Cladocolea micrantha
Content
Description
Plants with several slender epicortical roots from base; young stem and inflorescence brown, furfuraceous; internodes terete, to 9 cm long. Leaves irregularly paired; petiole 0.2-0.5 cm long; blade extremely variable, lanceolate, elliptic, or ovate, to 8 x 3.5 cm, apex rounded to deeply emarginate, usually minutely apiculate, base obtuse to cuneate; venation ranging from pinnate with a distinct midvein reaching into apex to 3-veined in more emarginate leaves. Dioecious, male plants apparently infrequent. Inflorescence determinate, 0.5-3 cm long, apical flower followed by one or more pairs of bracteolate or ebracteolate, sessile monads, below which sometimes one or more pairs of sessile triads; peduncle 0.1 cm, often elongating in fruit; secondary inflorescences frequent in a superposed position; vigorous plants also with whip-like terminal, compound inflorescence to 15 (-20) cm long, where lateral inflorescences subtended by caducous, fleshy, awl-shaped scale leaves of 0.2-0.3 cm long. Male and female flowers similar, 3- or 4-merous, < 0.2 cm long; petals and stamens slightly dimorphic, organs of opposite sex small, anthers sessile, 2-loculate; style straight, stigma poorly differentiated. Fruit ellipsoid or ovoid, 0.5 x 0.3 cm, light orange to red with dark tip.
Distribution
Bolivar present, Guianas present present, Southern America: Venezuela (Venezuela present), northern Brazil present
Venezuela (Bolívar) through the Guianas and into northern Brazil; 30+ collections studied, 16 from the Guianas (GU: 14; SU: 1; FG: 1).
Notes
Plants with larger, strictly pinnately veined leaves are very similar to Phthirusa guyanensis , which has indeterminate inflorescences occasionally elongating to 6 cm, the bracts and bracteoles forming a more united, densely furfuraceous cupule, and on which members of triad pairs tend to become widely separated from each other.
Cladocolea elliptica is believed to fall within the considerable range of variability of C. micrantha ; its stated indeterminate inflorescences need to be confirmed. There is a form of the species with extremely narrow, lanceolate leaves with acute leaf base.