Diagnostic description ²

Tynanthus polyanthus (Bur.) Sandw., Kew Bull. 1953: 465. 1954.

Fig. 48. D-I

Basionym: Schizopsis polyanthus Bur.

Synonyms: Bignonia caryophyllea Bello

Tynanthus caryophylleus (Bello) Alain

Liana that climbs by tendrils, 10-20 m in length. Stems more or less quadrangular, tomentose, interpetiolar zone not glandular, usually with an interpetiolar line, attaining 3 cm or more in diameter; cross section of the mature stem with a cross of 4 arms formed by the phloem tissue, with a strong odor of cloves; pseudostipules foliaceous, ca. 1 cm long, deciduous. Leaves opposite, 2-foliolate, sometimes with a simple tendril, in the form of a spiral, up to 15 cm long; leaflets 6-13 × 3.5-10 cm, broadly ovate to subcircular, membranaceous, the apex cuspidate or short-acuminate, the base truncate, rounded, or subcordiform, the margins entire, undulate or crenulate; upper surface with the venation flat, glabrous; lower surface puberulent, especially on the veins; petioles and petiolules puberulent or short-pubescent, the petioles 1.7-4 cm long, deeply canaliculate, the petiolules 1.2-3 (-5) cm long. Flowers numerous in terminal or axillary panicles, bracteate, the axes pubescent; pedicels ca. 1 mm long. Calyx green, crateriform, 1-1.5 mm long, subtruncate, minutely 5-denticulate, puberulent; corolla white, tubular, bilabiate, ca. 4 mm long, puberulent outside, the 2 upper lobes smaller than the lower, the 3 lower lobes 2-3 mm long; stamens didynamous, inserted; ovary conical, ca. 0.8 mm long, densely appressed- pubescent; annular disc pubescent. Capsule linear, compressed, somewhat woody, dark brown, 15-27 × 0.5-0.7 cm, with the midvein inconspicuous; seeds numerous, brown, 4-5 mm long, the wings hyaline-membranaceous.

Phenology: Collected in flower in July and in fruit in April.

Status: Exotic, cultivated, uncommon.

Distribution ³

Distribution: Native to western Amazonia, sporadically cultivated in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://data.rbge.org.uk/images/69575/700
2. (c) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28435179
3. (c) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28435724

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