Rochefortia cubensis Britton & P.Wilson

Irimia, Ramona-Elena & Gottschling, Marc, 2016, Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales), Biodiversity Data Journal 4, pp. 7720-7720 : 7720

Rochefortia cubensis Britton & P.Wilson

Rochefortia cubensis Rochefortia cubensis Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 16: 96. 1920 León 7228NY-111153

Rochefortia cubensis Rochefortia oblanceata Revista Jard. Bot. Nac. Univ. Habana 3: 105. 1982J. Bisse & H. Lippold [Flora Cuba] 18273JE-5984

Description

Shrubs 1.0-3.0 m tall or small trees up to 6.0 m tall, prickly, branches arching, short shoot galls occasionally present, 0.8-1.0 cm long; indument glabrescent, immature branches finely pubescent, trichomes simple; bark greyish white through grey brown, with longitudinal crevices; thorns 0.3-0.5 cm long, slender, acuminate, dichotomously branched, numerous, axillary, glabrescent. Leaves fasciculate, dark green; petiole nearly sessile or up to 0.2 cm long, glabrescent; blade 0.4-0.9 cm long, 0.3-0.5 cm wide, elliptic, sometimes obovate, coriaceous, primary veins pinnate, secondary veins 5-9, tertiary veins reticulate; base cuneate, rarely round; apex rounded, occasionally emarginated; adaxial surface with distinct cystoliths in epidermal cells, glabrous or sometimes covered with grey, simple, long trichomes (visible by naked eye) emerging from a cystolith-like structure, abaxial surface mostly glabrous, sometimes with scattered trichomes distally and on midrib. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, flowers usually in clusters of 2 or solitary, pedicel 0.02-0.2 cm long. Calyx 0.35-0.40 cm long, 0.30-0.40 cm wide, coriaceous, glabrous or with few scattered trichomes outside, sometimes hirsute, glabrous inside, strigose at tips, lobes 0.30-0.35 cm long, 0.40-0.45 cm wide, divided at the base, ovate to widely ovate, apex slightly acute. Corolla 0.35-0.40 cm long, pale yellow, membranaceous, glabrous on both surfaces, tube 0.20-0.25 cm long, funnel-shaped, lobes 0.30-0.35 cm long, ovate, slightly ciliate at tips. Male flower unknown; anthers of female flower 0.05-0.07 cm long, oblong, filaments 0.07-0.10 cm long, adnate to corolla tube for further 0.05-0.08 cm, pollen absent. Ovary of female flower globose, 0.25-0.32 cm long, stylodia 2, 0.25-0.35 cm long, filiform, glabrous, ovules present, stigmas cotyliform. Fruit 0.20-0.40 cm tall, 0.30-0.50 cm wide, globose; style accrescent, occasionally persistent, pyrene 0.30-0.40 cm tall, 0.23-0.33 cm wide, 0.13-0.20 cm deep, adaxial surface cutate.

Distribution

Cuba and Jamaica (symbol "+" in Fig. 3), on limestone soils and serpentine, in coastal tickets and dry forests at relatively low altitudes (0-600 m). Plants with similarly restricted distributions are otherwise rare ( Borhidi 1991 lists 10 taxa at the generic level, each with only a few species).

Ecology

Flowering Mar, Jun–Jul; fruiting Mar, Jul–Sep, Dec–Jan.

Taxon discussion

Rochefortia cubensis is a widely distributed and frequently encountered species in Cuba and Jamaica. It is morphologically similar to, but with respect to molecular sequence data distinct from, R. acanthophora occurring on eastward Caribbean islands ( Irimia et al. 2015). In Cuba, leaves are distinctly smaller in R. cubensis than in R. acanthophora , but individuals from Jamaica (e.g., Howard & Proctor 15091: A!, March 462: P!) have leaf sizes in the range of R. acanthophora and are therefore hard to distinguish based on morphology. In Cuba, R. cubensis occurs sympatrically with three other species, namely R. bahamensis (Pinar del Río) and R. oblongata and R. stellata (eastern Cuba). They can be easily distinguished from R. cubensis either because of bigger leaf size ( R. bahamensis , R. oblongata ) or the presence of multi-branched trichomes ( R. stellata ). In Jamaica, R. cubensis is sympatric with R. cuneata only, from which it differs in leaf size and texture (coriaceous versus membranaceous) and inflorescence (sessile versus longly pedicellate).

