Brunfelsia pauciflora

Brunfelsia pauciflora

Brunfelsia pauciflora is a species in the section Franciscea the genus Brunfelsia. The 1-3 m (rarely to 5 m) high shrubs have the largest flowers in the genus, and are therefore used as an ornamental plant for a long time. Originally they occur near the Atlantic coast in southeastern Brazil.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Brunfelsia pauciflora is a 1 to 3 m (rarely to 5 m) tall shrub whose bark is gray-brown and mostly smooth and is only occasionally interrupted by cracks in the longitudinal direction. The sparse branches are erect to spread apart. The dark green, smooth branches are strong and glabrous, rarely occupied with fluff hairy or glandular trichomes.

The leaves are on the branches spread or as a group at the branch tips. The glabrous or pubescent petioles have occupied a length of 5 to 12 mm. The firmly membranous to leathery leaf blade is almost 6.5 to 16 cm long and 2 to 6.5 cm wide, shaped elongated to oblong - lanceolate, rarely elliptic- oblong to obovate elongated. The tip is tapered to short pointed, rarely blunt to notched. The base of the leaf blade is wedge-shaped and pointed. The leaf surface is dotted glabrous or mainly on the underside of the midrib hairy or slightly glandular. The top is dark green, dull to shiny, the underside is pale green. From the midrib go from five to eleven lateral veins that run straight or in a wide arc.

Inflorescences and flowers

Brunfelsia pauciflora bloom between September and December. The inflorescences are terminal, sessile or nearly sessile and are composed of one to eleven flowers. Each flower is supported by one to three deciduous leaf -like bracts, these are 1-8 mm long, linear - lanceolate, concave and narrowly pointed. You can be glabrous or glandular- ciliate.

The flowers are (rarely to 35 ) mm long, strong flower stems that stand upright, be moved back slightly wider tip, glabrous or slightly glandular- hairy are at 11 to 25. With the fruit maturity, the stems are thick and corky - warted. The light to dark green colored calyx is 18-32 mm long and has a diameter of 6 to 10 mm. He is tubular or rarely tubular and bell-shaped or inflated, covered with glandular trichomes or completely hairless, firmly membranous to leathery almost. The calyx teeth are 3-8 mm long, ovate to ovate - lanceolate, they lie on the corolla tube on, the tips are tapered to pointed. On the fruit the calyx is bell-shaped urn - shaped, is solid and thick leathery to slightly enlarged and enclosing the fruit completely.

The crown consists of five fused petals, it is initially deep red- purple and faded over the flowering stage to a very light lavender color or white. At the transition between corolla tube and coronary band show white points, the margin of the crown is occasionally colored violet. The corolla tube is 28 to 36 mm long and has a diameter of 1.5 to 3 mm, is just as long to twice as long as the calyx. At the end of the corolla tube is an elliptical, white ring, which is 4 to 5 mm long forms. The Kronlappen have a length of 15 to 30 mm, are widely rounded up nearly elliptical, the tip is rounded - cut to jaded side they overlap more or less.

The four stamens are recognized in the upper part of the corolla tube, the white stamens are almost round in cross section, slightly trough-shaped in the direction of the dust bag. The overhead stamen pair has 4 to 6 mm long stamens, the lower stamens are 2-4 mm long. The greenish- brown dust bags are 1.5 to 2 mm long and circular shaped to kidney-shaped.

The light green ovary is 2 to 3 mm high and has a diameter of 1.5 mm, it is conical - ovoid shaped. The thread-like stylus has a length of 25 to 30 mm and is colored lavender color. The scar is two-lobed, white, 1 mm long, the stigma lobes are slightly different in size.

Fruit and seeds

The January-March maturing, enclosed by the calyx capsule is 20 to 22 mm long, has a diameter of 15 to 18 mm and is nearly spherical to ovoid. The surface is smooth and bright green, the pericarp is thin and dried fruit at maturity. The capsule is slightly jumping up. Each capsule contains twelve to 30 seeds, these are 5 to 6 mm long and have a diameter of 2.5 to 3 mm. They are ovate to oblong, angled and colored dark red-brown. The surface is dotted reticulate. The embryo is about 5 mm long, straight, the cotyledons are 2-3 mm long and flat egg-shaped.

Occurrences and locations

Brunfelsia pauciflora occurs mainly at the Atlantic facing slopes of the Serra do Mar in southeastern Brazil. The distribution areas are located in the state of Rio de Janeiro to Santa Catarina, ranging from sea level to altitudes of 1500 m. Most are called mata pluvial rain forests with an annual rainfall of up to 1600 mm. One can find plants of the species in shady river banks and ravines, as well as in forests in moist, well drained soils.