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:
Guarea megantha A.Juss., Guarea megalantha M.Roem., Guarea gigantea Triana & Planch., Guarea chichon C.DC., Guarea trompillo C.DC., Guarea longipetiola C.DC., Guarea culebrana C.DC., Guarea pittieri C.DC., Guarea borisii Harms, Guarea mancharra Cuatrec., Guarea multiflora A.Juss.
Guarea megantha A.Juss., Guarea megalantha M.Roem., Guarea gigantea Triana & Planch., Guarea chichon C.DC., Guarea trompillo C.DC., Guarea longipetiola C.DC., Guarea culebrana C.DC., Guarea pittieri C.DC., Guarea borisii Harms, Guarea mancharra Cuatrec., Guarea multiflora A.Juss.
Description:
Species Description - Young branches massive, indumentum varying from tomentose or velutinous to pubescent, or appressed puberulous, becoming glabrous, rough, brown or grey-brown, sometimes lenticellate. Leaves pinnate with a terminal bud showing intermittent growth, to 140 cm long; petiole narrowly winged to semiterete, rhachis terete or channelled above, tomentose to pubescent or puberulous, becoming glabrous; petiolule 1-6(-15) mm long. Leaflets to 22 pairs, usually oblong or narrowly elliptic, less frequently oblanceolate, apex acuminate, acute, obtuse or truncate, base truncate, rounded, obtuse, acute, cuneate or attenuate, chartaceous to coriaceous, 13.5-37(-63)[26.8] cm long, (3.4-)4.5-13(-20)[8.5] cm broad, glabrous above (rarely midrib puberulous), midrib below puberulous or densely puberulous or tomentose, lamina sparsely puberulous to soft short pubescent (± straight hairs), sometimes intermixed with minute red papillae or glabrous, often glandular-punctate and -striate; venation eucamptodromous, midrib flat or slightly sunken; secondaries (7-)10-20(-23) on either side of midrib, shallowly ascending, arcuate above, parallel or slightly convergent, the lower sometimes somewhat divergent; intersecondaries present or absent; tertiaries oblique, parallel. Inflorescence axillary or ramiflorous rarely cauliflorous, 10-40(-50) cm long, usually a slender or narrowly pyramidal thyrse with lower branches 1-5 cm long, with indeterminate apical growth, rarely broadly pyramidal with lower branches to 15 cm long, puberulous to tomentose; pedicel 0.5-2 cm long. Flower bud oblong, obtuse. Calyx cyathiform, 2-6 mm long with 3-5(-7) irregular acute, obtuse or rounded lobes 2-3 mm long, appressed puberulous outside. Petals 4-5(-7), valvate or slightly imbricate at apex, (9-) 10-14(-17) mm long, 2-5 mm broad, strapshaped to lanceolate, acute, appressed pubescent to sericeous outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube (7-)9-11(-14) mm long, (2-)3-5 mm broad, margin truncate or undulate, glabrous or occasionally sparsely pubescent outside; anthers (8-) 10-12(-13), 1.4-1.7(-2) mm long. Nectary a stout stipe expanded to form an annulus below ovary, 1-2.5 mm long, glabrous. Ovary (4-)7-8(-10)-locular, loculi with 2 superposed ovules, densely appressed pubescent to sericeous or strigose; style appressed pubescent below, glabrous above, very stout and tapering gradually from base to apex. Capsule globose, ellipsoid, pyriform or obovoid, often tapering for ca. 2/3 its length to short stout stipe, sometimes apiculate or apex rounded or truncate, smooth or valves faintly longitudinally lined, densely puberulous or papillose, 3.5-6(-8) cm long, 3-4(-7) cm broad, 5-8-valved, valves with 2 superposed seeds; pericarp 5-6(-15) mm thick. Seed ellipsoid when solitary, truncate at apex or base when superposed, 1-2(-3) cm long, often with a ridge along dorsal surface, surrounded by a thin orange sarcotesta; hilum large, covering at least 1/3 total seed surface. Embryo with thick plano-convex, superposed cotyledons; radicle abaxial, extending to surface.
