Licania britteniana Fritsch

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T. 1972. Chrysobalanaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 9: 1-410. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Chrysobalanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Licania britteniana Fritsch

  • Type

    Type. Rusby 2442, Bolivia, Rio Beni, fl (holotype, NY; iso types, BM, F, GH, K, MICH, P, US).

  • Synonyms

    Licania pallida Britton, Moquilea elata Pilg., Licania elata (Pilg.) Pilg. ex L.O.Williams

  • Description

    Description - Large tree to 50.0 m tall, the young branches glabrous and lenticellate. Leaves oblong-elliptic to oblong, coriaceous, 8.0-15.5 cm long, 3.0-7.0 cm broad, acuminate at apex, with acumen 3.0-7.0 mm long, rounded to subcordate at base, glabrous on both surfaces; palisade glands present beneath, with two glands at junction of lamina and petiole on lower surface; midrib glabrous above, plane or nearly so; primary veins 9-15 pairs, prominulous above, prominent beneath; petioles 8.0-12.0 mm long, with sparse arachnoid pubescence when young, soon glabrous, shallowly canaliculate, eglandular. Stipules 2.0 mm long, subulate, glabrous, persistent, intrapetiolar. Inflorescences terminal racemose panicles, the rachis and branches gray-tomentose. Flowers 2.0-3.0 mm long, solitary but densely crowded on primary and secondary branches of inflorescence. Bracts and bracteoles ca 1.5 mm long, caducous, tomentose on exterior. Receptacle campanulate, gray-tomentose on exterior, pilose-tomentose within; pedicels 0.5 mm long. Calyx lobes acute, tomentose on exterior, puberulous within. Petals 5, sparsely pubescent, the margins ciliate. Stamens 16-23, inserted in a complete circle; filaments far exceeding calyx lobes, their bases slightly connate. Carpels 1(-2), the second carpel occasionally developing. Ovary inserted at base of receptacle, lanate. Style pilose almost to apex, equalling filaments. Fruit ovoid to 8.0 cm long; epicarp crustaceous; mesocarp thick and hard; endocarp thin, hard, sparsely pubescent within.

  • Discussion

    The nomenclature of this species has been somewhat confused in the past, because of both Moquilea pallida Hook f. and Licania pallida Spruce ex Sagot. The latter name, from Spruce’s manuscript, was only cited in synonymy by Hooker in Flora Brasiliensis, but it was used later as a specific epithet in 1883 by Sagot. This legitimate usage of L. pallida was not cited in Index Kewensis, resulting in the general and illegitimate application of L. pallida to L. britteniana, even though Fritsch had clarified the position in 1892 when he proposed the latter name. In dedicating this species for N. L. Britton, Fritsch misspelled Britton’s name, but his original spelling must stand.

    Flowering July to December.

  • Distribution

    Non-flooded forest and periodically flooded forest in western Amazonia.

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