Tachia

Content

Description

Shrubs, small trees, to perennial herbs. Leaves petiolate to subsessile, 6.5-35 cm long; 3-11-veined. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary or 2 together from small cushion; bracts and bracteoles absent. Flowers sessile, 5-merous, actinomorphic to zygomorphic; calyx fused at base for 1/2-9/10 of length, coriaceous, campanulate or tubular, lobes ovate, triangular or elliptic, dorsally thickened, sometimes with dorsal keel, apex obtuse, acute, or acuminate; corolla fused into corolla tube, membranacous, salver-shaped or funnel-shaped, 14-95 mm long; corolla bud apex tapering; androecium zygomorphic with stamens and style bent towards bottom of corolla mouth; stamens inserted in corolla tube close to base, of unequal length, base of filaments without appendages, anthers oblong, connective apex with small sterile tip; pollen in monads; pistil with nectary disk around base, stigma bilamellate. Fruit a woody capsule, with late-deciduous calyx and deciduous corolla; seeds globose to angular, testa papillate.

Distribution

Guianas present, Neotropics present

13 species in the Neotropics; 4 (5?) in the Guianas.

Citation

Aubl. 1775 – In: Hist. Pl. Guiane: tab. 29

Etymology

The name Tachia is derived from the Galibi Indian name for ants' nest "tachi". Ants live in the hollow stems and branches (Aublet 1775).

Notes

Tachia smithii was found at the Guyanan-Brazilian border, and althought some uncertainty whether this is a good species, the taxon was included in this treatment (see also note under the species description).
The type specimen of Tachia gracilis Benth., Ro. Schomburgk add. ser. 145.S, has been reported to be from Serra Mey, Guyana. However, Maguire & Weaver (1975, p. 123) noted that the locality of this specimen (Serra Mey) is probably in Brazil, as suggested by its Portuguese name, in either the Rio Araricuara, Alto Rio Orinoco, or Rio Negro area, not in Guyana as stated on the label. A more recent study has disclosed that this locality is in Venezuela, the Sierra Mai region (4° N, 65° W) where it was collected by R.H. Schomburgk in January 1839 (Schomburgk 1841; van Dam 2002, p.30). This also fits with the additional collections of this species that are all from southern Venezuela or adjacent Brazilian areas. This being the case, T. gracilis most probably does not grow in the Guianas, and is not treated here.