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Image of Puerto Rico devilbrush
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Puerto Rico Devilbrush

Scolosanthus versicolor Vahl

Comprehensive Description

provided by North American Flora
Scolosanthus versicolor ahl, Eclog. 1:11. 1796
Calesbaea parviflora Lam. Tab. Encyc. 1: 288. 1792. Not C. parvijlora Sw. 1788. Chomelia versicolor Spreng. Syai. 1:410. 1825.
A densely branched shrub 1-4 meters high, the branches grayish, the branchlets very stout, scaberulous, the leaves mostly fasciculate, the spines stout, 4-15 mm. long, bifurcate from the base, ascending or subdivaricate ; stipule-sheath minute, truncate; leaves almost sessile, the blades cuneate-obovate or broadly cuneate, 4-9 mm. long, 3-5 mm. wide, rounded at the apex and obscurely apiculate, acute or cuneate-attenuate at the base, rigid-coriaceous, glabrous, dark-green and lustrous above, the costa prominulous or obsolete, the nerves obsolete, paler beneath, the costa evident, the nerves obsolete, the margin revolute, flowers solitary, shortpedicellate; calyx and hypanthium 2-2.5 mm. long, the calyx-lobes lance-ovate, half as long as the hypanthium; corolla violet or yellowish, 6-7 mm. long, the lobes about 1 mm. long; fruit white, oval or ellipsoid, 4—5 mm. long.
Type locality: St. Croix.
Distribution: Woods and thickets near the southern coast of Porto Rico; Virgin Islands.
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bibliographic citation
Paul Carpenter Standley. 1934. RUBIALES; RUBIACEAE (pars). North American flora. vol 32(4). New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY
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