Monographs Details:
Authority:
Prance, Ghillean T. & Mori, S. A. 1979. Lecythidaceae - Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae (Asteranthos, Gustavia, Grias, Allantoma & Cariniana). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270. (Published by NYBG Press)
Prance, Ghillean T. & Mori, S. A. 1979. Lecythidaceae - Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae (Asteranthos, Gustavia, Grias, Allantoma & Cariniana). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
Synonyms:
Eschweilera confertiflora A.C.Sm.
Eschweilera confertiflora A.C.Sm.
Description:
Description - Trees, usually canopy, (15-)20-35 m tall, unbuttressed. Twigs 2-4 mm diam. Bark smooth, sometimes with vertical cracks. Leaf blades elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 6-10(-13.5) x 3-6 cm, glabrous, chartaceous, with 8-14 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base obtuse; margins entire; petiole 6-12 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, of simple racemes or once-branched paniculate arrangements of racemes, the principal rachis 3-17 cm long; pedicels jointed, 1-5 mm long below joint, 4-10 mm long above joint, rugose, green, pink or reddish, with caducous bract at base and two caducous bracteoles inserted directly below joint. Flowers 2-2.5 cm diam.; calyx with six ovate to very widely ovate, green or reddish lobes, 4-8 x 3-6 mm; petals six, subequal, widely obovate, 14-19 x 10-19 mm, usually pink to purple, infrequently white; hood of androecium flat, l7 x 3mm, usually pink to purple, infrequently white, the appendages antherless, when pink with white apices; ligule with well-developed lateral flanges; staminal ring with 110-175 dimorphic stamens, the outermost strongly curved inwards, question mark shaped, 4-5 mm long, the innermost straight, 1-2 mm long, the anthers yellow, 0.40.5 mm long; hypanthium rugose, pubescent, cuneate at base; ovary 4-locular, each locule with 3-4 ovules attached on lower part of septum, the summit truncate, the style geniculate, 4.5 mm long. Fruits narrowly conical, 4-5.5 (excluding operculum) x 2.5-3 cm.
Description - Trees, usually canopy, (15-)20-35 m tall, unbuttressed. Twigs 2-4 mm diam. Bark smooth, sometimes with vertical cracks. Leaf blades elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 6-10(-13.5) x 3-6 cm, glabrous, chartaceous, with 8-14 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base obtuse; margins entire; petiole 6-12 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, of simple racemes or once-branched paniculate arrangements of racemes, the principal rachis 3-17 cm long; pedicels jointed, 1-5 mm long below joint, 4-10 mm long above joint, rugose, green, pink or reddish, with caducous bract at base and two caducous bracteoles inserted directly below joint. Flowers 2-2.5 cm diam.; calyx with six ovate to very widely ovate, green or reddish lobes, 4-8 x 3-6 mm; petals six, subequal, widely obovate, 14-19 x 10-19 mm, usually pink to purple, infrequently white; hood of androecium flat, l7 x 3mm, usually pink to purple, infrequently white, the appendages antherless, when pink with white apices; ligule with well-developed lateral flanges; staminal ring with 110-175 dimorphic stamens, the outermost strongly curved inwards, question mark shaped, 4-5 mm long, the innermost straight, 1-2 mm long, the anthers yellow, 0.40.5 mm long; hypanthium rugose, pubescent, cuneate at base; ovary 4-locular, each locule with 3-4 ovules attached on lower part of septum, the summit truncate, the style geniculate, 4.5 mm long. Fruits narrowly conical, 4-5.5 (excluding operculum) x 2.5-3 cm.
Discussion:
Lecythis confertiflora is morphologically similar to L. idatimon. The two species are phenologically separated and display slight but consistent morphological differences. In a study of the Lecythidaceae of La Fumée Mountain, French Guiana (Mori & Prance, 1987), it was noted that L. confertiflora always flowered before L. idatimon. This was later confirmed in Amapa, Brazil where I and others have collected the two species side by side but always in different phenological states.Morphologically the two species differ in the (1) canopy vs. understory habit; (2) chartaceous vs. coriaceous leaves; (3) smaller leaves; (4) smooth vs. rugose fruits; and (5) more narrowly conical fruits of L. confertiflora. However, there is overlap in most of these features. For example, 52% of the fertile collections of L. confertiflora were collected from trees over 25 m whereas only 13% of the collections of L. idatimon came from trees this large. Likewise, most of the collections of L. confertiflora have their largest leaves under 10 cm long while those of L. idatimon are over this length. Nevertheless, when all these features are considered, it is possible to place all collections in one species or the other.
Lecythis confertiflora is morphologically similar to L. idatimon. The two species are phenologically separated and display slight but consistent morphological differences. In a study of the Lecythidaceae of La Fumée Mountain, French Guiana (Mori & Prance, 1987), it was noted that L. confertiflora always flowered before L. idatimon. This was later confirmed in Amapa, Brazil where I and others have collected the two species side by side but always in different phenological states.Morphologically the two species differ in the (1) canopy vs. understory habit; (2) chartaceous vs. coriaceous leaves; (3) smaller leaves; (4) smooth vs. rugose fruits; and (5) more narrowly conical fruits of L. confertiflora. However, there is overlap in most of these features. For example, 52% of the fertile collections of L. confertiflora were collected from trees over 25 m whereas only 13% of the collections of L. idatimon came from trees this large. Likewise, most of the collections of L. confertiflora have their largest leaves under 10 cm long while those of L. idatimon are over this length. Nevertheless, when all these features are considered, it is possible to place all collections in one species or the other.
Distribution:
Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America|
Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America|
Common Names:
kakaralli, wena kakaralli, wirimiri, mahot blanc, weti loabi, ripeiro Vermelho
kakaralli, wena kakaralli, wirimiri, mahot blanc, weti loabi, ripeiro Vermelho