Monographs Details:
Authority:
Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)
Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Meliaceae
Meliaceae
Synonyms:
Trichilia stelligera Radlk.
Trichilia stelligera Radlk.
Description:
Species Description - Young branches stellate-puberulous soon becoming greyish-brown and glabrous, usually without lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one leaflet of ultimate pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet, 1022 cm long; petiole and rhachis semiterete, minutely stellate-puberulous to subglabrous; petiolule 3-8 mm long. Leaflets alternate or rarely subopposite, 5-7, oblong to broad elliptic, less frequently oblanceolate, apex obtusely cuspidate to narrowly attenuate or acuminate, base narrowly or broadly cuneate or attenuate, coriaceous, (8-) 13-20[15.5] cm long, (4-)6-10[6.7] cm broad, both surfaces sparsely to moderately minutely stellate or peltate-stellate or subglabrous, glandular-punctate and -striate; venation eucamptodromous, midrib slightly sunken to slightly prominent; secondaries 9-20 on either side of midrib, steeply ascending, usually ± straight and parallel, less frequently slightly arcuate and convergent; inter-secondaries obscure or absent; tertiaries ± oblique and parallel, often closely spaced, moderately prominent on both surfaces. Flowers unisexual, plants dioecious; inflorescence axillary, 2.5-7(-17) cm long, a densely-flowered thyrse, stellate puberulous; pedicel 0.5-1.5 mm long. Calyx shallowly cyathiform, 1-2 mm long, with (4-)5 ± free, imbricate, broadly ovate to orbicular, stellate-puberulous often ciliate sepals. Petals 5, free, imbricate, 4-5 mm long, 1-2 mm broad, oblong, elliptic or lanceolate, apex rounded, obtuse or acute, stellate-puberulous outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube urceolate, cyathiform or short cylindrical, 3-4 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm broad; filaments fused 1/3-1/2 their length, terminated by 2 acute appendages from 1/3 of to equalling anthers in length, indumentum outside varying from uniformly stiff pubescent (simple hairs) to glabrous, inside usually with a mixture of stellate and simple hairs, or less frequently glabrous; anthers 8 or 10, 0.4-1 mm long, usually with a few stiff hairs on dorsal side, rarely uniformly pubescent; antherodes slender, without pollen, not dehiscent. Nectary a small annular pubescent swelling around base of ovary or absent. Ovary ovoid, 3-locular, loculi with 2 collateral ovules, densely stellate pubescent; style densely stellate pubescent; style-head clavate, capitate or rarely ± discoid, below anthers; pistillode flattened-conical, containing small, non-functional ovules. Capsule ellipsoid to obovoid, apex acute to truncate, base acute, smooth or minutely tuberculate, densely stellate puberulous, 2.7-3.8 cm long, 1.5-1.6 cm broad, 3-valved, valves remaining erect; pericarp 1.5-2 mm thick, endocarp thin cartilaginous. Seed solitary, 2.5-3.2 cm long, 0.9-1.1 cm broad, ellipsoid or oblong, acute at base and apex, completely surrounded by a fleshy sarcotesta. Embryo with thick plano-convex, superposed cotyledons; radicle central, included. Endosperm absent.
