Monographs Details:
Authority:

Maguire, Bassett. 1978. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part XI. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 32: 1-391.
Family:

Malpighiaceae
Scientific Name:

Byrsonima aerugo Sagot
Description:

Species Description - Trees 15-33 m tall; branches tightly sericeous. Lamina of the larger leaves (12-)14-21(-25) cm long, (4.5-)6-9(-11) cm wide, elliptical or slightly obovate, cuneate or attenuate at the base, acute or usually acuminate at the apex, glabrate above at maturity or somewhat sericeous, especially near the base and on the midrib, densely and persistently ferrugineous-sericeous below, the hairs 0.2-0.5 mm long, subsessile, straight and tightly appressed, parallel, usually so dense and persistent as to completely hide the lamina, the midrib and 9-13 pairs of major lateral veins prominent below; petiole (15-)20-40 mm long, sericeous or glabrescent; stipules 2.5-4 mm long, connate, the pair acute or obtuse at the apex, abaxially sericeous, adaxiaHy glabrous. Inflorescence 7-13(-19) cm long, sericeovelutinous; bracts 3.5-5 mm long, 0.8-1.3 mm wide, subulate, strongly reflexed or circinately revolute, deciduous or persistent; peduncle 0.5-1(-2) mm long, 1(-2)- flowered; bracteoles 0.6-1.5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, triangular, deciduous or persistent. Pedicel 8-12 mm long in flower, up to 14 mm long in fruit, pilose sericeous, straight and ascending in bud and fruit. Sepals all biglandular, 1.5-2.5 mm long, triangular, obtuse at the apex, revolute, abaxially sericeous, adaxially sparsely to densely sericeous or velutinous, accrescent in fruit up to 6 mm long. Petals yellow, glabrous. Anthers 2-3 mm long, sericeous, especially between the locules, the connective equalling the locules or extended beyond them up to 0.6 mm (both extremes and intermediates occurring in the same flower), the locules narrowly linear, 1.6-2.5 mm long, sometimes free at the apex. Ovary conical, 1.5 mm high, densely sericeous; styles 3-3.3 mm long. Fruit yellow, 11 mm in diameter (dried), globose, sericeous on the distal half to glabrate, excavated at the base where borne on a rounded torus.

Discussion:

6. Byrsonima aerugo Sagot, Ann. Sci. Nat. 6° Ser. Bot. 12: 178. 1881. Fig 16b. Byrsonima ferruginea Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth var macrophylla Bentham, London Jour. Bot, (Hooker) 7: 119, 1848, Type, Robt. Schomburgk II 811, Roraima, "British Guiana" [Bolivar, Venezuela] (holotype K, isotype NY!). Lectotype. Sagot 102, Karouany, French Guiana (P, NY!). For an excellent discussion of the nomenclature of Byrsonima aerugo, see Sandwith, K e w Bulletin 1935: 311-313. Note also that B. aerugo is very close to B. crispa, and if the two should ever be combined, crispa is much the older epithet.
Distribution:

French Guiana South America| Suriname South America| Guyana South America| Venezuela South America|