Monographs Details:
Authority:
Prance, Ghillean T. & Mori, S. A. 1979. Lecythidaceae - Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae (Asteranthos, Gustavia, Grias, Allantoma & Cariniana). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270. (Published by NYBG Press)
Prance, Ghillean T. & Mori, S. A. 1979. Lecythidaceae - Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae (Asteranthos, Gustavia, Grias, Allantoma & Cariniana). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
Synonyms:
Chytroma brancoensis R.Knuth, Chytroma miersii R.Knuth, Eschweilera miersii (R.Knuth) A.C.Sm., Chytroma lata R.Knuth
Chytroma brancoensis R.Knuth, Chytroma miersii R.Knuth, Eschweilera miersii (R.Knuth) A.C.Sm., Chytroma lata R.Knuth
Description:
Description - Small trees, 5 m tall. Twigs stout, 5-6 mm diam., rimose, glabrous, with vertically oriented lenticels. Leaf blades widely oblong, 14-15.5 x 7.4-10.2 cm, glabrous, abaxial surface glaucous, rugose as seen with SEM, coriaceous, with 11-15 pairs of lateral veins; apex short acuminate; base rounded to truncate; margins entire; petiole 10-13 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescences terminal, racemose, the rachis 10-22 cm long, with ca. four widely spaced flowers, the lower part without flowers, glabrous, with horizontally elongated lenticels; pedicels 6-11 mm long. Flowers ca. 3 cm diam.; calyx with six widely ovate lobes, 10-13 x 9-11 mm; petals white; hood of androecium flat, the appendages 10 mm long, with anthers; staminal ring with ca. 1000 densely packed stamens, the filaments thickened for ¾ length, 4.5 mm long, with reddish pigment spots; hypanthium glabrous, cuneate at base; ovary (3-)4-locular, with 20-40 ovules per locule, these attached towards base of septum, the summit truncate, the style ca. 7 mm long. Fruits truncate at apex, rounded into an abrupt knob 1 x 2 cm long at base, 6-8 (excluding knob) x 7-11 cm, the infracalycine zone convex, the supracalycine zone erect with thickened ring at margin, the pericarp ca. 5 mm thick; operculum flat to slightly convex, with style persisting as woody spine. Seeds numerous, ca. 50 per fruit, leaving distinct polygonally shaped impressions on inside of pericarp, reddish-brown, 20-30 x 16 mm, the outer surface of veins same color as testa, with basally attached funicle and aril.
Description - Small trees, 5 m tall. Twigs stout, 5-6 mm diam., rimose, glabrous, with vertically oriented lenticels. Leaf blades widely oblong, 14-15.5 x 7.4-10.2 cm, glabrous, abaxial surface glaucous, rugose as seen with SEM, coriaceous, with 11-15 pairs of lateral veins; apex short acuminate; base rounded to truncate; margins entire; petiole 10-13 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescences terminal, racemose, the rachis 10-22 cm long, with ca. four widely spaced flowers, the lower part without flowers, glabrous, with horizontally elongated lenticels; pedicels 6-11 mm long. Flowers ca. 3 cm diam.; calyx with six widely ovate lobes, 10-13 x 9-11 mm; petals white; hood of androecium flat, the appendages 10 mm long, with anthers; staminal ring with ca. 1000 densely packed stamens, the filaments thickened for ¾ length, 4.5 mm long, with reddish pigment spots; hypanthium glabrous, cuneate at base; ovary (3-)4-locular, with 20-40 ovules per locule, these attached towards base of septum, the summit truncate, the style ca. 7 mm long. Fruits truncate at apex, rounded into an abrupt knob 1 x 2 cm long at base, 6-8 (excluding knob) x 7-11 cm, the infracalycine zone convex, the supracalycine zone erect with thickened ring at margin, the pericarp ca. 5 mm thick; operculum flat to slightly convex, with style persisting as woody spine. Seeds numerous, ca. 50 per fruit, leaving distinct polygonally shaped impressions on inside of pericarp, reddish-brown, 20-30 x 16 mm, the outer surface of veins same color as testa, with basally attached funicle and aril.
Discussion:
Silva (coll. no. 179) reports that the seeds taste like those of the “Sapucaia” (L. pisonis) but that they cause upset stomach and vomiting when consumed.Transfer of the earliest name for this species, Chytroma miersii, to Lecythis results in a later homonym of Lecythis miersii Pampanini, a synonym of L. lanceolata Poiret. Chytroma brancoensis is based on a single fruit (Ule 33 from Roraima, Brazil) which I have not been able to locate at B. Likewise, Chytroma lata is based on a single fruit (Schomburgk s.n. from Guyana) which I also have not been able to locate at B. I have therefore selected Kuhlmann 913 as the neotype of both of these names.My description of L. brancoensis has been emended to exclude Ducke RB.21525 gathered from near the mouth of the Amazon. This collection represents Eschweilera simiorum, an unrelated species.Lecythis brancoensis is morphologically similar to L. barnebyi and L. poiteaui. The terminal inflorescence, flat androecial hood with antheriferous appendages, and very numerous, densely packed stamens of the staminal ring are diagnostic of these three species. Lecythis brancoensis is easily separated from the aforementioned species by low stature and savanna habitat; very wide androecial hood; stamens that are thickened for the upper ¾ of their lengths; fruits with a wide, erect supracalycine zone and expanded opercular rim; and numerous seeds in each locule. The seeds leave distinct impressions on the inner fruit wall. In gross morphology, it resembles Eschweilera nana from the savannas of central Brazil. However, the four locules, flat androecial hood, and the long style clearly place this species in Lecythis whereas E. nana has two locules, a partially coiled androecial hood, and a short, poorly defined style, all of which are features of Eschweilera.
Silva (coll. no. 179) reports that the seeds taste like those of the “Sapucaia” (L. pisonis) but that they cause upset stomach and vomiting when consumed.Transfer of the earliest name for this species, Chytroma miersii, to Lecythis results in a later homonym of Lecythis miersii Pampanini, a synonym of L. lanceolata Poiret. Chytroma brancoensis is based on a single fruit (Ule 33 from Roraima, Brazil) which I have not been able to locate at B. Likewise, Chytroma lata is based on a single fruit (Schomburgk s.n. from Guyana) which I also have not been able to locate at B. I have therefore selected Kuhlmann 913 as the neotype of both of these names.My description of L. brancoensis has been emended to exclude Ducke RB.21525 gathered from near the mouth of the Amazon. This collection represents Eschweilera simiorum, an unrelated species.Lecythis brancoensis is morphologically similar to L. barnebyi and L. poiteaui. The terminal inflorescence, flat androecial hood with antheriferous appendages, and very numerous, densely packed stamens of the staminal ring are diagnostic of these three species. Lecythis brancoensis is easily separated from the aforementioned species by low stature and savanna habitat; very wide androecial hood; stamens that are thickened for the upper ¾ of their lengths; fruits with a wide, erect supracalycine zone and expanded opercular rim; and numerous seeds in each locule. The seeds leave distinct impressions on the inner fruit wall. In gross morphology, it resembles Eschweilera nana from the savannas of central Brazil. However, the four locules, flat androecial hood, and the long style clearly place this species in Lecythis whereas E. nana has two locules, a partially coiled androecial hood, and a short, poorly defined style, all of which are features of Eschweilera.
Distribution:
Guyana South America| Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|
Guyana South America| Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|
Common Names:
castanha de macaco
castanha de macaco