Systematic 
Treatment 
ParaTueEsis Hooker f. 
Trees or shrubs, young branchlets commonly ferruginous-tomentose with 
stellate or dendroid hairs, often glabrescent; leaves petiolate, usually pubescent 
on lower surface, the hairs stellate or dendroid, often appressed and bizonal, 
the margins entire, crenulate or dentate; flowers perfect, usually 5-parted, 
sometimes 4-parted, rarely 6-parted, mostly pink or white, umbellate, corymbose 
or subcorymbose-racemose; inflorescences paniculate, axillary or terminal; 
sepals small, open in bud, connate at base, commonly tomentulose and papillose; 
corolla rotate, usually tomentulose outside, papillose-tomentose inside at least 
apically and along edges, the petals united at base, valvate, narrow, acutish; 
stamens usually 5, sometimes 4 or 6, inserted near the base of corolla tube, the 
filaments well developed, slender to stout; anthers sagittal, lanceolate to ovate, 
acute or mucronate or obtuse at the apex, dorsally punctate or epunctate, 
dehiscent by introrse slits or apical pores, usually dorsifixed above the base, 
erect or versatile; ovary ovoid or subglobose, the style long and slender, the 
stigma punctiform; ovules few to numerous, usually l-seriate, sometimes 
partially 2-seriate, or rarely pluriseriate on the placenta, enclosed or exposed 
apically; fruit 1-seeded, the endocarp crustaceous; embryo cylindric, transverse. 
About 70 species, in tropical America, chiefly in mountainous regions of 
Central America. 
Type species: P. serrulata (Sw.) Mez Ardisia serrulata Sw. 
Since so little is known about most of the species of Parathesis, this mono- 
graph is essentially an introduction to the study of the genus. Relationships 
are not well enough understood to name and describe formal sections and series. 
There are some natural groups, but others are poorly defined. Tentative affinities 
can be suggested, and an attempt has been made to do this. 
Mez divided the genus on the basis of terminal and axillary inflorescences, 
and this still appears to be practical. The occasional presence of axillary in- 
florescences in species with predominantly terminal inflorescences, and the 
occurrence sometimes of terminal inflorescences in species usually having 
axillary inflorescences are variations to be noted. 
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