Commelina obliqua Vahl (Vahl 1806

Commelina obliqua Vahl Figs 10–11; Table 3 Commelina obliqua Vahl (Vahl 1806: 172). – Commelina erecta var. obliqua (Vahl) C.B.Clarke (Clarke 1881: 181). Commelinopsis glabrata D.R.Hunt (Hunt 1981: 195). – Commelina rufipes var. glabrata (D.R.Hunt) Faden & D.R.Hunt (Faden & Hunt 1987: 122). – Type: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – Trinidad • Irois Forest district under cacao trees in quantities; 25 Jan. 1928; fl., fr.; W. E. Broadway 6716; holotype: K [K000363259]!; isotype: BM [BM000938214]!. Syn. nov. Tradescantia portoricensis Bello (Bello 1883: 122). – Type: PUERTO RICO • Dorado forest; 28 Mar. 1966; fl., fr.; R. O. Woodbury s.n.; neotype: UPR [UPR no. 06057]!, designated by Santiago-Valentín et al. (2015). Syn. nov. Etymology From the Latin ʻ oblīqua ʼ (meaning ʻslanting, awry, obliqueʼ), in reference to its oblique and asymmetrical leaf-blade base. Type material COUNTRY UNKNOWN • s.loc., cultivated in France, ex Horto Celsii; s.dat.; fl.; Ventenat s.n.; lectotype: C [C10009563]!, designated by Hunt (1994). Selected material examined North America MEXICO – Oaxaca • Itsmo de Tehuantepec, Juchitán de Zaragoza, La Ventosa; 16 May 2014; fl.; F. Sánchez L. & P. Trujillo V. 815; MEXU, US. West Indies CUBA – Oriente • Sierra de Cristal, banks of Lebisa River; 27 Dec. 1955; fl.; A.H. Liogier & M. López Figueiras 4618; MO, US. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Samaná • La Vaca, N of Los Cacaos, Samaná Peninsula; 15 Mar. 1969; fl., fr.; A.H. Liogier 14417; MO, US. GRENADA – Saint George • Mt. Gilbert, NE of Mt. Maitland; 4–10 Mar. 1979; fl., fr.; R.A. Howard & E.S. Howard 18794; NY. PUERTO RICO – Utuado • Bo. Don Alonzo; 9 Jan. 1999; fl.; P. Acevedo-Rodríguez 10534; JBSD, MAPR, NY, UPRRP, US. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – Trinidad • St. George, Mount Tucuche; 9 Mar. 2006; fl., fr.; P.J.M. Maas et al. 9745; U, US. Central America BELIZE – Belize • Bermudian Landing, Belize River; 25 May 1981; fr.; C. Whitefoord 3031; BM, MO, NO. COSTA RICA – Limón • Canton de Talamanca, Fila Carbon, W of Cahuita; 13 Feb. 1991; fl.; P.J.M. Maas 7905; MO, U, US. EL SALVADOR – Ahuachapán • Sierra de Apaneca, in the region of Finca Colima; 17–19 Jan. 1922; fr.; P.C. Standley 20203; F, US. GUATEMALA – Huehuetenango • forested slopes in the vicinity of Ixcan, Sierra de los Cuchmantanes; 27 Jul. 1942; fl.; J.A. Steyermark 49432; F. HONDURAS – Cortés • Near Agua Azul; 27 Dec. 1947; fr.; L.O. Williams & A. Molina R. 11353; US. NICARAGUA – Granada • Volcán Mombacho, Hacienda Las Delicias, ca 10 km al SE de ciudad Granada; 11 Oct. 1983; fr.; S. Vega & A. Grijalva 36; MO, US. PANAMA – Panamá • Near Fort Randolph, Canal Zone; 28 Dec 1923; fl.; P.C. Standley 28649; F, US. South America BOLIVIA – Beni • Yacuma, Estacion Biologica Beni Entrada El Triunfo; 4 Jun. 1988; fl.; E. Villanueva & R. Foster 761; LPB, US. BRAZIL – Bahia • Ilhéus, ca 22 Km na estrada Ilhéus/Serra Grande; 10 Aug. 1994; fl., fr.; A.M.V. de Carvalho et al. 4573; CEPEC, HUEFS, NY, RB. COLOMBIA – Meta • 20 km SE of Villa Vicencia; 17 Mar. 1939; fr.; A.H. Alston 7575; BM, US. ECUADOR – Guayas • Balao, in silvis gregaris; Dec. 1891; fl.; H.F.A. von Eggers 14141; L, US. FRENCH GUIANA – Maripasoula • Mont Galbao, secteur Est., Crète Nord-Sud; 14 Jan. 1986; fr.; J.J. Granville et al. 