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:
Eschweilera lurida Miers, Eschweilera serrulata Miers, Chytroma jarana Huber, Holopyxidium jarana Huber ex Ducke, Eschweilera jarana (Huber ex Ducke) Ducke, Lecythis jarana (Huber ex Ducke) A.C.Sm., Eschweilera jarana var. latifolia Ducke, Lecythis jarana var. latifolia (Ducke) A.C.Sm., Holopyxidium latifolium (Ducke) R.Knuth
Eschweilera lurida Miers, Eschweilera serrulata Miers, Chytroma jarana Huber, Holopyxidium jarana Huber ex Ducke, Eschweilera jarana (Huber ex Ducke) Ducke, Lecythis jarana (Huber ex Ducke) A.C.Sm., Eschweilera jarana var. latifolia Ducke, Lecythis jarana var. latifolia (Ducke) A.C.Sm., Holopyxidium latifolium (Ducke) R.Knuth
Description:
Description - Trees, to 35 m tall, some individuals reported to flower at 3-4 meters, these usually growing in disturbed habitats. Twigs glabrous, 2.5-3.5 mm diam. Bark gray, with deep vertical fissures, the outer bark laminated, with maroon-colored layer between outer and inner barks. Leaves deciduous; leaf blades narrowly ovate to ovate, elliptic to widely elliptic, or oblong to widely oblong, 9-18 x 4.5-9 cm, glabrous, chartaceous to coriaceous, with 11-20 pairs of lateral veins; apex short acuminate to acuminate; base obtuse, narrowly decurrent onto petiole; margins crenulate to crenate, infrequently nearly entire; petiole 5-13 mm long, glabrous, slightly canaliculate. Inflorescences racemose, unbranched, terminal, subtended by leaf, the rachis 1.5-10 cm long, glabrous, lenticellate, with 1-20 flowers; pedicels 3-5 mm long, glabrous, subtended by oblong caducous bract 10 x 2 mm, the bracteoles caducous. Flowers 3-4 cm diam.; calyx with six widely ovate to ovate green lobes, 8-13 x 7-11 mm, with longitudinally oriented mucilage-bearing ducts, often with reddish streaks or dots on exterior; petals six, vertically oriented and tightly appressed to androecium for lower ½ of length, the upper half curled under, widely to narrowly obovate, 21-33 x 16-20 mm, the outer surface red or pink in bud, white on inside, pink on outside at anthesis; hood of androecium 16-20 x 16-20 mm, light yellow, the appendages antherless, curved inwards, yellow; staminal ring with 160-200(-260) stamens, the filaments light yellow, dilated at apex, 2.5-3 mm long, the anthers 0.7 mm long, yellow; hypanthium glabrous, cuneate at base; ovary 4(-5)-locular, with 6-12 ovules in each locule, the ovules inserted on septum, the summit truncate, the style bent toward anterior end of flower, 4-6 mm long. Fruits indehiscent, depressed globose, 7-9 x 7-11 cm, falling from tree at maturity, the pericarp leathery, 3-4 mm thick. Seeds 2-7 in each fruit, large, triangular or semicircular in cross section, 6 x 5 cm, the veins reticulate, white, plane, the intervein areas reddish-brown, without well-developed aril.
Description - Trees, to 35 m tall, some individuals reported to flower at 3-4 meters, these usually growing in disturbed habitats. Twigs glabrous, 2.5-3.5 mm diam. Bark gray, with deep vertical fissures, the outer bark laminated, with maroon-colored layer between outer and inner barks. Leaves deciduous; leaf blades narrowly ovate to ovate, elliptic to widely elliptic, or oblong to widely oblong, 9-18 x 4.5-9 cm, glabrous, chartaceous to coriaceous, with 11-20 pairs of lateral veins; apex short acuminate to acuminate; base obtuse, narrowly decurrent onto petiole; margins crenulate to crenate, infrequently nearly entire; petiole 5-13 mm long, glabrous, slightly canaliculate. Inflorescences racemose, unbranched, terminal, subtended by leaf, the rachis 1.5-10 cm long, glabrous, lenticellate, with 1-20 flowers; pedicels 3-5 mm long, glabrous, subtended by oblong caducous bract 10 x 2 mm, the bracteoles caducous. Flowers 3-4 cm diam.; calyx with six widely ovate to ovate green lobes, 8-13 x 7-11 mm, with longitudinally oriented mucilage-bearing ducts, often with reddish streaks or dots on exterior; petals six, vertically oriented and tightly appressed to androecium for lower ½ of length, the upper half curled under, widely to narrowly obovate, 21-33 x 16-20 mm, the outer surface red or pink in bud, white on inside, pink on outside at anthesis; hood of androecium 16-20 x 16-20 mm, light yellow, the appendages antherless, curved inwards, yellow; staminal ring with 160-200(-260) stamens, the filaments light yellow, dilated at apex, 2.5-3 mm long, the anthers 0.7 mm long, yellow; hypanthium glabrous, cuneate at base; ovary 4(-5)-locular, with 6-12 ovules in each locule, the ovules inserted on septum, the summit truncate, the style bent toward anterior end of flower, 4-6 mm long. Fruits indehiscent, depressed globose, 7-9 x 7-11 cm, falling from tree at maturity, the pericarp leathery, 3-4 mm thick. Seeds 2-7 in each fruit, large, triangular or semicircular in cross section, 6 x 5 cm, the veins reticulate, white, plane, the intervein areas reddish-brown, without well-developed aril.
