Cordia toqueve Aublet (1775: 228)

Melo, José Iranildo Miranda De, Paulino, Renan Da Cruz, Oliveira, Regina Célia De & Vieira, Diego Daltro, 2018, Flora of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil: Boraginales, Phytotaxa 357 (4), pp. 235-260 : 242-243

1.6. Cordia toqueve Aublet (1775: 228) .

Small trees, ca. 4.5 m tall; branches densely ferrugineous-tomentose. Leaves alternate, dimorphic; larger blade 6–15 × 3–11 cm, orbiculate to ovate-elliptic, scabrous, apex acuminate, margin slightly undulate, base obtuse, adaxially strigose, abaxially tomentose; small blade 5–8.5 × 5–9 cm, elliptic, oblong-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, scabrous, apex acuminate, margin slightly undulate, base obtuse to somewhat cordate, adaxially strigose, abaxially tomentose; petiole ca. 3–6.5 mm long, hirsute. Inflorescences 8–12 cm long, paniculiform, lax, axillar and terminal, branched; peduncle 2.5–3.5 cm long. Flowers ca. 1.5 cm long; calyx 3–5 mm long, tubular, dentate, apex acute, filiform lobes triangular; corolla 5–8 mm long, campanulate, cream, deciduous; lobes oblong, apex rounded. Stamens ca. 5 mm long, with long trichomes at the insertion point. Ovary ca. 2 mm long, globose, hirsute at apex. Styles ca. 4 mm long; stigmas clavate. Drupe not seen.

Notes:— In the course of this study C. toqueve was collected only once and sterile. No collections of it were found for Rio Grande do Norte in the consulted herbaria and no specimens reviewed from other areas were fertile. The above description, therefore, is based mainly on earlier publications ( Fresenius 1857 –1864, Miller et al. 1998). Illustrations of this species can be found in Miller et al. (1998).

Geographic distribution:— This species is widely distributed, occurring in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil (Tropicos continuously updated). In Brazil found in the North, Northeast, and Midwest regions ( Flora do Brasil 2020 under construction). D2.

Habitat:— Borders of the Seasonal Forest.

Phenology:— Collected sterile.

Selected material examined:— BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Norte: Portalegre, October 2007, sterile, J.I.M. Melo et al. 641 (MOSS).

Additional material examined:— Pernambuco: Camaragibe, Aldeia, February 2013, fl., J.E.L. Torres & W.B. Torres s.n. (HST 19979, RB 593970).