Lomatia ferruginea R.Br.

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T., et al. 2007. Proteaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 100: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Proteaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Lomatia ferruginea R.Br.

  • Type

    Type. Chile. No locality, Nee s.n. (lectotype, MA, designated by Sleumer, 1954; isolectotypes, B-W 2494, CONC).

  • Synonyms

    Embothrium ferrugineum Cav., Tricondylus ferruginea (Cav.) Salisb., Lomatia ilicifolia var. pinnatifida Hook.

  • Description

    Species Description - Evergreen shrub, or tree, to 10m tall, often multistemmed, young twigs densely ferruginous pubescent to ferruginous crispate; lenticels red-brown or the same color as the bark (gray-brown to brown); bark of older twigs often buff, membranous, sometimes peeling. Buds swollen, ca. 2 × longer than wide; leaves shiny above, 3.5-20 cm long, imparipinnate, bipinnate, the juvenile leaves often tripinnate, and to 50 cm long; leaves originally imparipinnate, becoming bipinnate and tripinnate by division of the leaflets; dividing leaflets irregularly lobed, the entire leaflets sessile, oblong to narrowly oblong (occasionally lorate), to widely elliptic through to narrowly elliptic, to narrowly obovate to oblanceolate; apex acute to obtuse, mucronate; only the primary veins visible, sunken above, prominent below; young foliage ferruginous-pubescent, occasionally ferruginous-crispate, the older leaves pilose beneath, sparsely pilose or glabrous above, the hairs on rhachis concentrated in groove; old hairs becoming white. Inflorescences in the axils of older leaves, racemes 3.5-8 cm long, ferruginous-pubescent or occasionally pilose; peduncles 4-7 mm long; bracteoles 2-17 mm long, to 2 mm wide, sparsely pilose on both surfaces, the largest taking the form of very narrow elliptic lamina, decreasing in size up the inflorescence; flowers red and yellow, 1-1.6 cm long; perianth weakly ferruginous pubescent or pilose, the two segments adjacent to the nectary 2-3 mm shorter; gynoecium 0.9-1.5 cm long, always totally glabrous; stipe 2-5 mm long; ovary 3-5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide; ovules 10-20 in two rows; style apex umbonate, the stigmatic surface the pale raised area at its center; anthers 1.5-2 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, ± ovate to ± triangular (the bases diverging after dehiscence), bright yellow when mature; connective dark brown with an acute tip; hypogynous nectary glands three, shallowly to deeply 3-lobed, the lobes juxtaposed at the base, strongly separated towards the upper half, flat above and keeled below. Fruit (1.7-)2.3-3.9cm long, 0.5-1.0 cm wide, straight one side, ± curved on the other, ± flattened, dehiscing along the curved edge, the surface dark brown to black, glabrous, occasionally gray-brown with red-brown to dark brown in the longitudinal furrows, densely to sparsely minutely tuberculate; peduncle 0.7-0.9(-2.2) cm long; stipe 0.7-1.2 cm long; style and style apex persistent though breaking off from older fruits, 0.3-1.2 cm long; nectary glands persistent. Seed 4.5-7 mm long, 2.5-6 mm wide, shape irregular to ± ovate, tip acute to obtuse, generally mucronate, flattened, ± convex on one side with a ridge, ± convex on the other, smooth, brown with dark brown lepidote scales; wing 7-17 × 7 mm; dissepiment fitting the seed and wing exactly, dark brown; cotyledons red-brown.

  • Discussion

    Used as an ornamental in parks and gardens and was described and illustrated in Botanical Magazine (Skan, 1907). The wood is used in carpentry, being fine grained and capable of attaining a beautiful polish.

    Phenology. Flowering from Sep-Feb. The fruits are persistent and may be found year-round.

  • Common Names

    romarilla, fuinque, huinque, palmilla

  • Distribution

    Grows from sea level to 1000 m alt. in woodland understory (shade and semi-shade) and in more open habitats. Frequently at river margins and able to tolerate wet soils. Distributed from 39° S to 49° S in Chile and the adjacent provinces of Río Negro and Chubut in Argentina. Recorded in Patagonia (Latzina, 1937).

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