Phoradendron mucronatum
Content
Description
Densely leafy plants; young internodes quadrangular, mostly 2-5 cm long; basal cataphylls 1 pairca. 0.2 cm above axil, inconspicuous. Petiole 0.2-0.3 cm long; blade mostly elliptical to obovate, to 3 x 1.5 cm, with rounded to mucronate or emarginate apex, base acute, tapering into indistinct petiole; venation of 3 conspicuous palmate veins. Monoecious. Inflorescence solitary or clustered at older nodes, ca. 2 cm at anthesis, elongation to 4.5 cm or less; peduncle simple, 0.1-0.2 cm long, fertile internodes (2)3-6(7); flowers 3 per fertile bract, in 3 series, apical one male, 2lateral ones female. Fruit ovoid, 0.4 x 0.3 cm, with smooth or warty upper surface, perianth segments erect.
Distribution
Amazonian Bolivia present, Northern America: Mexico Northeast (Querétaro present, San Luis Potosí present); Mexico Southeast (Yucatán present), Southern America: Panamá (Panamá present); Paraguay (Paraguay present), northern S America present
Mexico (Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Yucatan), Panama, Caribbean, northern S America, to amazonian Bolivia and Paraguay; 300+ collections studied (GU: 5).
Notes
An extremely variable species with, consequently, a very complex synonymy (Kuijt 2003: 305-306). Many, but by no means all, of the continental plants have much longer inflorescences than the Caribbean material, and the warty fruit surface seems less pronounced, although herbarium material provides weak information on this point.