Diagnostic description ⁴

Piptocoma acevedoi Pruski, Novon 6: 98. 1996.

Fig. 40. A-H

Woody vine or clambering shrub, 3-7 m in length. Stems much branched, pendulous, tomentose. Leaves alternate; blades 2-9.5 × 1-4.3 cm, elliptical to obovate, chartaceous, the apex acute, obtuse, or rounded, the base acute or attenuate, the margins entire or undulate; upper surface glandular-punctate; lower surface whitish, densely stellate-tomentose; petioles 5-6 mm long, slightly winged, whitish. Capitula 4-9, with 6-10 flowers each, in glomerules arranged in terminal cymes; involucre cylindrical or campanulate, 5-6.5 mm high, the phyllaries imbricate, in 3-4 graduated series, green, pubescent; paleas present or not. Corollas pale violet, tubular, 5-6-lobed, 5-6.3 mm long, with glandular papillae on the tube and the apex of the lobes; anthers exserted, creamcolored; style with two recurved stigmatic branches, abaxially hispidulous. Achene turbinate, with 10 slight ribs, glabrous, 2.5-4 m long, light brown; pappus biseriate, the outer series of minute irregular-dentiform scales, the inner series of barbate bristles, 2.5-3.5 mm long.

Phenology: Flowering and fruiting from October to January.

Status: Endemic to Puerto Rico, extremely rare.

Selected Specimens Examined: Acevedo-Rdgz., P. 5217; 7148; Cedeño, J.A. 196; 379.

Distribution ⁵

Distribution: Known from two localities in Puerto Rico, in forests on limestone or serpentine substrate.

Public forest: Guajataca and Maricao.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10350781
2. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10350780
3. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10350797
4. (c) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28435143
5. (c) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28435705

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