Melochia kerriifolia Triana & Planch.
Descripción
An erect, slender-branched annual herb or suffrutex 0.2-0.8 meter high, the root not thickened, the young stems hirsute, hairs scattered and sometimes in a longitudinal line, simple, straight, and shorter recurved hairs and very few glandular hairs, 0.2-1.3 mm. long, internodes 1-11 cm. long; stipules 1.5-4.0 mm. long, 0.3-1.2 mm wide, deltoid-acute to deltoid-acuminate or lanceolate, mostly ciliate, hairs simple, 0.2-1.3 mm. long; petiole 0.1-2.3 cm. long, tomentose, especially on the adaxial surface, hairs mostly simple, some forked, few glandular, 0.5-1.8 mm. long. Lamina 0.8-9.3 cm. long, 0.2-3.1 cm. wide, narrowly lanceolate to ovate, the base rounded to subcordate, the apex acute to slightly acuminate, the upper surface subglabrous, with a few simple, appressed or recurved hairs 0.1-1.0 mm. long on the midrib, and some times a few glandular hairs, especially on the margin, the lower surface with scattered, appressed, simple hairs 0.1-1.1 mm. long on the veins, the margins irregularly crenate-serrate to serrate, serrations 0.8-4.2 mm. wide, 0.5-1.9 mm. high, 6-14 pairs of primary veins, 1 or 2 are basal.
Inflorescences 1-21 cm. long, terminal and axillary, rarely also leaf-opposed, in the upper 1-4 axils, or on axillary branches up to 7.3 cm. long, with reduced leaves, slender, usually paniculate, the ultimate divisions umbellate, 2 or 3 (1-5) flowers per umbel, the peduncle slender, 0,6-8.5 cm. long, the pedicels 1.5-5.0 mm. long, with scattered glandular hairs; bracts 1-3,5 mm. long, 0.2-0.8 mm. wide, deciduous, deltoid-acute to deltoid-acuminate or lanceolate, mostly ciliate, hairs simple, 0.2-0.8 mm. long.
Calyx 3.0-4.7 mm. long, 2.4-4.0 mm, wide, not accrescent, hirsute and sometimes also ciliate, hairs simple, some glandular, rarely a few forked, 0.1-1.2 mm. long, the teeth 2.2-3.3 mm. long, 0.8-1.4 mm. wide, deltoid-acuminate, the sinus acute to narrowly rounded; petals yellow, 5.0-8.3 mm. long, 2.2-3.1 mm. wide, obovate, obovate-cuneate, or nearly elliptic, the claw 0,5—1.0 mm. long, attached to the stamens for 0.3-1.0 mm.
Longistylous form. Stamens 2.5-3.2 mm. long, the filaments united up to the anthers, the anther 0.8-1.1 mm. long, 0.4-0.6 mm. wide, oblong, emarginate at both ends, nearly to the middle from the apex, sacs slightly divergent at the apex, rarely 6 stamens; pistil 2,8-3.5 mm. long, the styles 1.2-1.7 mm. long, free to the ovary, filiform, papillose for 0.5-0.7 mm. at the apex, the ovary ovoid to globular-pentagonal, hirsute-sericeous, hairs simple and sometimes also forked and a few stellate, 0.2-0.7 mm. long, rarely 6 carpels, stipe none but base of carpels narrowed for 0-0.5 mm.
Brevistylous form not seen.
Fruit usually in pairs, 3.7-5.5 mm. long, 3.5-5.6 mm. wide, globular to somewhat oblong, obtusely pentagonal, the sulci between the carpels shallow, extending a fifth to a fourth the way to the center of the fruit, hiruste to tomentulose, hairs simple and sometimes forked and stellate, 0.1-1,0 mm. long, base narrowed to a stipe 0.5- 1.0 mm, long; dehiscence all along the ventral suture and a third to half way along the dorsal suture, slightly septicidal to completely septicidal and the fruit falling apart; seeds 1.9-2.8 mm. long, 1.2-2.0 mm. wide, brown to black, trigonal, 2 per cell.A
Inflorescences 1-21 cm. long, terminal and axillary, rarely also leaf-opposed, in the upper 1-4 axils, or on axillary branches up to 7.3 cm. long, with reduced leaves, slender, usually paniculate, the ultimate divisions umbellate, 2 or 3 (1-5) flowers per umbel, the peduncle slender, 0,6-8.5 cm. long, the pedicels 1.5-5.0 mm. long, with scattered glandular hairs; bracts 1-3,5 mm. long, 0.2-0.8 mm. wide, deciduous, deltoid-acute to deltoid-acuminate or lanceolate, mostly ciliate, hairs simple, 0.2-0.8 mm. long.
Calyx 3.0-4.7 mm. long, 2.4-4.0 mm, wide, not accrescent, hirsute and sometimes also ciliate, hairs simple, some glandular, rarely a few forked, 0.1-1.2 mm. long, the teeth 2.2-3.3 mm. long, 0.8-1.4 mm. wide, deltoid-acuminate, the sinus acute to narrowly rounded; petals yellow, 5.0-8.3 mm. long, 2.2-3.1 mm. wide, obovate, obovate-cuneate, or nearly elliptic, the claw 0,5—1.0 mm. long, attached to the stamens for 0.3-1.0 mm.
Longistylous form. Stamens 2.5-3.2 mm. long, the filaments united up to the anthers, the anther 0.8-1.1 mm. long, 0.4-0.6 mm. wide, oblong, emarginate at both ends, nearly to the middle from the apex, sacs slightly divergent at the apex, rarely 6 stamens; pistil 2,8-3.5 mm. long, the styles 1.2-1.7 mm. long, free to the ovary, filiform, papillose for 0.5-0.7 mm. at the apex, the ovary ovoid to globular-pentagonal, hirsute-sericeous, hairs simple and sometimes also forked and a few stellate, 0.2-0.7 mm. long, rarely 6 carpels, stipe none but base of carpels narrowed for 0-0.5 mm.
Brevistylous form not seen.
Fruit usually in pairs, 3.7-5.5 mm. long, 3.5-5.6 mm. wide, globular to somewhat oblong, obtusely pentagonal, the sulci between the carpels shallow, extending a fifth to a fourth the way to the center of the fruit, hiruste to tomentulose, hairs simple and sometimes forked and stellate, 0.1-1,0 mm. long, base narrowed to a stipe 0.5- 1.0 mm, long; dehiscence all along the ventral suture and a third to half way along the dorsal suture, slightly septicidal to completely septicidal and the fruit falling apart; seeds 1.9-2.8 mm. long, 1.2-2.0 mm. wide, brown to black, trigonal, 2 per cell.A
Distribución
México (país) Nativo y no endémicoA
Elevación
100 – 600 mB
Tipo de vegetación
Bosque de pino, SabanaB
Categoría IUCN
No incluidaC
Categoría NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010
No incluidaD
Discusión taxonómica
This species is usually characterized by a loose terminalinflorescence. The fruits usually develop in pairs and the leaves are subglabrous. It is close to M. pilosa (Mill.) Fawc, & Rendle, but the inflorescence is much more lax, the leaves are not as haiiy, and the calyx is shorter. The fruits of M. pilosa are not in pairs. Steyermark distinguishes his M. humboldtiana from M. kerriifolia by slight differences in vestiture.A