2. Metastelma bahamense Grisebach, Cat. Pl. Cub. 174. 1866.
Fragrant swallow-wort
Cynanchum northropiae (Schlechter) Alain; Epicion northropiae (Schlechter) Small; Metastelma northropiae Schlechter
Stems herbaceous, glabrate, sparsely puberulent in 1 line on new growth. Leaves: 1 stipular colleter on each side of petiole and 1–3 additional interpetiolar colleters; petiole 3–5 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent; blade lanceolate to ovate, 15–40 × 7–15 mm, chartaceous, venation faintly pinnate, base rounded, with 2 laminar colleters, margins planar, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous, midvein adaxially or margins sometimes remotely puberulent. Inflorescences racemiform, 4–10-flowered; peduncle 2–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. Pedicels 2–5 mm, sparsely puberulent. Flowers: calyx lobes lanceolate to ovate, apices obtuse to acute, 0.5–1.5 mm, margins scarious, sparsely puberulent at base to glabrate, margins sometimes remotely ciliate, colleters apparently absent; corolla green abaxially, white adaxially, campanulate, tube 1.5 mm, lobes erect with spreading tips, opening not obscured, oblong, 2–3 mm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially densely short-puberulent marginally and apically with opaque, matted, flattened hairs, acicular hairs absent; corona segments united to base of anthers, laminar, subulate, 1–1.5 mm, slightly longer than gynostegium; gynostegial column 1.5–2 mm; style apex planar. Follicles dark brown, 5–6 × 0.4–0.7 cm, apically acuminate, glabrous. Seeds 10–16, brown, flat to somewhat navicular, 5–6 × 2–3 mm, broadly winged, smooth; coma white, 2–2.5 cm.
Flowering nearly year-round; fruiting Nov–Feb, May. Beaches, sand ridges, edges of mangroves, limestone, scrub, pine woods, cactus hammocks; 0 m; Fla.; West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba).
Metastelma bahamense has been treated in the flora area most commonly as Cynanchum northropieae. However, the type of M. northropiae appears to be conspecific with M. bahamense (as evident by the annotations of R. Mangelsdorff). In Florida, Metastelma bahamense is restricted to just four counties: Brevard, Indian River, Miami-Dade, and Monroe.
