/15/2013)
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Genus
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MALPIGHIA L.
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Contributor
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Jose Vivaldi
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PlaceOfPublication
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Sp. P1. 425. 1753.
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Note
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TYPE: M. glabra L.
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Description
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Erect, spreading shrubs or small trees 1-6(-10) m tall, soboliferous and prop- agating by underground stems or root suckers, or with one main trunk branching at some distance from the base, rarely prostrate or a woody vine; bark rough, longitudinally striated and fissured; young branches, petioles and leaves green, young branches sometimes reddish to violet, glabrous or strigillose with straight or slightly undulate, soft, transparent or golden-translucent, small, sessile, spe- cialized "malpighiaceous" hairs 0.5-1(-1.5) mm long, the arms equal, free, be- coming glabrous with age. Leaves opposite, glabrous, internodes mostly at least /2 the length of the blade, membranaceous to subcoriaceous, flat, entire, variously obovate to elliptic to lanceolate, retuse to cuspidate at apex, rounded to cuneate at base, (1-)2-7(-20) cm long, 0.7-6(-10) cm wide, dark shiny green above, pale green beneath, 2 scutelloid glands present below on either side of the midvein on the lower third of the blade; stipules interpetiolar, eglandular, mostly free linear- lanceolate to subulate, green or reddish, glabrous or strigillose, 0.5-3(-4) mm long; petioles slender or robust, eglandular, (1-)1.5-4(-5) mm long. Inflorescence axillary, erect, eglandular, glabrous or strigillose, green or reddish, 1-30(-50)- flowered, sessile or pedunculate, or umbel-like or raceme-like contracted panicle 1.5-6 cm long, a common peduncle present or not, to 2(-5) cm long, mostly entire; flowering peduncles always present (looking as part of pedicel) 2-6(-8) mm long, 1-bracteolate at the base, the bract ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acute or rarely obtuse, strigillose, 0.5-2.5(-3.5) mm long, bi-bracteolate at the apex, brac- teoles ovate to ovate-oblong, acute or obtuse at apex, strigillose, 0.5-1.5(-2) mm long, pedicels (5-)7-11(-15) mm long. FloWers (Fig. 9F) pink, zygomorphic, 1- 1.5(-2) cm diam., buds subglobose, pink, 3-5(-6) mm diam., keeled or unkeeled; sepals 5, free, green, ovate to lanceolate-oblong, acute or obtuse at apex, glabrous or strigillose, (2-)2.5-3.5(-4) mm long, calyx 6-10-glandular, anterior sepal some- times eglandular, antico-lateral sepals 1-2-glandular, postico-lateral sepals 2-glan- dular, glands oblong, sometimes recurved at the apex, (0.5-)1.5-2.5(-4) mm long, sometimes the anterior 4 smaller than the others; petals 5, free, glabrous, clawed, the posterior petal longer, larger and more robust than the others, (6-)6.5-9.5(- 12) mm long, the claw thick, robust, (2-)3-4(-5.5) mm long, limb suborbicular,
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Habit
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shrubs or small trees
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Description
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lacerate-dentate all around, undulated or plaited, (2.5-)3-7(-9) mm diam., the lateral petals smaller than the posterior petal, 5-9 mm long, the claw obviously thinner, (1.5-)2-3 mm long, the limb suborbicular to ovate-deltoid, lacerate-den- tate all around or at least on the lower third, revolute or involute, not plicate or undulate, (2-)3-7(-8) mm diam., anterior petals usually smaller than the lateral petals, (4-)4.5-6.5(-8.5) mm long, the claw thin, (1-)1.5-3(-3.5) mm long, the limb ovate-deltoid to suborbicular, entire or sometimes lacerate-dentate at the base, revolute or involute, never plicate or undulate, (1.5-)2-5(-7) mm diam.; filaments 10, glabrous, 2-4 mm long, united at the base to form a short tube (0.5-)1(-1.5) mm long, all filiform and straight except sometimes those opposite the lateral petals, those opposite the sepals 0.5-1.0 mm longer than those opposite the anterior and posterior petals, anthers suborbicular to ovate, 0.5-1.5 mm long, pollination gap (distance between anthers and stigmas) 0-1 mm, the connective yellow, verrucose, suborbicular to ovate; styles 3, (straight, equal in thickness and length, diverging at acute angles from each other or the lateral styles thicker and longer than the anterior, straight or curved inwards) glabrous, free, (1.5-)2- 4.5 mm long, obtuse, truncate or uncinate at apex, never subulate, the stigmatic surface on the inner angle of the apex, the ovary superior, glabrous, 3-locular, syncarpous subglobose, lobed or unlobed, 1.5-2 mm diam., ovules 1 per locule, pendulous, receptacle flat or nearly so; fruit 3-seeded, red, glabrous, the fleshy drupe up to 3 cm diam., pyramidato-globose or subglobose and flattened at poles, pyrenes ovoid, united, (oblong and separating at maturity in M. albiflora) to 1.8 cm long, winged dorsally and laterally, intermediate wings present or the surface pitted, tuberculate or rarely smooth; seeds with embryo curved, cotyledons fold- ed at apex, endosperm none.
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Note
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Malpighia is a neotropical genus with about 40 species.
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Distribution
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Mostly Caribbean, it attains its highest diversity in Jamaica, Cuba, and Hispaniola.
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Key
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a. Stipules united, 2-3(-4) mm long; inflorescence (4-)10-30(-50)-flowered, raceme-like, the common peduncle robust, (1-)1.5-2.5(-4) cm long, articulated and bibracteolate near the middle; buds keeled ...... 4. M. romeroana aa. Stipules free, 0.5-1.5(-2) mm long; inflorescence (1-)2-6(-8)-flowered, usually umbel-like, the common peduncle slender, 0-1.2(-2.5) cm long, entire, ebracteolate; buds unkeeled. b. Leaves appearing somewhat crinkled or puckered upon drying; carpels free from each other for most of their length; pyrenes (1.2-)1.5-1.8 cm long, oblong, smooth with an intermediate wing ...... 1. M. albiflora bb. Leaves smooth; carpels united; pyrenes 0.7-1.5 cm long, ovoid, tuberculate, without an intermediate wing. c. Leaves ovate-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate to ovate, acuminate or acute at apex, evenly distributed along the twigs; common peduncle (2-)5-12(-25) mm long; calycine glands 6(-10); gynoecium and androecium actinomorphic; fruit smooth; wild trees ...... 3. M. glabra cc. Leaves variously obovate or oblanceolate, usually obtuse and emarginate at apex, usually crowded in short shoots; common peduncle short or none, 0-5(-13) mm long; calycine glands 7-10, gynoecium and androecium zygomor- phic; fruit lobed; cultivated trees ...... 2. M. emarginata
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