Species Description - Young branches massive, indumentum varying from tomentose or velutinous to pubescent, or appressed puberulous, becoming glabrous, rough, brown or grey-brown, sometimes lenticellate. Leaves pinnate with a terminal bud showing intermittent growth, to 140 cm long; petiole narrowly winged to semiterete, rhachis terete or channelled above, tomentose to pubescent or puberulous, becoming glabrous; petiolule 1-6(-15) mm long. Leaflets to 22 pairs, usually oblong or narrowly elliptic, less frequently oblanceolate, apex acuminate, acute, obtuse or truncate, base truncate, rounded, obtuse, acute, cuneate or attenuate, chartaceous to coriaceous, 13.5-37(-63)[26.8] cm long, (3.4-)4.5-13(-20)[8.5] cm broad, glabrous above (rarely midrib puberulous), midrib below puberulous or densely puberulous or tomentose, lamina sparsely puberulous to soft short pubescent (± straight hairs), sometimes intermixed with minute red papillae or glabrous, often glandular-punctate and -striate; venation eucamptodromous, midrib flat or slightly sunken; secondaries (7-)10-20(-23) on either side of midrib, shallowly ascending, arcuate above, parallel or slightly convergent, the lower sometimes somewhat divergent; intersecondaries present or absent; tertiaries oblique, parallel. Inflorescence axillary or ramiflorous rarely cauliflorous, 10-40(-50) cm long, usually a slender or narrowly pyramidal thyrse with lower branches 1-5 cm long, with indeterminate apical growth, rarely broadly pyramidal with lower branches to 15 cm long, puberulous to tomentose; pedicel 0.5-2 cm long. Flower bud oblong, obtuse. Calyx cyathiform, 2-6 mm long with 3-5(-7) irregular acute, obtuse or rounded lobes 2-3 mm long, appressed puberulous outside. Petals 4-5(-7), valvate or slightly imbricate at apex, (9-) 10-14(-17) mm long, 2-5 mm broad, strapshaped to lanceolate, acute, appressed pubescent to sericeous outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube (7-)9-11(-14) mm long, (2-)3-5 mm broad, margin truncate or undulate, glabrous or occasionally sparsely pubescent outside; anthers (8-) 10-12(-13), 1.4-1.7(-2) mm long. Nectary a stout stipe expanded to form an annulus below ovary, 1-2.5 mm long, glabrous. Ovary (4-)7-8(-10)-locular, loculi with 2 superposed ovules, densely appressed pubescent to sericeous or strigose; style appressed pubescent below, glabrous above, very stout and tapering gradually from base to apex. Capsule globose, ellipsoid, pyriform or obovoid, often tapering for ca. 2/3 its length to short stout stipe, sometimes apiculate or apex rounded or truncate, smooth or valves faintly longitudinally lined, densely puberulous or papillose, 3.5-6(-8) cm long, 3-4(-7) cm broad, 5-8-valved, valves with 2 superposed seeds; pericarp 5-6(-15) mm thick. Seed ellipsoid when solitary, truncate at apex or base when superposed, 1-2(-3) cm long, often with a ridge along dorsal surface, surrounded by a thin orange sarcotesta; hilum large, covering at least 1/3 total seed surface. Embryo with thick plano-convex, superposed cotyledons; radicle abaxial, extending to surface.
Discussion:
Guarea grandifolia is a species worthy of investigation as a potential source of timber. It reaches a large size, especially in northern South America, and a small trial at Turrialba has given satisfactory results. Guarea is an important commercial timber in Africa (G. cedrata) and there are several species in Latin America which might prove equally valuable (e.g. G. gomma, G. glabra, G. cartaguenya).Relationships. Guarea grandifolia as circumscribed here, contains a number of Central American species formerly regarded as distinct (G. chichon (Mexico), G. culebrana, G. longipetala (Panama), G. pittieri (Costa Rica), and G. trompillo (Guatemala)). The leaflets of these Central American specimens generally have a more tapering, acute to rounded base (often truncate or subcordate in Amazonian specimens), with a very short puberulous indumentum (often softly pubescent with longer hairs on Amazonian material). However, the Central American leaflet type is now known to extend across northern South America and in Cayenne and Amapa Territory, Brazil it intergrades completely with the South American type. There are no floral or fruit differences between Central American and Amazonian plants.Some recent collections from Amazonian Peru and adjacent Brazil (e.g. Pennington et al. 10089, 10093) are included under G. grandifolia with some reservations. They are large unbranched pachycaulous treelets, apparently differing from G. grandifolia only in their more slender flowers. A more extensive series of specimens is needed from western Amazonia before they can be placed with certainty.
