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Additional Resources:

Family:

Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2): 304. 1990

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Type Specimens:

Specimen 1: Holotype -- G. T. Prance

Description:

Author: Scott A. Mori & Nathan P. Smith

Type: Brazil. Amazonas: Acara Trail, Reserva Ducke, km 26 Manaus-Itacoatiara Rd., 24 Oct 1974 (fl), Prance et al. 23062 (holotype, INPA; isotypes, AAU, COL, FHa, K, MEXU, MO, NY, P, RB, U, US, VEN).

Description: Trees, to 35 m tall, the trunk cylindric to ground. Bark fissured, the outer bark thickness not known, the inner bark thickness not known, usually yellow, less frequently white. Stems 4.5–7 mm diam., glabrous at maturity, smooth, angled, especially below leaf attachment, with vertically oriented lenticels, chestnut brown, the younger stems not as angled and without lenticels. Leaves: petioles 10–22 mm long, glabrous, canaliculate; blades elliptic or oblong, 13-27 x 6-9.5 cm, coriaceous, glabrous, the base obtuse, the margins entire, slightly revolute, with reddish-brown scars, the apex acute to acuminate; venation brochidodromous to eucamptodromous, the midrib impressed to prominent adaxially, salient abaxially, glabrous, the secondary veins in 14-18 pairs, intersecondary veins present but often inconspicuous and prominulous or plane, the tertiary veins reticulate. Inflorescences terminal or in axils of uppermost leaves, racemose, unbranched, the rachis 3.5-16 cm long, angular, glabrous, with horizontal striations (lenticels?, at least when dry); pedicel/hypanthium 1–3 mm long below articulation, 5–7 mm long above articulation, the bract and bracteoles not known. Flowers when leaves present, ca. 4 cm diam.; hypanthium truncate to slightly tapered, slightly sulcate, glabrous, green, longitudinally oriented mucilage-bearing ducts present (best seen in cross section); calyx-lobes 6, widely ovate to ovate, 9-14 x 6.5-10 mm, imbricate, glabrous, green, ± carinate, green; petals 6, ovate, size not known, the posterior ones larger than others, usually yellow, less frequently cream colored; androecium zygomorphic, a staminal lip present (confirm), the staminal ring with 170-260 stamens, the filaments 2.8-3 mm long, clavate, the anthers 0.5 mm long, the hood curved, size and outer surface texture not known, abaxially mostly white but with pale yellow at entrance into flower, with numerous vestigial stamens, the proximal vestigial stamens swept inward, yellow, staminodes absent anterior hood extension present; ovary 4-locular, the ovary summit truncate, the ovules 3–6 per locule, inserted on lower part of septum, the style long, tapering to apex, oblique, 5–8 mm long, stylar collar absent. Fruits indehiscent, globose, 6.5-9 x 7.5-15 cm, the calyx-lobes sometimes persistent, the infracalycine zone 1.5–4 cm long, rounded or nearly flat to pedicel, the supracalycine zone 3–5 cm long, rounded to operculum, the pericarp 5 mm thick, the operculum slightly umbonate. Seeds 1–2 per fruit, hemispherical or circular in cross section, 5-6 x 4-6 cm, the veins not markedly raised above surface of seed coat; aril not known (probably absent).

Common names: castanha jarana, jarana, jarana-da-folha-grande.

Distribution: Known only from central Amazonian Brazil in the vicinity of Manaus

Ecology: A medium-sized to large tree of non-flooded forest.

Phenology: Flowers most profusely from Oct to Feb and mature fruits have been collected in Mar and Apr.

Pollination: No observations recorded but the yellow entrance into the flower, the presence of both pollen and nectar as a reward, and the documentation of bee visitation in similar types of flowers (Mori & Boeke, 1987) indicate that bees may be the pollinators.

Dispersal: No observations recorded. The fruits of this species are large, thin-walled, possess very large seeds without an aril, and drop to the ground with the seeds inside at maturity. Seeds are often seen germinating in the decomposing fruits under the tree. Thus, the seeds are at least partially dispersed by gravity. It is not know, however, if mammals disperse the seeds after they have fallen to the ground.

Predation: No observations recorded.

Field characters: Canopy trees; trunk cylindric to ground; bark fissured, the inner bark most often light yellow, less frequently nearly white; leaf blades not discolorous, often oblong in shape; stems reddish-brown, glabrous, lenticellate at maturity, the young stems same color but not lenticellate; flowers with posterior petals (the ones opposite the flower opening) longer than others; the ligule split at end into anterior ligular extension and subapical extension from which vestigial stamens arise, the innermost of which are stalked; fruits indehiscent, thin-walled; and seed large with thin seed coat.

Taxonomic notes: This species is morphologically similar to L. lurida from which it differs in its angular, sometimes winged, vs. terete adult stems; larger leaves (16-22 x 6-9.5 cm vs. 9-18 x 4.5-9 cm) with entire instead of crenulate margins; and usually yellow or white, instead of white tinged with pink petals and androecial hoods.

Conservation: IUCN Red List: Endangered D, ver 2.3 (1998). Plantas Raras do Brasil: Endangered.

Uses: None recorded.

Etymology: This species is dedicated to G. T. Prance. G. T. Prance's collection of this and countless other Amazonian species of Lecythidaceae and his monographic work have been instrumental in understanding the systematics of the family.

Source: This species page is based on Mori in Mori & Prance, 1990.

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to A. Tangerini and C. Gracie for allowing us to use their images to illustrate the characters of this species.

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Lecythis prancei S.A.Mori: [Article] 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.
Lecythis prancei S.A.Mori: [Article] Mori, S. A. & Lepsch da Cunha, Nadia M. 1995. The Lecythidaceae of a central Amazonian moist forest. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 75: 1-55.