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
Description:
Description - Medium-sized trees, to 30 m tall. Bark gray, smooth, with irregular depressions left by sloughing bark, the outer bark less than 1 mm thick, the inner bark 7-10 mm thick, light yellow. Leaf blades elliptic, 9-22 x 5-8 cm, glabrous, without punctae, chartaceous, with 9-13 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base acute, obtuse, or rounded; margins entire; petiole 7-15 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, less frequently axillary, racemose, the rachis 4.5-20 cm long, glabrous, the pedicel 12 mm long, glabrous. Flowers turn distinct bluish-green when bruised; calyx with six lobes, the lobes widely oblong, 12-17 x 11-14 mm, ascending, markedly imbricate, the margins slightly undulate; petals white; hood of androecium with double coil, white outside, yellow inside; filaments white, the anthers yellow; hypanthium glabrous; ovary 2-locular, each locule with ca. nine basally attached ovules, the summit elevated, the style obconical, not well differentiated from summit. Fruits cup-shaped, the calycine ring always inserted above middle, the supracalycine zone erect to abruptly tapered inward, always less than 1 cm wide, the infracalycine zone obtuse to rounded at base, 2.5-5 x 4.5-7 cm (excluding operculum), the pericarp 5-8 mm thick, the outside dotted with numerous white lenticels; operculum slightly convex, with low, rounded umbo. Seeds with lateral aril.
Description - Medium-sized trees, to 30 m tall. Bark gray, smooth, with irregular depressions left by sloughing bark, the outer bark less than 1 mm thick, the inner bark 7-10 mm thick, light yellow. Leaf blades elliptic, 9-22 x 5-8 cm, glabrous, without punctae, chartaceous, with 9-13 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base acute, obtuse, or rounded; margins entire; petiole 7-15 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, less frequently axillary, racemose, the rachis 4.5-20 cm long, glabrous, the pedicel 12 mm long, glabrous. Flowers turn distinct bluish-green when bruised; calyx with six lobes, the lobes widely oblong, 12-17 x 11-14 mm, ascending, markedly imbricate, the margins slightly undulate; petals white; hood of androecium with double coil, white outside, yellow inside; filaments white, the anthers yellow; hypanthium glabrous; ovary 2-locular, each locule with ca. nine basally attached ovules, the summit elevated, the style obconical, not well differentiated from summit. Fruits cup-shaped, the calycine ring always inserted above middle, the supracalycine zone erect to abruptly tapered inward, always less than 1 cm wide, the infracalycine zone obtuse to rounded at base, 2.5-5 x 4.5-7 cm (excluding operculum), the pericarp 5-8 mm thick, the outside dotted with numerous white lenticels; operculum slightly convex, with low, rounded umbo. Seeds with lateral aril.
Discussion:
Eschweilera laevicarpa is most similar to E. decolorans. These are the only two species of Eschweilera that show a bluish-green coloration when their flowers and fruits are bruised, a feature also found in all species of Couroupita and several species of Lecythis (Prance & Mori, 1977; Mori & Prance, 1981a). Both occur in French Guiana where we have observed them flowering at the same time and growing in similar habitats.The new species differs from E. decolorans in its sculptured instead of non-sculptured bark; slightly undulate instead of non-undulate calyx-lobe margins; and smooth instead of rough fruit exterior.
Eschweilera laevicarpa is most similar to E. decolorans. These are the only two species of Eschweilera that show a bluish-green coloration when their flowers and fruits are bruised, a feature also found in all species of Couroupita and several species of Lecythis (Prance & Mori, 1977; Mori & Prance, 1981a). Both occur in French Guiana where we have observed them flowering at the same time and growing in similar habitats.The new species differs from E. decolorans in its sculptured instead of non-sculptured bark; slightly undulate instead of non-undulate calyx-lobe margins; and smooth instead of rough fruit exterior.
Distribution:
French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|
French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|