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:
Jacapucaya brasiliensis Marcgr., Lecythis ollaria Vell., Lecythis ollaria Spruce, Lecythis urnigera Mart., Lecythis amazonum Mart. ex O.Berg, Couroupita lentula Miers, Couroupita crenulata Miers, Lecythis velloziana Miers, Lecythis usitata Miers, Lecythis pisonis subsp. usitata (Miers) S.A.Mori & Prance, Lecythis marcgraaviana Miers, Lecythis densa Miers, Lecythis sphaeroides Miers, Lecythis pilaris Miers, Lecythis setifera Miers, Lecythis paraensis Huber ex Ducke, Lecythis usitata var. paraensis (Huber ex Ducke) R.Knuth, Lecythis hoppiana R.Knuth, Lecythis usitata var. tenuifolia R.Knuth, Lecythis amapaensis Ledoux, Pachylecythis egleri Ledoux
Jacapucaya brasiliensis Marcgr., Lecythis ollaria Vell., Lecythis ollaria Spruce, Lecythis urnigera Mart., Lecythis amazonum Mart. ex O.Berg, Couroupita lentula Miers, Couroupita crenulata Miers, Lecythis velloziana Miers, Lecythis usitata Miers, Lecythis pisonis subsp. usitata (Miers) S.A.Mori & Prance, Lecythis marcgraaviana Miers, Lecythis densa Miers, Lecythis sphaeroides Miers, Lecythis pilaris Miers, Lecythis setifera Miers, Lecythis paraensis Huber ex Ducke, Lecythis usitata var. paraensis (Huber ex Ducke) R.Knuth, Lecythis hoppiana R.Knuth, Lecythis usitata var. tenuifolia R.Knuth, Lecythis amapaensis Ledoux, Pachylecythis egleri Ledoux
Description:
Description - Large trees, to 50 m tall, with or without buttresses. Twigs glabrous or puberulous when young. Bark grayish to dark brown, with deep vertical fissures, the outer bark laminated, the inner bark whitish, the sapwood white to yellowish-white, the heartwood reddish-brown. Leaves deciduous, the new leaves red, cream-colored, or light green, later becoming dark green, flushed just before flowering; leaf blades narrowly to widely ovate or elliptic to widely elliptic, (6-)8-15(-18) x 3-8 cm, glabrous, the young blades chartaceous, the older ones more coriaceous, with 10-20 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base obtuse to rounded, very narrowly decurrent onto petiole; margins crenate; petiole 4-12 mm long, puberulous or glabrous. Inflorescences of racemes, arising on twigs below leaves, with 6-20 flowers, the rachis 3-15 cm long; pedicels 5-12 mm long, glabrous or puberulous, subtended by leaf or caducous bract, with two ovate caducous bracteoles variously inserted from base to midpoint, these with two minute lateral stipels which often persist after bracteoles fall. Flowers 3-7 cm diam.; calyx with six widely ovate purple lobes, 3.5-8 x 3.5-8 mm; petals six, subequal, narrowly to widely obovate, 17-35 x 14-27 mm, usually purple, sometimes white, always fading to white after falling; hood of androecium flat, usually purple, sometimes white, 16-25 x 16-30 mm, the appendages all antheriferous or the proximal ones antheriferous and the distal ones sterile, the anthers of hood first white or light yellow, then black after 24 hours; staminal ring with 114-350 stamens, the filaments 1-2 mm long, white or yellow, the anthers white or yellow, 0.6-0.7 mm long; hypanthium glabrous or puberulous; ovary 4-locular, with 6-15 ovules in each locule, the ovules inserted on lower half of septum, the style 1-2 mm long, with slight annular expansion towards apex. Fruits globose, oblong, or turbinate, 6-15 x 8.5-30 cm, the pericarp to 3 cm thick, the calycine zone prominent or not. Seeds 10-30 per fruit, fusiform, with 8-12 sulci, 4-6 x 2.5-3 cm, the basal, cord-like funicle surrounded by fleshy white aril. X = 17.
Description - Large trees, to 50 m tall, with or without buttresses. Twigs glabrous or puberulous when young. Bark grayish to dark brown, with deep vertical fissures, the outer bark laminated, the inner bark whitish, the sapwood white to yellowish-white, the heartwood reddish-brown. Leaves deciduous, the new leaves red, cream-colored, or light green, later becoming dark green, flushed just before flowering; leaf blades narrowly to widely ovate or elliptic to widely elliptic, (6-)8-15(-18) x 3-8 cm, glabrous, the young blades chartaceous, the older ones more coriaceous, with 10-20 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base obtuse to rounded, very narrowly decurrent onto petiole; margins crenate; petiole 4-12 mm long, puberulous or glabrous. Inflorescences of racemes, arising on twigs below leaves, with 6-20 flowers, the rachis 3-15 cm long; pedicels 5-12 mm long, glabrous or puberulous, subtended by leaf or caducous bract, with two ovate caducous bracteoles variously inserted from base to midpoint, these with two minute lateral stipels which often persist after bracteoles fall. Flowers 3-7 cm diam.; calyx with six widely ovate purple lobes, 3.5-8 x 3.5-8 mm; petals six, subequal, narrowly to widely obovate, 17-35 x 14-27 mm, usually purple, sometimes white, always fading to white after falling; hood of androecium flat, usually purple, sometimes white, 16-25 x 16-30 mm, the appendages all antheriferous or the proximal ones antheriferous and the distal ones sterile, the anthers of hood first white or light yellow, then black after 24 hours; staminal ring with 114-350 stamens, the filaments 1-2 mm long, white or yellow, the anthers white or yellow, 0.6-0.7 mm long; hypanthium glabrous or puberulous; ovary 4-locular, with 6-15 ovules in each locule, the ovules inserted on lower half of septum, the style 1-2 mm long, with slight annular expansion towards apex. Fruits globose, oblong, or turbinate, 6-15 x 8.5-30 cm, the pericarp to 3 cm thick, the calycine zone prominent or not. Seeds 10-30 per fruit, fusiform, with 8-12 sulci, 4-6 x 2.5-3 cm, the basal, cord-like funicle surrounded by fleshy white aril. X = 17.
