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Additional Resources:

Family:

Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser. 13(4): 246. 1941

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Author: Scott A. Mori & Nathan P. Smith

Type: Bolivia. Mapiri: Jul-Aug 1892 (fl), M. Bang 1522 (lectotype, NY -- herb. no. 1076; isolectotype, NY -- herb. no. 1077).

Description: Small to medium-sized trees, to 20 m tall. Leaves present at anthesis; petioles 10-25 mm long; blades usually oblong to narrowly oblong, infrequently narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, 23-43 x 9-15.5 cm, chartaceous, glabrous, abaxially with scattered punctae and minute papillae (seen only under magnification), the apex short acuminate to acuminate, the margins entire, the base obtuse to rounded; venatiion brochidodromous, the secondary veins in 10-22 pairs, the tertiary and higher order veins reticulate. Inflorescences terminal, axillary, or ramiflorous, racemose or paniculately arranged, once-branched groups of racemes, the principal rachis 4-30 cm long, puberulous, the pedicel articulate, 1.5-2 mm long below, 2-5 mm long above articulation, all axes light brown, sparsely lenticellate. Flowers ca. 3.5 cm diam.; hypanthium usually tapered to articulation, not well-defined from pedicel, puberulous, sometimes slightly sulcate; calyx-lobes 6, the lobes very widely ovate, ascending to horizontally oriented at anthesis, 3.5-6 x 4.5-7.5 mm, imbricate, convex to carinate abaxially; petals 6, widely obovate, 19-31 x 14-18 mm, red; androecium zygomorphic, the hood 17-22 x 20-22 mm, with triple coil, red, the staminal ring symmetrical to slightly asymmetrical, with ca. 250-300 stamens, the filaments clavate, 1-1.5 mm long, the anthers 0.5-0.8 mm long; ovary 3-locular, with 6-11 ovules attached to basal, peg-like placentae. Fruits depressed globose, 9-10x 12-14 cm (including operculum), the supracalycine zone erect, ca. 3 cm wide, the infracalycine zone abruptly tapered to pedicel attachment, the pericarp brown, rough, the operculum convex, as high as the supracalycine zone is wide. Seeds surrounded by white aril.

Common names: Bolivia: palo charke (Thomas & Vandebroek, 2006). Ecaudor: cashnumi. Peru: machimango amarillo, shuwat.

Distribution: This species is distributed along the eastern slopes of the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia.

Ecology: Eschweilera andina is a small to medium-sized tree of non-flooded forest. It reaches 750 m elevation.

Phenology: This species most commonly flowers from Jul to Sep.

Pollination: No observations recorded but most likely bees, however, no studies of pollination have yet been carried out on species with red to purple flowers.

Dispersal: No observations recored. The seeds are surrounded by a white aril which might serve as a reward to dispersal agents.

Predation: No observations recorded.

Field characters: Eschweilera andina is a distinctive species characterized by large, narrowly oblong leaves with abaxial punctae; gray inflorescence rachises; usually reddish petals; a red androecial hood with a triple coil; 3-locular ovaries, and seeds surrounded by white arils.

Taxonomic notes: This species is morphological similar to Eschweilera ovalifolia which has yellow petals and androecial hood and wider leaves. Both species have gray inflorescence rachises, triple-coiled hoods, and seeds surrounded by white arils---all features relatively rare in Amazonian species.

Conservation: IUCN Red List: not on list (IUCN, 2011.2).

Uses: The bark is made into a tea used as a remedy for stomach ache (Thomas & Vandebroek, 2006).

Etymology: The epithet refers to the distribution of this species on the lower slopes of the Andes.

Source: Based on Mori & Prance (1990).

Acknowledgements: We thank Chris Davidson for allowing us to use his images of this species.

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Eschweilera andina (Rusby) J.F.Macbr.: [Article] Mori, S. A. & Prance, Ghillean T. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II: The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). With a study of secondary xylem of Neotropical Lecythidaceae by Carl de Zeeuw. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-376.