James L. Luteyn and Paola Pedraza-Peñalosa
The New York Botanical Garden
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Psammisia consists of approximately 70 species ranging from Costa Rica, southward into Bolivia, and eastward to French Guiana and Trinidad. |
PSAMMISIA Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 42. 1851; Smith, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 28: 384-406. 1932; Luteyn, Opera Bot. 92: 109-130. 1987. Lectotype: Psammisia falcata (Kunth) Klotzsch.
Epiphytic or terrestrial shrub. Leaves alternate, evergreen, petiolate; blade coriaceous, the venation plinerved or pinnate. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, racemose or subfasciculate with few to many flowers. Flowers 5-merous, without odor; aestivation valvate; pedicels deciduously bibracteolate; calyx articulate with the pedicel; hypanthium short-cylindric or campanulate; limb erect or spreading; lobes (2-4)5, ovate or triangular, apiculate or acute; corolla carnose, subcylindric, elongate urceolate or subglobose, 5-lobed, the lobes triangular and subacute; stamens (8-)10(-12), equal, from about 1/3 to often nearly as long as the corolla; filaments equal, distinct or connate, the connectives all laterally or distally 2-spurred, or alternately spurred, or rarely spurs obscure or lacking, when present the spurs either acute and conspicuous or rounded and not very apparent; nthers equal, basifixed, firm, stout with strongly granular thecae, lacking disintegration tissue; thecae strongly granular; tubules distinct, 1/4 to about as long as the thecae, dehiscing by elongate introrse clefts; pollen lacking viscin threads; ovary inferior, 5-locular; style filiform and often exserted. Fruit a leathery, green berry, seemingly never turning blue-black.
Key to Neotropical Species Back to Top
A key and complete treatment is lacking, but the genus is currently being revised by Luteyn. This on-line version has been modified from Luteyn 1987b and 1996b, along with other of his unpublished notes.