Systemonodaphne mezii Kosterm.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett & Wurdack, John J. 1964. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part V. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10: 1-278.

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Systemonodaphne mezii Kosterm.

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Small tree or shrub from 5 to 6 m, bearing hermaphrodite flowers, and occurring in heavily forested hills up to 300 m, in northern Brazil, Suriname, and French and British Guiana. BRAZIL. Territorio do Amapa: occasional in forest of slopes of Macaco Ore Body, Cowan 38167 (fr. NY), frequent in forest on slopes to Igarape Sentinela, Curuca Ore Body, 38182 (fr. NY). BRITISH GUIANA. Essequibo Basin, in dense forest along Orono Creek near mouth, lat. about 1° 35' N, A. C. Smith 2667 (fr. NY).

  • Discussion

    Systemonodaphne geminiflora (Meissner) Mez in Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5: 79. 1889, quoad Martin 45.

    Type. French Guiana, Martin 45 (holotype, fl. B, fragm. NY).

    Vernacular Name. Louro (Cowan).

    A little-collected genus, known to me in the flowering stage only from a fragment of the type-collection. It is characterized by rather slender branchlets bearing chartaceous, elliptic, obtusely acuminate leaves usually not more than 10-12 cm in length, with a prominent, yellowish midrib. The fruits of the numbers cited above are rather more ellipsoid than ovoid, as described by Kostermans apparently from the Poiteau specimens he cites which I have not seen.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. Small tree or shrub from 5 to 6 m, bearing hermaphrodite flowers, and occurring in heavily forested hills up to 300 m, in northern Brazil, Suriname, and French and British Guiana.

    Brazil South America| Guyana South America|