8687; BR, CAY, MG, MO, NY, P, U, US. GUYANA – East Berbice-Corentyne • Corentyne River; Sep. 1879; fl.; E.F. Thurn s.n.; P [P01795525, P01795526]. PERU – San Martín • Mariscal Cáceres, Dtto. Tocache Nuevo, Quebrada Ishichimi, cerca al Fundo del Sr. Luis Ludeña; 9 Nov. 1980; fl., fr.; J. Schunke-Vigo 12409; RB, US 2ex. SURINAME – Sipaliwini • Large island in Litani River, 6 km upstream from its confluence with Marowini River to form Lawa River; 1 Apr. 1998; fl., fr.; B. Hammel et al. 21225; MO, U 2ex. VENEZUELA – Delta Amacuro • Mountain area ca 13 km by road ESE of the town of Sierra Imata; 4–6 Apr. 1979; fr.; G. Davidse & A.C. González 16612; MO, US, VEN. Description Herbs 30–120 cm tall, ascending to scrambling, perennial, robust, terrestrial or paludal. Roots fibrous, thin. Rhizome short. Stems monomorphic, ascending, branched; internodes 0.6–5.8 cm long, distally shorter, green, glabrous, sometimes with a line of acicular hairs opposite to the leaves, hairs hyaline or rusty to rusty-brown. Leaves distichously-alternate, evenly distributed along the stem, pseudopetiolate; sheaths 0.3–2.6 cm long, light green, generally suffused or speckled or longitudinally striated with magenta to red to vinaceous, sometimes completely magenta to red to vinaceous, glabrous, sometimes with a sparse setose line of hairs opposite to the leaves, hairs acicular, light brown to rusty, margin upright, glabrous to sparsely setose, hairs acicular, light brown to rusty; pseudopetiole 1.2–4.6 mm long; blades (1.3–1.9–)4.5–19.4 × (0.5–0.7–) 1.3–5 cm, lanceolate to ovate, sometimes elliptic, straight, thinly chartaceous to chartaceous, adaxially dark green to green, abaxially light green, adaxially glabrous to scabrid with prickle-hairs, abaxially glabrous, base asymmetric to strongly asymmetric, one side cuneate the other round, margin slightly revolute, glabrous to scabrid with prickle-hairs, apex acuminate to long-acuminate; midvein conspicuous, adaxially canaliculate, abaxially prominently obtuse, secondary veins 2–3 pairs, adaxially conspicuous, abaxially conspicuous, becoming more conspicuous on both sides when dry. Synflorescence composed of a solitary main florescence, restricted to the apex of the stems. Inflorescences terminal or apparently so, peduncle 0.2–1 cm long, shorter than ½ length of the spathe, straight, glabrous to puberulous with hook-hairs, sometimes with a line of acicular hairs opposite to the spathe, hairs hyaline; spathe 1.9–4.5 × 2.4–4.8 cm, very widely ovate to depressed ovate, patent to the peduncle, pale greenish-white to greenish-white to pale greenish-yellow, sometimes margin magenta to vinaceous, internally conspicuously mucilaginous, base only basally connate, splitting open and marcescent in fruit, subcordate, externally glabrous to ciliate with hook-hairs, hairs hyaline, margin flat, apex acuminate, slightly falcate, veins 5–6 pairs, conspicuous, becoming more conspicuous when dry; upper cincinnus developed, 2–6-flowered, flowers mainly staminate, rarely bisexual, peduncle 1.1–2.3 cm long, exserted, decurved at pre-anthesis and anthesis, sometimes strongly decurved to J-shaped at post-anthesis and fruit, sparsely to densely puberulous with minute hook-hairs, hairs hyaline; lower cincinnus 6–10-flowered, flowers mainly bisexual, sometimes staminate, peduncle 0.6–1.4 cm long, thickened in fruit, glabrous to sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs. Flowers chasmogamous, strongly zygomorphic, enantiostylous (style dislocated to the opposite side to the medial stamen); floral buds 1.9–6.3 × 2.3–7.1 mm, obovoid, light green to pale greenish-yellow to white, glabrous; pedicel 2.1–4.5 mm long, deflexed in bud and at anthesis, reflexed and elongating in fruit, light green to pale greenish-yellow, sparsely puberulous to puberulous with minute hook-hairs, hairs hyaline; sepals hyaline, early deciduous in fruit, dorsal sepal 4.3–5.2 × 2.4–3.5 mm, elliptic, concave, glabrous, apex acute, lower sepals 5.3–6.7 × 2.7–4.9 mm, shortly-clawed, connate up to mid-length, oblique-obovate, concave, glabrous, apex obtuse to round; paired petals 1–1.3 × 0.8–1 cm, clawed, claw 4.5–5.6 mm long, white, limb 5.4–6.9 × 7.9–9.6 mm, widely rhombic-reniform to reniform, white, base asymmetric, cordate, apex obtuse to slightly emarginate, medial petal 5.9–7.1 × 0.7–1.2 mm, sessile, lanceolate, entire, margin revolute at mid-length forming a medial constriction, concolourous with the paired petals, opaque, glabrous on both sides, apex acute to acuminate; staminodes (2–)3, medial staminode equal to the laterals, rarely medial staminode completely absent or greatly reduced and lacking the antherode, filaments 3.7–4.8 mm long, straight to arcuate-decurved, white, base sometimes pale greenish-yellow, antherodes 1.2–2.7 × 0.5–1.4 mm, narrowly hastate, pale yellow, minute pollen sacs between the upper and lower lobes present, non-polliniferous or producing very few grains, not apiculate between the upper lobes, upper lobes conspicuous, oblong, smaller than the lower, lower lobes oblanceolate; lateral filaments 5.9–8.2 mm long, very gently sigmoid to gently sigmoid, geniculate distal to the middle, apex recurved, white, base sometimes pale greenish-yellow, anthers 1.4–3 × 0.7–1.6 mm, held near the antherodes, elliptic to ovate, yellow, connective pale yellow to yellow, pollen pale yellow, drying yellow; medial filament 3.7–5.1 mm long, arcuate-decurved to gently sigmoid, apex recurved to strongly recurved, white, base sometimes pale greenish-yellow, anther 2.4–3.8 × 1.5–2.2 mm, held near the medial petal, widely sagittate, straight to slightly curved, pale yellow to yellow, connective saddle-shaped, pale yellow to yellow, anther sacs not appressed to each other, pollen pale yellow to yellow, drying yellow; ovary 1.2–1.4 × 1–1.3 mm, 3-carpellate, 5-ovulate, ellipsoid to widely ellipsoid, white to pale greenish-yellow, smooth, densely puberulous with glandular microhairs, style 5.3–7.1 mm long, exceeding the stamens, gently sigmoid to sigmoid, base cylindric, apex strongly recurved, white, base sometimes pale greenish-yellow, deciduous in fruit, stigma truncate, white. Capsules 6–9 per spathe, 5.3–7.1 × 4.2–5.8 mm, widely ellipsoid to widely oblongoid, short-stipitate, stipe 0.3–0.9 mm long, fruit wall thin, crustaceous, apex round, generally apiculate due to the persistent style base, not constricted between the seeds, pearly-white to silvery when mature, shiny, smooth, 3-locular, indehiscent, dorsal locule 1-seeded, ventral locules 2-seeded. Seeds monomorphic, 2.6–4.3 × 1.9–3 mm, the dorsal seed slightly larger than the ventral ones, all seeds adnate to the fruit wall and septa forming a dispersal unit, ellipsoid to triangular-ellipsoid, dorsally slightly flattene