Species Description - Young branches stellate-puberulous soon becoming greyish-brown and glabrous, usually without lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one leaflet of ultimate pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet, 1022 cm long; petiole and rhachis semiterete, minutely stellate-puberulous to subglabrous; petiolule 3-8 mm long. Leaflets alternate or rarely subopposite, 5-7, oblong to broad elliptic, less frequently oblanceolate, apex obtusely cuspidate to narrowly attenuate or acuminate, base narrowly or broadly cuneate or attenuate, coriaceous, (8-) 13-20[15.5] cm long, (4-)6-10[6.7] cm broad, both surfaces sparsely to moderately minutely stellate or peltate-stellate or subglabrous, glandular-punctate and -striate; venation eucamptodromous, midrib slightly sunken to slightly prominent; secondaries 9-20 on either side of midrib, steeply ascending, usually ± straight and parallel, less frequently slightly arcuate and convergent; inter-secondaries obscure or absent; tertiaries ± oblique and parallel, often closely spaced, moderately prominent on both surfaces. Flowers unisexual, plants dioecious; inflorescence axillary, 2.5-7(-17) cm long, a densely-flowered thyrse, stellate puberulous; pedicel 0.5-1.5 mm long. Calyx shallowly cyathiform, 1-2 mm long, with (4-)5 ± free, imbricate, broadly ovate to orbicular, stellate-puberulous often ciliate sepals. Petals 5, free, imbricate, 4-5 mm long, 1-2 mm broad, oblong, elliptic or lanceolate, apex rounded, obtuse or acute, stellate-puberulous outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube urceolate, cyathiform or short cylindrical, 3-4 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm broad; filaments fused 1/3-1/2 their length, terminated by 2 acute appendages from 1/3 of to equalling anthers in length, indumentum outside varying from uniformly stiff pubescent (simple hairs) to glabrous, inside usually with a mixture of stellate and simple hairs, or less frequently glabrous; anthers 8 or 10, 0.4-1 mm long, usually with a few stiff hairs on dorsal side, rarely uniformly pubescent; antherodes slender, without pollen, not dehiscent. Nectary a small annular pubescent swelling around base of ovary or absent. Ovary ovoid, 3-locular, loculi with 2 collateral ovules, densely stellate pubescent; style densely stellate pubescent; style-head clavate, capitate or rarely ± discoid, below anthers; pistillode flattened-conical, containing small, non-functional ovules. Capsule ellipsoid to obovoid, apex acute to truncate, base acute, smooth or minutely tuberculate, densely stellate puberulous, 2.7-3.8 cm long, 1.5-1.6 cm broad, 3-valved, valves remaining erect; pericarp 1.5-2 mm thick, endocarp thin cartilaginous. Seed solitary, 2.5-3.2 cm long, 0.9-1.1 cm broad, ellipsoid or oblong, acute at base and apex, completely surrounded by a fleshy sarcotesta. Embryo with thick plano-convex, superposed cotyledons; radicle central, included. Endosperm absent.
Discussion:
Relationships. This plant is closely related to T. mazanensis and shares the same geographical range with it. The two species occupy different habitats, however, as T. mazanensis is a species of periodically flooded forest while T. euneura is found only in non-flooded (terra firme) forest. They differ morphologically in a number of small but fairly consistent characters which are enumerated below. Trichilia euneura is the only species of Trichilia which has the seed enveloped in a fleshy sarcotesta.T. mazanensisPetiolule 1-3(-5) mm long Leaflets usually lanceolate, 2.9-5(-7.2)[4.2] cm broad; mean length/breadth 3.1Secondary veins arcuate, convergent; tertiar-ies reticulatePericarp ± smooth, ca. 0.5 mm thickSeed with free arillodeT. euneuraPetiolule 3-8 mm longLeaflets oblong, broad elliptic or oblanceolate, (4-)6-10[6.7] cm broad; mean length/ breadth 2.3Secondary veins usually ± straight, parallel; tertiaries ± oblique, parallel, often closely spacedPericarp 1.5-2 mm thick, often minutely tuberculateSeed with fused sarcotesta
Relationships. This plant is closely related to T. mazanensis and shares the same geographical range with it. The two species occupy different habitats, however, as T. mazanensis is a species of periodically flooded forest while T. euneura is found only in non-flooded (terra firme) forest. They differ morphologically in a number of small but fairly consistent characters which are enumerated below. Trichilia euneura is the only species of Trichilia which has the seed enveloped in a fleshy sarcotesta.T. mazanensisPetiolule 1-3(-5) mm long Leaflets usually lanceolate, 2.9-5(-7.2)[4.2] cm broad; mean length/breadth 3.1Secondary veins arcuate, convergent; tertiar-ies reticulatePericarp ± smooth, ca. 0.5 mm thickSeed with free arillodeT. euneuraPetiolule 3-8 mm longLeaflets oblong, broad elliptic or oblanceolate, (4-)6-10[6.7] cm broad; mean length/ breadth 2.3Secondary veins usually ± straight, parallel; tertiaries ± oblique, parallel, often closely spacedPericarp 1.5-2 mm thick, often minutely tuberculateSeed with fused sarcotesta
Field Characters: Tree to 20 m. The bole in larger trees is slightly fluted at the base, and the bark greyish, lenticellate, scaling in long slender pieces. The flowers are sweet-scented, and the corolla yellowish-green with bright yellow anthers. The flowers are produced from July to December, with one record in February. The fruit, which ripens during the same period, is bright orange, and the seed with sarcotesta is described by Oldeman (field data) as "graine orange enveloppée dans mucosité à odeur agréable fruité."
Distribution:
Venezuela South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America|
Venezuela South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America|