Monographs Details:
Authority:
Mori, S. A. & Prance, Ghillean T. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II: The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). With a study of secondary xylem of Neotropical Lecythidaceae by Carl de Zeeuw. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-376. (Published by NYBG Press)
Mori, S. A. & Prance, Ghillean T. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II: The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). With a study of secondary xylem of Neotropical Lecythidaceae by Carl de Zeeuw. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-376. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
Synonyms:
Chytroma decolorans (Sandwith) R.Knuth, Eschweilera sandwithiana A.C.Sm. & Beard
Chytroma decolorans (Sandwith) R.Knuth, Eschweilera sandwithiana A.C.Sm. & Beard
Description:
Description - Trees, to 30 m tall, buttressed or unbuttressed, sometimes slightly basally swollen. Bark brown to reddish-brown, nearly smooth but sometimes with inconspicuous vertical cracks and vertically oriented, irregular depressions caused by peeling of small plates, the lenticels, when present, disposed in vertical rows, the outer bark 0.5-1 mm thick, the inner bark 7-14 mm thick, the slash yellow. Leaf blades widely elliptic to elliptic, 8.523 x 3.5-8.5 cm, glabrous, inconspicuously to markedly punctate abaxially, chartaceous, with 9-14 pairs of lateral veins; apex short to long acuminate; base usually obtuse to rounded, infrequently acute; margins entire to crenulate; petiole 6-12 mm long. Inflorescences usually terminal or less frequently in leaf axils, unbranched racemes or occasionally weakly branched, the rachis glabrous, often zig-zag and angled, 3-14 cm long, the pedicel glabrous, 1.5-13 mm long. Flowers (3—)5—6(—8) cm diam.; calyx with six lobes, the lobes very widely to widely ovate, 4.513 x 6-12 mm, ascending, imbricate for most of length, convex abaxially, concave adaxially; petals six, widely obovate, (15—)26—35 x (12-) 18-28 mm, usually white, infrequently light yellow, turning bluish-green when bruised; hood of androecium (12-) 17-23 x (11-)20-25 mm, forming double coil, yellow; staminal ring with ca. 180 stamens, the filaments 1.2-2 mm long, clavate, yellow or white, the anthers 0.5 mm long, yellow; hypanthium truncate below calyx, glabrous; ovary 3-5-locular in Guianas, 2-4-locular in Amazonia, with 3-10 ovules attached to placenta on floor of locule, summit of ovary mammiform, 3.5-5 mm high, the style obconical, not readily distinguished from summit of ovary. Fruits depressed globose, 4-5 x 7-8 cm, truncate directly below calycine ring, the calycine ring inserted below middle, the supracalycine zone erect, the pericarp rough, 3-4 mm thick; operculum convex, without or with slight umbo. Seeds unknown.
Description - Trees, to 30 m tall, buttressed or unbuttressed, sometimes slightly basally swollen. Bark brown to reddish-brown, nearly smooth but sometimes with inconspicuous vertical cracks and vertically oriented, irregular depressions caused by peeling of small plates, the lenticels, when present, disposed in vertical rows, the outer bark 0.5-1 mm thick, the inner bark 7-14 mm thick, the slash yellow. Leaf blades widely elliptic to elliptic, 8.523 x 3.5-8.5 cm, glabrous, inconspicuously to markedly punctate abaxially, chartaceous, with 9-14 pairs of lateral veins; apex short to long acuminate; base usually obtuse to rounded, infrequently acute; margins entire to crenulate; petiole 6-12 mm long. Inflorescences usually terminal or less frequently in leaf axils, unbranched racemes or occasionally weakly branched, the rachis glabrous, often zig-zag and angled, 3-14 cm long, the pedicel glabrous, 1.5-13 mm long. Flowers (3—)5—6(—8) cm diam.; calyx with six lobes, the lobes very widely to widely ovate, 4.513 x 6-12 mm, ascending, imbricate for most of length, convex abaxially, concave adaxially; petals six, widely obovate, (15—)26—35 x (12-) 18-28 mm, usually white, infrequently light yellow, turning bluish-green when bruised; hood of androecium (12-) 17-23 x (11-)20-25 mm, forming double coil, yellow; staminal ring with ca. 180 stamens, the filaments 1.2-2 mm long, clavate, yellow or white, the anthers 0.5 mm long, yellow; hypanthium truncate below calyx, glabrous; ovary 3-5-locular in Guianas, 2-4-locular in Amazonia, with 3-10 ovules attached to placenta on floor of locule, summit of ovary mammiform, 3.5-5 mm high, the style obconical, not readily distinguished from summit of ovary. Fruits depressed globose, 4-5 x 7-8 cm, truncate directly below calycine ring, the calycine ring inserted below middle, the supracalycine zone erect, the pericarp rough, 3-4 mm thick; operculum convex, without or with slight umbo. Seeds unknown.
Discussion:
This species is readily distinguished in the Guianas and eastern Venezuela by the discoloration of the flowers and fruits to bluish-green when they are bruised, a feature reminiscent of species of Couroupita and some species of Lecythis (Prance & Mori, 1977; Mori & Prance, 1981a). We do not know if the Amazonian plants exhibit this feature.Locule number is variable, ranging from 3-5 in the Guianan population, whereas Amazonian individuals have 2-4 locules.The large Calyx-lobes, which are imbricate for most of their length, and the truncate hypanthium are diagnostic. The fruits, with their rough pericarps, depressed globose shape, and truncate base, help separate this from other species of the genus.A series of collections from around Manaus tLoureiro INPA. 16140, INPA. 16577; Pennington & Ramos P.22617; Prance & Ramos 23084; Rodrigues et al 3137, 6995, 7011, 7387) have smaller flowers and smaller fruits. See Addendum.
This species is readily distinguished in the Guianas and eastern Venezuela by the discoloration of the flowers and fruits to bluish-green when they are bruised, a feature reminiscent of species of Couroupita and some species of Lecythis (Prance & Mori, 1977; Mori & Prance, 1981a). We do not know if the Amazonian plants exhibit this feature.Locule number is variable, ranging from 3-5 in the Guianan population, whereas Amazonian individuals have 2-4 locules.The large Calyx-lobes, which are imbricate for most of their length, and the truncate hypanthium are diagnostic. The fruits, with their rough pericarps, depressed globose shape, and truncate base, help separate this from other species of the genus.A series of collections from around Manaus tLoureiro INPA. 16140, INPA. 16577; Pennington & Ramos P.22617; Prance & Ramos 23084; Rodrigues et al 3137, 6995, 7011, 7387) have smaller flowers and smaller fruits. See Addendum.
Distribution:
Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Delta Amacuro Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|
Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Delta Amacuro Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|
Common Names:
Ripeiro, black kakaralli, smooth leaved kakaralli, bergmanbarklak, cacao
Ripeiro, black kakaralli, smooth leaved kakaralli, bergmanbarklak, cacao