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
Description:
Latin Diagnosis - A L. persistent pneumatophoris, foliis char-taceis (nec coriaceis), et testa seminis suberosa differt.
Description - Trees, to 15 m tall, buttressed, with knee-like pneumatophores. Leaf blades elliptic, 13-20 x 6-8 cm, glabrous, without punctae, chartaceous, usually drying a characteristic reddish-brown, with 12-14 pairs of lateral veins, the tertiary veins salient on both sides; apex acute, attenuate, or acuminate; base acute to rounded; margins entire; petiole 10-15 mm long. Inflorescences axillary or infrequently terminal, unbranched, sometimes several clustered in same axil, racemose, the rachis 3-10 cm long, with ferrugineous pubescence, the pedicel rugose, ca. 13 mm long. Flowers 2.5 cm diam.; calyx with six, erect, not imbricate, abaxially carinate, adaxially slightly concave, narrowly ovate, lobes 5-5.5 x 2-2.5 mm; petals widely obovate, 17-22 x 12-19 mm, white; hood of androecium flat, 20 x 15 mm, antherless or with a few vestigial anthers, pink with appendages white; staminal ring with 170 dimorphic stamens, the filaments of outermost thick, curved, ca. 5 mm long, the filaments of innermost slender, nearly straight, 2 mm long, the anthers 1.2 mm long; hypanthium rugose; ovary 4-locular, the summit umbonate, surmounted by long style. Fruits globose, the calycine ring inserted near middle, the infracalycine zone and operculum covered with white dot-like lenticels, the supracalycine zone free of them, the pericarp 2 mm thick; operculum flat, with slight umbo. Seeds fusiform, longitudinally furrowed, 4-5 x 2.5-3 cm, with basal aril, the testa rugose, corky.
Latin Diagnosis - A L. persistent pneumatophoris, foliis char-taceis (nec coriaceis), et testa seminis suberosa differt.
Description - Trees, to 15 m tall, buttressed, with knee-like pneumatophores. Leaf blades elliptic, 13-20 x 6-8 cm, glabrous, without punctae, chartaceous, usually drying a characteristic reddish-brown, with 12-14 pairs of lateral veins, the tertiary veins salient on both sides; apex acute, attenuate, or acuminate; base acute to rounded; margins entire; petiole 10-15 mm long. Inflorescences axillary or infrequently terminal, unbranched, sometimes several clustered in same axil, racemose, the rachis 3-10 cm long, with ferrugineous pubescence, the pedicel rugose, ca. 13 mm long. Flowers 2.5 cm diam.; calyx with six, erect, not imbricate, abaxially carinate, adaxially slightly concave, narrowly ovate, lobes 5-5.5 x 2-2.5 mm; petals widely obovate, 17-22 x 12-19 mm, white; hood of androecium flat, 20 x 15 mm, antherless or with a few vestigial anthers, pink with appendages white; staminal ring with 170 dimorphic stamens, the filaments of outermost thick, curved, ca. 5 mm long, the filaments of innermost slender, nearly straight, 2 mm long, the anthers 1.2 mm long; hypanthium rugose; ovary 4-locular, the summit umbonate, surmounted by long style. Fruits globose, the calycine ring inserted near middle, the infracalycine zone and operculum covered with white dot-like lenticels, the supracalycine zone free of them, the pericarp 2 mm thick; operculum flat, with slight umbo. Seeds fusiform, longitudinally furrowed, 4-5 x 2.5-3 cm, with basal aril, the testa rugose, corky.
Discussion:
Lecythis pneumatophora is morphologically similar to L. persistens Aublet from which it differs by a buttressed vs. cylindric trunk, the presence vs. absence of knee-like pneumatophores, chartaceous vs. coriaceous leaves, the near absence of anthers on the hood appendages, and corky vs. hard seed testa.Oldeman (1971) was the first to discover pneumatophores in this species. He placed it in Eschweilera, however, and was not able to identify the species. The flowers possess a flat androecial hood and a 4-locular ovary, both features of Lecythis.Oldeman (1971) stated that Symphonia globulifera L. f. only produces pneumatophores when growing on poorly drained soils (a claim not supported by my observations), suggesting that Lecythis pneumatophora may do the same. However, the presence of buttresses, differently textured leaves, and corky seed coat, also support the separation of L. pneumatophora from L. persistens.The outstanding features of this species, pneumatophores and corky seed coat, are adaptations to the riverine habit in which this species is most commonly found.
Lecythis pneumatophora is morphologically similar to L. persistens Aublet from which it differs by a buttressed vs. cylindric trunk, the presence vs. absence of knee-like pneumatophores, chartaceous vs. coriaceous leaves, the near absence of anthers on the hood appendages, and corky vs. hard seed testa.Oldeman (1971) was the first to discover pneumatophores in this species. He placed it in Eschweilera, however, and was not able to identify the species. The flowers possess a flat androecial hood and a 4-locular ovary, both features of Lecythis.Oldeman (1971) stated that Symphonia globulifera L. f. only produces pneumatophores when growing on poorly drained soils (a claim not supported by my observations), suggesting that Lecythis pneumatophora may do the same. However, the presence of buttresses, differently textured leaves, and corky seed coat, also support the separation of L. pneumatophora from L. persistens.The outstanding features of this species, pneumatophores and corky seed coat, are adaptations to the riverine habit in which this species is most commonly found.
Distribution:
French Guiana South America|
French Guiana South America|
Common Names:
mahot
mahot