Licania licaniaeflora (Sagot) S.F.Blake

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Chrysobalanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Licania licaniaeflora (Sagot) S.F.Blake

  • Type

    Types. Martin sn, French Guiana, fl (lectotype, P; isolectotype, K); Melinon sn, French Guiana, fl (paratypes, F, K, NY, P); 422 fl (paratype, P); 423 fl (paratype, P, US).

  • Synonyms

    Moquilea licaniaeflora Sagot, Licania bracteosa Fritsch, Licania parinarioides Huber, Licania parinarioides var. latifolia Maguire, Licania capinensis Huber, Licania huberiana Maguire, Licania obovatifolia Maguire, Licania wilson-brownei Maguire

  • Description

    Description - Small to large sized tree to 30.0 m tall, the young branches hispid-puberulous, soon becoming glabrous and conspicuously lenticellate. Leaves obovate, elliptic to oblong, coriaceous, 5.0-23.0 cm long, 2.5-10.0 cm broad, apiculate to mucronate at apex, with acumen 0-5.0 mm long, glabrous above, conspicuously reticulate on lower surface with quite or nearly parallel secondary veins, the veins appressed-strigose with intervening spaces gray-lanate-pubescent; midrib impressed its entire length above, glabrous except when young; primary veins 8-17 pairs, prominent beneath, impressed above; petioles 7.0-20.0 mm long, terete, strigose-puberulous, eventually glabrous, usually with two prominent medial glands, sometimes eglandular or glands near lamina base. Stipules to 13.0 mm long, ovate, membraneous, caducous, intrapetiolar. Inflorescences spreading terminal panicles, the rachis and branches tomentellous. Flowers 5.0-6.0 mm long, densely disposed along primary and secondary branches of inflorescence. Bracts and bracteoles 3.0-6.0 mm long, triangular, enclosing small groups of flowers, tomentellous on exterior, glabrescent within. Receptacle campanulate, slightly tapered at base but sessile, tomentose on exterior, tomentose within. Calyx lobes acute, tomentellous on both surfaces. Petals 5, oblong, short-clawed, puberulous on exterior. Stamens 18-25, inserted in a complete circle; filaments slightly exceeding calyx lobes, free nearly to base, hirsutulous. Ovary inserted laterally at the side of receptacle, villous. Style equalling filaments, pubescent throughout. Fruit oblong, 6.0-8.0 cm long, 3.0-4.5 cm broad, stipitate when young, becoming sessile by expansion of the stipe; epicarp covered with large conspicuous lenticels; mesocarp thick; endocarp thin, hard, fibrous, glabrous within.

  • Discussion

    The specimens bearing the five names cited in synonymy were analysed carefully, and after preparing scatter diagrams, it was concluded that there is insufficient correlation in the variation to regard L. licaniaeflora as more than one species. There is some range in leaf shape and size, but it is not large. The only relatively constant feature of those characters showing variation is the absence of prominent petiolar glands from the Guiana material. However, this character varies in presence even among different collections from the same tree.

    Licania licaniaeflora is a very distinct species, and I follow Huber in regarding it as the sole component of a separate subgenus. This subgenus is characterized by the lateral position of the ovary and the large bracteoles. It is more closely related to subgenus Moquilea than to subgenus Licania.

  • Common Names

    Marishiballi, Anaura, Zwaete foengoe, Gaulette, Gris-gris, Copuda, Pajurarana, Pianchirana

  • Distribution

    Open forest at river margins, savanna margins and in secondary forest of the Guianas and Amazonia.

    Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America|