Paullinia plagioptera
Content
Description
Woody vine 5-7 m long. Stems stiff, terete, tomentulose, becoming glabrous and lenticellate with age, not producing milky sap; cross section with a single vascular cylinder. Stipules subulate, ca. 2 mm long. Leaves pinnately 5-foliolate or less often trifoliolate; petiole margined, or less often unwinged, tomentulose, 2-5.5 cm long; rachis winged to marginate, tomentulose, ciliate, 0.8-3 cm long; leaflets chartaceous, adaxial surface glabrous except for the pubescent midvein, abaxial surface sparsely pilose, especially on secondary veins, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 2.5-10.5 × 1.5-4 cm, the base obtuse to rounded, unequal on lateral leaflets, acute or attenuate on distal leaflets, the apex acuminate, the margins sinuate-dentate or repando-dentate, with glandular teeth, ciliate; tertiary veins reticulate. Thyrses usually without tendrils, axillary and racemiform, 4.5-11 cm long, or distal and paniculate, > 10 cm long, with tomentulose axes; cincinni sessile, few-flowered. Calyx white, tomentulose, of 4 sepals, the outer sepals ovate, ca. 1.2 mm long, the inner sepals ca. 2.2 mm long; petals white, spatulate, ca. 3 mm long; appendages slightly shorter than the petals, with fleshy crest; disc tomentulose, of 2ovate lobes, ca. 0.5 mm long. Capsules 3-winged, reddish, with turbinate outline, appressed-pilose, ca. 15 mm long, the locule ellipsoid, tapering at base, the wings ascending or slightly divaricate on distal portion of locule, ca. 6 mm wide, projecting beyond the apex of the locule; endocarp glabrous. Seed (immature) glabrous, with a white sarcotesta on lower ½.