Guarea grandifolia is a species worthy of investigation as a potential source of timber. It reaches a large size, especially in northern South America, and a small trial at Turrialba has given satisfactory results. Guarea is an important commercial timber in Africa (G. cedrata) and there are several species in Latin America which might prove equally valuable (e.g. G. gomma, G. glabra, G. cartaguenya).Relationships. Guarea grandifolia as circumscribed here, contains a number of Central American species formerly regarded as distinct (G. chichon (Mexico), G. culebrana, G. longipetala (Panama), G. pittieri (Costa Rica), and G. trompillo (Guatemala)). The leaflets of these Central American specimens generally have a more tapering, acute to rounded base (often truncate or subcordate in Amazonian specimens), with a very short puberulous indumentum (often softly pubescent with longer hairs on Amazonian material). However, the Central American leaflet type is now known to extend across northern South America and in Cayenne and Amapa Territory, Brazil it intergrades completely with the South American type. There are no floral or fruit differences between Central American and Amazonian plants.Some recent collections from Amazonian Peru and adjacent Brazil (e.g. Pennington et al. 10089, 10093) are included under G. grandifolia with some reservations. They are large unbranched pachycaulous treelets, apparently differing from G. grandifolia only in their more slender flowers. A more extensive series of specimens is needed from western Amazonia before they can be placed with certainty.
Flowers: In Central America and Mexico, the flowering season is from April to July, with the fruit maturing from January to March of the following year. Elsewhere in its range the flowering period is from July to December.
Field characters: Tree to 50 m, the branches and twigs massive with large terminal spirals of enormous leaves. Larger specimens usually have butresses to 3-4 m high. The bark in larger trees is pale brown, scaling in irregular plates. The flowers have a reddish calyx with white or cream-coloured corolla. The mature fruit is very showy, rich reddish-brown, with a rather tough but fleshy pericarp that dehisces to expose a pure white interior. The seeds are bright orange with a large white adaxial hilum and they are pendulous on the funicle. As would be expected from such an arrangement and colour scheme, they are dispersed by birds (K. E. Blum, field data).
Distribution:
Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Escuintla Guatemala Central America| Suchitepéquez Guatemala Central America| Alta Verapaz Guatemala Central America| Belize Central America| Honduras Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Bocas del Toro Panamá Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Putumayo Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Miranda Venezuela South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Ecuador South America| Santiago-Zamora Ecuador South America|
Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Escuintla Guatemala Central America| Suchitepéquez Guatemala Central America| Alta Verapaz Guatemala Central America| Belize Central America| Honduras Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Bocas del Toro Panamá Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Putumayo Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Miranda Venezuela South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Ecuador South America| Santiago-Zamora Ecuador South America|
Common Names:
Wildake, No-choc-che, Carapa, Mancharro, Piton, Apae, cedrillo, Cola Pava, trompillo, carbón, Javin, sabino, Aycoy, Azote, trompillo, Chichon de montana, Pronto Alivio, cedro macho, Kusipkakis, Kusimsakis, Requia de altura, Latapi, Latapi de hoja menuda
Wildake, No-choc-che, Carapa, Mancharro, Piton, Apae, cedrillo, Cola Pava, trompillo, carbón, Javin, sabino, Aycoy, Azote, trompillo, Chichon de montana, Pronto Alivio, cedro macho, Kusipkakis, Kusimsakis, Requia de altura, Latapi, Latapi de hoja menuda