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
Description:
Species Description - Young branches sparsely to densely coarse pubescent becoming glabrous, the hairs often yellowish, pale grey-white with a thin to thick suberous bark. Leaves pinnate with a terminal bud showing intermittent growth, to 30(-50) cm long; petiole and rhachis semiterete or narrowly winged, wings broader below insertion of leaflets, often channelled above, coarsely pubescent at first usually becoming glabrous; petiolule 1-2(-4) mm long. Leaflets opposite, 2-7 pairs, narrowly to broadly elliptic, oblong, or oblanceolate occasionally lanceolate, apex usually attenuate or acuminate occasionally obtusely acuminate, base acute, cuneate, or attenuate, chartaceous, 9-26 cm long, 2.8-10(-12) cm broad, usually glabrous except for a few hairs (often including some dibrachiate ones) on undersurface of midrib (subsp, pubiflora) or sparsely to moderately pubescent on lower lamina (subsp, pubescens), sometimes glandular-punctate or -striate, upper surface often with minute raised dots (subsp, pubescens); venation eucamptodromous, midrib and secondaries prominent (subsp, pubiflora) to flat or slightly sunken (subsp. pubescens); secondaries 8-12(-15) on either side of midrib, usually arcuate and slightly to moderately convergent, less frequently straight and parallel; intersecondaries usually short and obscure or absent; tertiaries usually oblique and ± parallel, often numerous (to 10 per cm) and prominent below. Flowers unisexual or bisexual, plants dioecious or hermaphrodite; inflorescence axillary or ramiflorous, 2-15(-30) cm long, a usually few-flowered slender raceme or thyrse with a few short branches near base, occasionally pyramidal with lower branches to 10 cm, sometimes terminated by a cluster of small bracteoles and showing intermittent growth, coarsely pubescent to subglabrous; pedicel l-2.5(-3.5) mm long. Calyx often closed in bud and splitting irregularly to form 3-5 usually ovate acute lobes, mature calyx patelliform or cyathiform, (1-)2-3.5(-4.5) mm long, often lobed to base, sparsely and coarsely appressed pubescent or appressed puberulent outside or subglabrous. Petals (3-)4(-5), nearly always valvate rarely slightly imbricate, 7-9(-12) mm long, 2-3(-4) mm broad, oblong to lanceolate, apex acute, appressed pubescent to strigose outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube 5-7(-9) mm long, 1.5-3 mm broad, margin undulate, sparsely appressed pubescent, strigose, or glabrous outside, glabrous inside; anthers (7-)8(-9), (0.6-)0.75-1.3(-1.8) mm long; antherodes similar but narrower, not dehiscing, without pollen. Nectary a stipe expanded to form an annulus below ovary, 0.5-1.5(-2) mm long, glabrous. Ovary short ovoid to conical, 4(-5)-locular, loculi uniovulate, densely long strigose; style glabrous. Capsule depressed globose to globose or fig-shaped, tapering at base to a short stipe or truncate, valves obscurely to prominently 3(-4)-ribbed, often minutely tuberculate between ribs or less frequently capsule smooth; fruit 1.2-2 cm diam., usually broader than long, 4-valved, valves 1-seeded; pericarp 0.5-1.5(-2) mm thick, puberulous intermixed with scattered or dense coarse long hairs, leathery-fleshy. Seed shaped like segment of an orange, 0.8-1.5 cm long, 0.6-1.0 cm broad, surrounded by a thin sarcotesta which is slightly thickened on adaxial side; testa thin but tough; hilum 0.5-1 cm long, 0.25-0.5 cm broad. Embryo with thick, planoconvex, superposed to oblique cotyledons, sometimes subdivided into several angular segments; radicle abaxial, extending to surface.
Species Description - Young branches sparsely to densely coarse pubescent becoming glabrous, the hairs often yellowish, pale grey-white with a thin to thick suberous bark. Leaves pinnate with a terminal bud showing intermittent growth, to 30(-50) cm long; petiole and rhachis semiterete or narrowly winged, wings broader below insertion of leaflets, often channelled above, coarsely pubescent at first usually becoming glabrous; petiolule 1-2(-4) mm long. Leaflets opposite, 2-7 pairs, narrowly to broadly elliptic, oblong, or oblanceolate occasionally lanceolate, apex usually attenuate or acuminate occasionally obtusely acuminate, base acute, cuneate, or attenuate, chartaceous, 9-26 cm long, 2.8-10(-12) cm broad, usually glabrous except for a few hairs (often including some dibrachiate ones) on undersurface of midrib (subsp, pubiflora) or sparsely to moderately pubescent on lower lamina (subsp, pubescens), sometimes glandular-punctate or -striate, upper surface often with minute raised dots (subsp, pubescens); venation eucamptodromous, midrib and secondaries prominent (subsp, pubiflora) to flat or slightly sunken (subsp. pubescens); secondaries 8-12(-15) on either side of midrib, usually arcuate and slightly to moderately convergent, less frequently straight and parallel; intersecondaries usually short and obscure or absent; tertiaries usually oblique and ± parallel, often numerous (to 10 per cm) and prominent below. Flowers unisexual or bisexual, plants dioecious or hermaphrodite; inflorescence axillary or ramiflorous, 2-15(-30) cm long, a usually few-flowered slender raceme or thyrse with a few short branches near base, occasionally pyramidal with lower branches to 10 cm, sometimes terminated by a cluster of small bracteoles and showing intermittent growth, coarsely pubescent to subglabrous; pedicel l-2.5(-3.5) mm long. Calyx often closed in bud and splitting irregularly to form 3-5 usually ovate acute lobes, mature calyx patelliform or cyathiform, (1-)2-3.5(-4.5) mm long, often lobed to base, sparsely and coarsely appressed pubescent or appressed puberulent outside or subglabrous. Petals (3-)4(-5), nearly always valvate rarely slightly imbricate, 7-9(-12) mm long, 2-3(-4) mm broad, oblong to lanceolate, apex acute, appressed pubescent to strigose outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube 5-7(-9) mm long, 1.5-3 mm broad, margin undulate, sparsely appressed pubescent, strigose, or glabrous outside, glabrous inside; anthers (7-)8(-9), (0.6-)0.75-1.3(-1.8) mm long; antherodes similar but narrower, not dehiscing, without pollen. Nectary a stipe expanded to form an annulus below ovary, 0.5-1.5(-2) mm long, glabrous. Ovary short ovoid to conical, 4(-5)-locular, loculi uniovulate, densely long strigose; style glabrous. Capsule depressed globose to globose or fig-shaped, tapering at base to a short stipe or truncate, valves obscurely to prominently 3(-4)-ribbed, often minutely tuberculate between ribs or less frequently capsule smooth; fruit 1.2-2 cm diam., usually broader than long, 4-valved, valves 1-seeded; pericarp 0.5-1.5(-2) mm thick, puberulous intermixed with scattered or dense coarse long hairs, leathery-fleshy. Seed shaped like segment of an orange, 0.8-1.5 cm long, 0.6-1.0 cm broad, surrounded by a thin sarcotesta which is slightly thickened on adaxial side; testa thin but tough; hilum 0.5-1 cm long, 0.25-0.5 cm broad. Embryo with thick, planoconvex, superposed to oblique cotyledons, sometimes subdivided into several angular segments; radicle abaxial, extending to surface.