Taxon Details: Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala S.A.Mori
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Protologue of Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala.
Protologue of Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala.Family:
Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)
Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:
Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala S.A.Mori
Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala S.A.Mori
Primary Citation:
Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 64: 232. 1990
Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 64: 232. 1990
Accepted Name:
This name is currently accepted.
This name is currently accepted.
Description:
Author: Scott A. Mori
Type: French Guiana. Saül, 3°37' N, 53°l2' W, top of La Fumée Mountain, in vicinity of junction of the main La Fumée Trail and Antenne Nord of the La Fumée Trail, 400 m alt., 4 Sep 1989 (fr), S. A. Mori et at. 20800 (holotype NY, isotype CAY).
Description: Trees, to 40 m x 65 cm, with steep, thick buttresses. Bark fissured, the outer bark 1-2 mm thick, the inner bark 10 mm thick, red, the sapwood yellow. Leaves not known to flush just before anthesis; petioles 5 mm long; blades widely elliptic, 5-7 x 3-5 crn, glabrous, without punctae, coriaceous, the base obtuse to rounded, the margins entire; secondary veins in 8-II pairs pairs. Infructescences axillary, unbranched, the rachis to 4 cm long, glabrous, the fruits sessile. Flowers 1.5-2 cm in largest diam. at anthesis; petals 5(-6), two cucu1late, these erect or arched over posterior (closed) end of androecium, three flattened, these oriented toward anterior (open) end of androecium, widely obovate, 7-14 x 5-10 mm, green; androecium with staminal ring with ca. 150 stamens, these extending up the ligule, the filaments ca. I mm long, the anthers ca. 0.3 mm long., the hood 10 x 10 mm, broad at base, pointed at apex, forming double coil, white. Fruits broadly cup-shaped, the largest 2.5 x 4.5 em (excluding operculum), the calycine ring inserted slightly above middle, the calyx lobes persisting as woody knobs.
Common names: None recorded.
Distribution: At the time of its description, this subspecies was orginally known by two individuals located several hundred meters off the trail system to the NE of the junction between the main La Fumée Trail and Antenne Nord in the vicinity of Saül, French Guiana trail (see fig. V-1 in Mori & Boom, 1987). Several trees were subsequently discovered on the Rio Cueiras in Amazonas, Brazil.
Ecology: Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala is a canopy to emergent tree found in non-flooded forest.
Phenology: Flowers have been collected in French Guiana in Sep and in Jul in central Amazonian Brazil.
Pollination: No observations recorded. The only green-petaled Lecythidaceae for which pollinators are known is Lecythis poiteaui which is pollinated by bats. However, E. piresii subsp. viridipetala has none of the other features of bat pollination (very large, nocturnal flowers; stamen number greater than 1,000; and flowers displayed in inflorescences projecting above the canopy) found in L. poiteaui. There also are no pollination observations recorded for the other green-petaled species, Corythphora rimosa subsp. rimosa, which, like E piresii subsp. viridipetala appears to flower during the day.
Dispersal: No observations recorded. The seeds of this subspecies are unknown and, thus, it is not known if they possess an aril that might be eaten by animals.
Field characters: Eschweilera piresii subsp, viridipetala is characterized by fissured external bark and reddish colored inner bark; five green petals and a white androecial hood; and relatively small cup-shaped fruits with the calyx-lobes persisting as wood knobs. This subspecies differs from subspecies piresii in its non-flooded vs periodically flooded habitat; obtuse to rouned leaf blade apices; and the white vs. green petals
Taxonomic notes: Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala is unique in the genus because of its green petals, which are only known in Lecythis poiteaui, a night-flowering, bat-pollinated species of the Guayana floristic Province, and Corythophora rimosa subsp. rimosa of central Amazonian Brazil. This is also the only taxon of Eschweilera to have five petals. The two posterior petals are cucullate and are erect or slightly arched over the closed end of the andoecium. The three other petals are more or less flattened and oriented toward the open end ofthe flower. Most species of Eschweilera have six petals, although a few species (Eschweilera perumbonata and the three species of Eschweilera sect. Tetrapetala) have four petals). The leaves and fruit of E. piresii subsp. viridipetala are morphologically similar to those of E. piresii subsp. piresii. The stamens of both subspecies extend from the staminal ring up the ligule to the androecial hood. However, E. piresii subsp. piresii has white petals which are either five or six in number. The extant collections of subsp. piresii lack sufficient flowering material to allow me to confirm my earlier observation that petal number is six in this subspecies.
Uses: None recorded
Etymology: The name of the supspecies refers to the green petals.
Acknowledgements: We are grateful to B. Angell and C. Gracie for allowing us to use their images to illustrate the characters of this species.