With respect to leaf size and shape, Klotz (1982) payed too much attention to interspecific variation within a possible complex of species. He expressed his concept by the description of R. oblanceata G.Klotz, geographically restricted to Pinar del Río and distinguished from R. cubensis by smaller leaves and narrower shapes. Another population with leaves in this range is found in eastern Cuba ( Guantánamo) that Klotz considered likewise a distinct species to be described using the epithet <urbaniana>. Having investigated the species over its full distribution, we think that such leaf morphologies are in the intraspecific range of R. cubensis without clear correlations to biogeography. Future population genetics studies are necessary to evaluate the specific status of multiple populations of R. cubensis and possible morphological correlations.

Rochefortia cubensis is distinctive in the smallest leaves found among species of Rochefortia and has populations on very poor and serpentine substrates, resulting in radically stunted individuals. Such traits resemble Bourreria microphylla Griseb. (likewise Ehretiaceae ), and such species are elements of microphyllous plant communities of montane xeromorphic woodland exhibiting large portions of endemics ( Borhidi 1991). Many individuals of R. cubensis have branched thorns that is otherwise shared with R. oblongata and R. stellata only. Some individuals (e.g., Ekman 17216: K!, León 14843: GH!, Bisse & Köhler [Flora Cuba] 7663: JE!) exhibit short shoots induced by insects (i.e., galls: Fig. 1B). The phenomenon is shared with R. oblongata (Fig. 1A) only. Some individuals of R. cubensis (e.g., León 11921: GH!, Clemente 3003: GH!) appear as substrate for plants assigned to Tillandsia sp. ( Bromeliaceae ).

Notes

Representative specimens examined. - CUBA. Camagüey: Santayana, in palms barren on serpentine, 21°23'N, 77°55'W [retroactively inferred], 3 Jun 1924 (♀ fl), Ekman 19029 (G!); Guantánamo: Jauco, S Baracoa, coastal tickets, 20°44'N, 74°20'W [retroactively inferred], Jul 1924 (fl), León 11921 (GH!); Havana: Mayabeque: Jibacoa, coastal thickets, 23°14'N, 81°85'W [retroactively inferred], 30 Mar 1929 (sterile), León 13858 (GH!); Holguín: Santa Ana in Monte Yoro, Farallons, 22°55'N, 81°35'W [retroactively inferred], 1 May 1860 (fr), Wright 3126 (G! GH! GOET, NY! P! YU!); Matanzas: second terrace towards mouth of Matanzas Bay, 23°24'N, 81°34'W [retroactively inferred], 18 Mar 1923 (♀ fl, fr), Ekman 17216 (K!); Santiago de Cuba: Baracoa: Imías, in valley of Río Tacre, 16 Sep 1975 (fr), Álvarez de Zayas et al [Flora Cuba] 27508 (JE!). - JAMAICA. St. Catherine: Healthshire Hills, Near Salt ponds, 17°53'N, 76°56'W [retroactively inferred], 31 Aug 1908 (fl), Harris & Britton 10515 (F! GH! K! US!); Great Goat Island, E side, 17°52'N, 77°25'W [retroactively inferred], 18 Jul 1906 (fr), Harris 9332 (US!); St. Thomas: Albion Mountain, elev 200 ft, 17°53'N, 76°35'W [retroactively inferred], 10 Nov 1913 (sterile), Harris 11684 (BM!); St. Ann: along the Queen's Highway, 2 miles E of Rio Bueno (Kaiser Nature Preserve area), elev 10-50 ft, 18°28'N, 77°26'W [retroactively inferred], 20 Jan 1958 (fr), Howard & Proctor 15091 (A!); Portland Bight: Pigeon Island, 10 miles of Old Harbour Bay, 17°47'N, 77°42'W [retroactively inferred], Apr 1920 (sterile), Maxon & Killip 1720 (F! GH! GH! US!).

Common names

“bronce”, “carbonero”, "espuela de caballero" (Span. knight’s spur), sargento ( Castell Puchades et al. 2013) in Cuba, "green (heart) ebony" in Jamaica.