Discussion:
In English the fruits are called monkey pots and the seeds are referred to as paradise or cream nuts. The seeds are equally as delicious and nutritious as the Brazil nut but they have not reached the economic importance of the latter because they are carried away by animals, especially bats, and are therefore difficult to harvest (Greenhall, 1965; Prance & Mori, 1979; Mori & Prance, 1981a). Lecythis pisonis is often planted near Amazonian homes in order to facilitate exploitation of the seeds. In addition, this species is cultivated as an ornamental, especially in tropical botanical gardens.The flowers of L. pisonis are pollinated by carpenter bees (Xylocopa frontalis), both in Bahia (Mori & Orchard, 1979; Mori et al., 1980b) and in Amazonia. The characters used by Mori and Prance (1981a) to separate Amazonian and coastal Brazilian subspecies have not held up. On a recent field trip to Amapa, I was able to observe flowering trees flushing out new, red leaves which we had previously thought to occur only in the eastern extra Amazonian Brazilian population. In addition, my field assistant, M. R. dos Santos, captured five individuals of Xylocopa frontalis visiting L. pisonis and observed that it was the principal pollinator. Consequently, the Amazonian and eastern Brazilian populations are morphologically similar and are pollinated by the same species of bee.As in all other species of Lecythis belonging to this section, the fruits are extremely variable (Mori & Prance, 1981a). This is especially true of fruit size and the degree of conspicuousness of the calycine ring. The largest fruits almost always have the most conspicuous calycine rings. Moreover, it appears that the larger fruited individuals may have a preference for periodically flooded habitats. The earliest, validly published name for the larger fruited individuals with conspicuous calycine rings is Lecythis paraensis Huber ex Ducke, and the largest known fruits are found in a population described by Ledoux as Pachylecythis egleri. Pubescence of the hypanthium also shows considerable variability independent of fruit features. Some populations are essentially glabrous whereas others are pubescent. Recently, I have learned that some Central Amazonian individuals have white petals and androecial hoods instead of purple ones. Further collection and study may show that some of these populations may merit formal recognition as subspecies. In order to help solve this problem, it is necessary for collectors to gather leaves, flowers, and fruits from the same tree as well as to make careful notes on whether the plant grows in non-flooded or periodically flooded habitats.
In English the fruits are called monkey pots and the seeds are referred to as paradise or cream nuts. The seeds are equally as delicious and nutritious as the Brazil nut but they have not reached the economic importance of the latter because they are carried away by animals, especially bats, and are therefore difficult to harvest (Greenhall, 1965; Prance & Mori, 1979; Mori & Prance, 1981a). Lecythis pisonis is often planted near Amazonian homes in order to facilitate exploitation of the seeds. In addition, this species is cultivated as an ornamental, especially in tropical botanical gardens.The flowers of L. pisonis are pollinated by carpenter bees (Xylocopa frontalis), both in Bahia (Mori & Orchard, 1979; Mori et al., 1980b) and in Amazonia. The characters used by Mori and Prance (1981a) to separate Amazonian and coastal Brazilian subspecies have not held up. On a recent field trip to Amapa, I was able to observe flowering trees flushing out new, red leaves which we had previously thought to occur only in the eastern extra Amazonian Brazilian population. In addition, my field assistant, M. R. dos Santos, captured five individuals of Xylocopa frontalis visiting L. pisonis and observed that it was the principal pollinator. Consequently, the Amazonian and eastern Brazilian populations are morphologically similar and are pollinated by the same species of bee.As in all other species of Lecythis belonging to this section, the fruits are extremely variable (Mori & Prance, 1981a). This is especially true of fruit size and the degree of conspicuousness of the calycine ring. The largest fruits almost always have the most conspicuous calycine rings. Moreover, it appears that the larger fruited individuals may have a preference for periodically flooded habitats. The earliest, validly published name for the larger fruited individuals with conspicuous calycine rings is Lecythis paraensis Huber ex Ducke, and the largest known fruits are found in a population described by Ledoux as Pachylecythis egleri. Pubescence of the hypanthium also shows considerable variability independent of fruit features. Some populations are essentially glabrous whereas others are pubescent. Recently, I have learned that some Central Amazonian individuals have white petals and androecial hoods instead of purple ones. Further collection and study may show that some of these populations may merit formal recognition as subspecies. In order to help solve this problem, it is necessary for collectors to gather leaves, flowers, and fruits from the same tree as well as to make careful notes on whether the plant grows in non-flooded or periodically flooded habitats.
Distribution:
Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Cuba South America| Piñar del Río Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America|
Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Cuba South America| Piñar del Río Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America|
Common Names:
Castanha de Sapucaia
Castanha de Sapucaia