Ericaceae-Neotropical Blueberries
James L. Luteyn and Paola Pedraza-Peñalosa
The New York Botanical Garden

SATYRIA

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Key to Species

 

   Satyria is a distinctive, neotropical genus of ca. 23 species, ranging from Mexico, south to Bolivia, and east through the Guianas to Brazil.  It is characterized by connate filaments of equal length and alternately unequal, rigid anthers, which have broad flaring tubules. 
SATYRIA Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 14, 21.  1851;  Smith, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 28: 519-531.  1932;  Luteyn, Opera Bot. 92: 109-130. 1987; Luteyn, Fl. Ecuador 54: 63-68.  1996.  Lectotype, designated by Smith (1932):  Satyria warszewiczii Klotzsch.

    Riedelia Meissner in Martius, Fl. brasil. 7: 172.  1863.  Type:  Riedelia bahiensis Meissner [=Satyria panurensis (Benth. ex Meissner) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Niedenzu].

     Epiphytic or terrestrial shrubs.  Leaves alternate, evergreen, coriaceous, usually plinerved, but rarely pinnately veined, petiolate.  Inflorescence terminal or axillary, often cauliflorous, pin-cushion type (glomerulate), racemose, or subfasciculate, often ramiflorous, with few to many, often pendent flowers;  floral bract small;  pedicels minutely bibracteolate.  Flowers 5-merous, without odor;  aestivation valvate;  calyx articulate with the pedicel; hypanthium subglobose to shortly campanulate;  limb flaring or spreading;  lobes (3-4)5, ovate to triangular or merely apiculate;  corolla carnose, cylindric to narrowly vasiform, the lobes usually 5, triangular to narrowly oblong, acute;  stamens 10, alternately unequal, shorter than the corolla and usually only about 1/3 as long;  filaments equal, firmly connate into a monadelphous tube for more than half their length, membranaceous to thinly coriaceous;  anthers subcoriaceous, firm, alternately unequal in length and slightly dimorphic in shape, basifixed, the longer ones spreading distally with the tips then often incurved and often ornately decorated in a dendritic pattern and the tubules twisted to present latrorse dehiscence, the shorter ones laterally coherent distally with the tips straight and often not ornate, lacking spurs, lacking disintegration tissue;  thecae subcoriaceous, firm, slighlty granular;  tubules straight to curved, flaring distally but not sharply differentiated from the thecae, dehiscing sometimes alternately introrse and latrorse;  pollen without viscin threads;  ovary inferior;  nectariferous disc usually conspicuous, annular-pulvinate;  style filiform and as long as the corolla or slightly exserted;  stigma usually truncate.  Fruit a spherical berry, dark blue-black, rarely translucent white.

Key to Neotropical Species                                                                                               Back to Top