Discussion:
Although this entity has long carried the epithet, jarana, the earlier name, Eschweilera lurida Miers, is the first for the species. The common name, “jarana,” is widely applied in eastern Amazonian Brazil where its lumber is used for making railroad ties. Lobato (1976) has written that so many ties were made from it for the construction of the Belém-Bragança railroad that the species was nearly eliminated from the area.Ducke (1925) established the genus Holopyxidium based on his observation that two species possess indehiscent fruits. He included H. retusum (Spruce ex Berg) Ducke and what he felt to be a new species H. jarana Huber ex Ducke, in his new genus. He later transferred both species to Eschweilera (Ducke, 1930) because according to him “Le genre Holopyxidium doit etre sup-primé: les pyxides des dites espèces ne sont pas indehiscents comme je les jugeais, mais la dehiscence de l’opercule se produit après la chute du fruit mur, dans le cas ou celui-ci ne se casse pas en tombent sur le sol. II s’agit, en réalité, d’une espece du genre Eschweilera section Chy-troma, ou deja Miers constate la dehiscence sou-vent rétardé (‘when the fruit ripens, the operculum does not fall off immediately, but remains for some time, until the membraneous dissipiments become lacerated by decay’ [Miers, 1874]).”Smith (1933) correctly transferred Eschweilera jarana to Lecythis. However, he made the transfer based on a study of Krukoff 1213 which he thought to represent the species here under consideration but which, in fact, is Lecythis chartacea Berg! Nevertheless, all features (androecial type, truncate ovary summit, 4-locular ovary, and ovule attachment) are those of Lecythis. Therefore this species is best treated as Lecythis rather than as Holopyxidium.Knuth (1939) reinstated the genus Holopyxidium, separating it from Lecythis by its sessile seeds, thin pericarp, and scarcely dehiscent fruits. In his key to genera he claims that Holopyxidium has a short style, but, in his figure 12D, he clearly and correctly illustrates H. jarana with a long style!I believe that Ducke’s original observation that the fruits of Lecythis lurida (his Holopyxidium jarana) are indehiscent is correct. I have observed fruits of this species on the ground with no sign of opercular dehiscence. The thin-walled pericarp was broken open and the seeds were germinating inside the fruit. Consequently, there is no doubt that the fruits fall intact. Nevertheless, they may give the impression of dehiscence because the opercular area rots away more readily than the rest of the fruit or, in some cases, the operculum may shed after the fruits are on the ground.A collection from the Tucuruí Dam project on the Rio Tocantins (N. A. Rosa et al. 4095) is provisionally placed here but probably represents a new species. It has unusually large leaves for L. lurida. Nevertheless, it has the same papillate abaxial leaf surface and flowers similar to L. lurida. Further collections are needed, especially of flowers and mature fruits.
Although this entity has long carried the epithet, jarana, the earlier name, Eschweilera lurida Miers, is the first for the species. The common name, “jarana,” is widely applied in eastern Amazonian Brazil where its lumber is used for making railroad ties. Lobato (1976) has written that so many ties were made from it for the construction of the Belém-Bragança railroad that the species was nearly eliminated from the area.Ducke (1925) established the genus Holopyxidium based on his observation that two species possess indehiscent fruits. He included H. retusum (Spruce ex Berg) Ducke and what he felt to be a new species H. jarana Huber ex Ducke, in his new genus. He later transferred both species to Eschweilera (Ducke, 1930) because according to him “Le genre Holopyxidium doit etre sup-primé: les pyxides des dites espèces ne sont pas indehiscents comme je les jugeais, mais la dehiscence de l’opercule se produit après la chute du fruit mur, dans le cas ou celui-ci ne se casse pas en tombent sur le sol. II s’agit, en réalité, d’une espece du genre Eschweilera section Chy-troma, ou deja Miers constate la dehiscence sou-vent rétardé (‘when the fruit ripens, the operculum does not fall off immediately, but remains for some time, until the membraneous dissipiments become lacerated by decay’ [Miers, 1874]).”Smith (1933) correctly transferred Eschweilera jarana to Lecythis. However, he made the transfer based on a study of Krukoff 1213 which he thought to represent the species here under consideration but which, in fact, is Lecythis chartacea Berg! Nevertheless, all features (androecial type, truncate ovary summit, 4-locular ovary, and ovule attachment) are those of Lecythis. Therefore this species is best treated as Lecythis rather than as Holopyxidium.Knuth (1939) reinstated the genus Holopyxidium, separating it from Lecythis by its sessile seeds, thin pericarp, and scarcely dehiscent fruits. In his key to genera he claims that Holopyxidium has a short style, but, in his figure 12D, he clearly and correctly illustrates H. jarana with a long style!I believe that Ducke’s original observation that the fruits of Lecythis lurida (his Holopyxidium jarana) are indehiscent is correct. I have observed fruits of this species on the ground with no sign of opercular dehiscence. The thin-walled pericarp was broken open and the seeds were germinating inside the fruit. Consequently, there is no doubt that the fruits fall intact. Nevertheless, they may give the impression of dehiscence because the opercular area rots away more readily than the rest of the fruit or, in some cases, the operculum may shed after the fruits are on the ground.A collection from the Tucuruí Dam project on the Rio Tocantins (N. A. Rosa et al. 4095) is provisionally placed here but probably represents a new species. It has unusually large leaves for L. lurida. Nevertheless, it has the same papillate abaxial leaf surface and flowers similar to L. lurida. Further collections are needed, especially of flowers and mature fruits.
Distribution:
Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Sergipe Brazil South America|
Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Sergipe Brazil South America|
Common Names:
inhaiba and in-haiba-gigante, jarana
inhaiba and in-haiba-gigante, jarana