Monographs Details:
Authority:

Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:

Meliaceae
Scientific Name:

Guarea sprucei C.DC.
Description:

Species Description - Leaves pinnate with a terminal bud, to 40 cm long; petiole semiterete with a narrow wing at base, rhachis quadrangular, densely golden tomentose to villose. Leaflets subsessile, to 3 pairs, oblong, apex short attenuate to obtusely cuspidate, base ± truncate, coriaceous and strongly bullate, ca. 30 cm long, ca. 11 cm broad, lower ones much smaller, upper surface with tomentose midrib and short pubescent secondary veins, lower surface with densely golden villose midrib and uniformly golden pubescent lamina, hairs intermixed with numerous minute red papillae, not glandular-punctate or -striate; venation eucamptodromous, midrib sunken; secondaries ca. 18 on either side of midrib, ascending, arcuate above, lowest ones divergent, otherwise parallel; intersecondaries very short; tertiaries oblique, very prominent on the undersurface; quaternary reticulum prominent below. Inflorescence 20-30 cm long, a laxly-branched panicle, lower lateral branches to 8 cm long, spreading at right angles to axis, golden tomentose; pedicel 1.5 mm long. Calyx deeply cyathiform, ca. 7 mm long, irregularly 3-4-lobed, lobes 2-4 mm long, ovate, acute or obtuse, golden tomentose. Petals 5, valvate, 14-15 mm long, ca. 4.5 mm broad, oblong, apex acute, golden sericeous outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube slightly narrowed at throat, ca. 11 mm long, ca. 4 mm broad, margin undulate, glabrous; anthers 10-11, ca. 1.8 mm long. Nectary a stout stipe expanded at apex to form a ring below ovary, ca. 2.5 mm long, glabrous. Ovary strongly longitudinally ribbed, 6-locular, loculi with 2 superposed ovules, densely strigose; style stout, strigose. Fruit unknown. Field characters. Tree to 33 m, flowering in March.

Discussion:

Relationships

The large, prominently bullate leaflets with golden indumentum on the lower surface and on all other parts of the plant immediately distinguish G. sprucei from other species. It is related to the large-flowered species such as G. grandifolia and G. carinata and the prominently ribbed ovary suggests a carinate or possibly winged fruit.
Distribution:

Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|