1.   Bracteoles located at apex of pedicel; Colombia .......................  S. bracteolosa
1.   Bracteoles located at middle of pedicel, or below .......................................... 2
2.   Inflorescences racemose, elongate, rachis (0.6-)1.5-4(-7) cm long.................  3
2.   Inflorescences short, flowers usually fascicled, rachis less than 1 cm long ........ 9
3.   Corolla 40-47 mm long; Colombia ............................................  S. dolichantha
3.   Corolla up to 31 mm long .............................................................................. 4
4.   Leaves elliptic-oblong, 3-6 x 1-2.5 cm; anther base setose ............................. 5
4.   Leaves ovate to oblong at least 7 x 2.5 cm or larger; anther base glabrous
      or subpuberulous ........................................................................................... 6
5.   Inflorescence glabrous; leaves 3-6 x 1.2-1.8 cm, glabrous beneath; Bolivia ...
      ....................................................................................................... S. neglecta
5.   Inflorescence pubescent; leaves 4-6 x 2-2.5 cm, laxly pubescent beneath;
      Peru ............................................................................................. S. polyantha
6.   Leaf base narrowed and cuneate; Central America ......................  S. panurensis
6.   Leaf base subcordate, rounded, or obtuse; South America ............................. 7
7.   Inflorescence slender, 4-7-flowered; rachis 0.6-1.5 cm long; corolla
      8-11 mm long ............................................................................................... 8
7.   Inflorescence stout, 8-20-flowered; rachis 1.5-4 cm long; corolla 16-31
      mm long; Amazon Basin .............................................................  S. panurensis
8.   Inflorescence pilose; pedicels 16-21 mm long;  Bolivia...................  S. boliviana
8.   Inflorescence glabrous; pedicels 7-12 mm long; French Guiana .....  S. cerander
9.   Calyx densely pubescent; Colombia ..................................................  S. pilosa
9.   Calyx glabrous or only minutely puberulent .................................................. 10
10. Leaves elliptic, 2-3 x 1.3-1.8 cm; flowers 1-2; corolla winged; Peru ...
      .......................................................................................................  S. vargasii
10. Leaves ovate to oblong, larger than 5 x 3 cm; flowers numerous; corolla
      not winged .................................................................................................. 11
11. Corolla 20 mm or more long ........................................................................ 12
11. Corolla less than 17 mm long ....................................................................... 16
12. Anthers subcoriaceous; Central America ................................... S. warszewiczii
12. Anthers stiffy coriaceous; South America ..................................................... 13
13. Leaves broadly oblong, 35 x 15 cm; filaments and anthers puberulous;
      Colombia ......................................................................................... S. latifolia
13. Leaves narrowly oblong up to 40 x 9 cm; filaments an anthers glabrous ........ 14
14. Leaves 23-40 x 4-9.5 cm; pedicels 1.9-2.5 cm long; Colombia .....  S. leptantha
14. Leaves 12-22 x 4.5-11 cm; pedicels 1-2.5 cm long ..................................... 15
15. Leaves 12-22 x 6-11 cm; pedicels 2-5 cm long; Guayana Highland ......
      .................................................................................................  S. carnosiflora
15. Leaves 15-22 x 4.5-7 cm; pedicels 1-2 cm long; Colombia-Ecuador ....
      ...................................................................................................  S. grandifolia
16. Calyx puberulous ........................................................................................ 17
16. Calyx glabrous ............................................................................................ 20
17. Leaves 18-30 cm long; corolla 12-15 mm long; Venezuela .................. S. nitida
17. Leaves up to 20 cm long; corolla 10-12 mm long; Guatemala to Colombia ... 18
18. Leaves 6-9 x 2-3 cm; petioles 6-10 mm long; stamens alternately 4 and
      4.5 mm long; Panama ......................................................................... S. allenii
18. Leaves 11-20 x 3.3-9 cm; petioles 3-12 mm long; stamens longer than
      above ......................................................................................................... 19
19. Leaves 4-9 cm broad; petioles 8-12 mm long; stamens alternately 5 and
      5.5 mm long; Guatemala to Costa Rica ..........................................  S. meiantha
19. Leaves 3.3-4 cm broad; petioles 3-5 mm long; stamens alternately 6-7
      and 8 mm long; Colombia ...............................................................  S. arborea
20. Corolla 7-9 mm long .................................................................................... 21
20. Corolla greater than 11 mm long ................................................................... 22
21. Long anthers 2.5 mm long; Colombia ...........................................  S. minutiflora
21. Long anthers 4 mm long; Ecuador and N Peru ............................  S. leucostoma
22. Leaves two times longer than brad; calyx hypanthium 4 mm diam.;  corolla
      5 mm basal diam.; Colombia ................................................................  S. toroi
22. Leaves three times longer than broad; calyx hypanthium 2-3 mm diam.;
      corolla 3-4 mm diam.; Colombia ...................................................  S. breviflora

 

   Satyria is being revised by Ann Powell. This on-line synthesis has been modified from Luteyn 1987b and 1996b.

 

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