Author: Scott A. Mori
Type: French Guiana. Saül, 3°37' N, 53°l2' W, top of La Fumée Mountain, in vicinity of junction of the main La Fumée Trail and Antenne Nord of the La Fumée Trail, 400 m alt., 4 Sep 1989 (fr), S. A. Mori et at. 20800 (holotype NY, isotype CAY).
Description: Trees, to 40 m x 65 cm, with steep, thick buttresses. Bark fissured, the outer bark 1-2 mm thick, the inner bark 10 mm thick, red, the sapwood yellow. Leaves not known to flush just before anthesis; petioles 5 mm long; blades widely elliptic, 5-7 x 3-5 crn, glabrous, without punctae, coriaceous, the base obtuse to rounded, the margins entire; secondary veins in 8-II pairs pairs. Infructescences axillary, unbranched, the rachis to 4 cm long, glabrous, the fruits sessile. Flowers 1.5-2 cm in largest diam. at anthesis; petals 5(-6), two cucu1late, these erect or arched over posterior (closed) end of androecium, three flattened, these oriented toward anterior (open) end of androecium, widely obovate, 7-14 x 5-10 mm, green; androecium with staminal ring with ca. 150 stamens, these extending up the ligule, the filaments ca. I mm long, the anthers ca. 0.3 mm long., the hood 10 x 10 mm, broad at base, pointed at apex, forming double coil, white. Fruits broadly cup-shaped, the largest 2.5 x 4.5 em (excluding operculum), the calycine ring inserted slightly above middle, the calyx lobes persisting as woody knobs.
Common names: None recorded.
Distribution: At the time of its description, this subspecies was orginally known by two individuals located several hundred meters off the trail system to the NE of the junction between the main La Fumée Trail and Antenne Nord in the vicinity of Saül, French Guiana trail (see fig. V-1 in Mori & Boom, 1987). Several trees were subsequently discovered on the Rio Cueiras in Amazonas, Brazil.
Ecology: Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala is a canopy to emergent tree found in non-flooded forest.
Phenology: Flowers have been collected in French Guiana in Sep and in Jul in central Amazonian Brazil.
Pollination: No observations recorded. The only green-petaled Lecythidaceae for which pollinators are known is Lecythis poiteaui which is pollinated by bats. However, E. piresii subsp. viridipetala has none of the other features of bat pollination (very large, nocturnal flowers; stamen number greater than 1,000; and flowers displayed in inflorescences projecting above the canopy) found in L. poiteaui. There also are no pollination observations recorded for the other green-petaled species, Corythphora rimosa subsp. rimosa, which, like E piresii subsp. viridipetala appears to flower during the day.
Dispersal: No observations recorded. The seeds of this subspecies are unknown and, thus, it is not known if they possess an aril that might be eaten by animals.
Field characters: Eschweilera piresii subsp, viridipetala is characterized by fissured external bark and reddish colored inner bark; five green petals and a white androecial hood; and relatively small cup-shaped fruits with the calyx-lobes persisting as wood knobs. This subspecies differs from subspecies piresii in its non-flooded vs periodically flooded habitat; obtuse to rouned leaf blade apices; and the white vs. green petals
Taxonomic notes: Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala is unique in the genus because of its green petals, which are only known in Lecythis poiteaui, a night-flowering, bat-pollinated species of the Guayana floristic Province, and Corythophora rimosa subsp. rimosa of central Amazonian Brazil. This is also the only taxon of Eschweilera to have five petals. The two posterior petals are cucullate and are erect or slightly arched over the closed end of the andoecium. The three other petals are more or less flattened and oriented toward the open end ofthe flower. Most species of Eschweilera have six petals, although a few species (Eschweilera perumbonata and the three species of Eschweilera sect. Tetrapetala) have four petals). The leaves and fruit of E. piresii subsp. viridipetala are morphologically similar to those of E. piresii subsp. piresii. The stamens of both subspecies extend from the staminal ring up the ligule to the androecial hood. However, E. piresii subsp. piresii has white petals which are either five or six in number. The extant collections of subsp. piresii lack sufficient flowering material to allow me to confirm my earlier observation that petal number is six in this subspecies.
Uses: None recorded
Etymology: The name of the supspecies refers to the green petals.
Acknowledgements: We are grateful to B. Angell and C. Gracie for allowing us to use their images to illustrate the characters of this species.
Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):
Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala S.A.Mori: [Article] Mori, S. A. & Mitchell, John D. 1990. Tapirira bethanniana (Anacardiaceae) and Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala (Lecythidaceae), two new taxa from central French Guiana. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 64: 229-234.
Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala S.A.Mori: [Article] Mori, S. A. & Mitchell, John D. 1990. Tapirira bethanniana (Anacardiaceae) and Eschweilera piresii subsp. viridipetala (Lecythidaceae), two new taxa from central French Guiana. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 64: 229-234.
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