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Additional Resources:

Family:

Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2): 241. 1990

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Type Specimens:

Specimen 1: Isotype -- W. A. Rodrigues

Description:

Author: Scott A. Mori

Type: Brazil. Amazonas: Manaus, Reserva Florestal Ducke, 30 Jan 1964 (fl), W. Rodrigues & Osmarino 5698 (holotype, INPA; isotype, NY).

Description: Canopy trees, to 35 m tall, the trunk cylindric to base. Bark shallowly fissured, the outer bark ca. 5 mm thick, the inner bark thicker, pink to red. Leaves present when plant at anthesis; petioles 15-33 mm long, often drying black; blades oblong or elliptic, 15-26.5 x 5-10.5 cm, coriaceous, glabrous, without punctae, green adaxially, whitish abaxially, the white color caused by minute papillae, the base acute to rounded, the margins entire, slightly revolute, the apex acute, short acuminate or acuminate. Inflorescences racemose, terminal or in leaf axils, usually unbranched, infrequently once-branched, the principal rachis 2-15 cm long, puberulous, drying brown, lenticellate, the pedicels 15-22 mm long, articulate, the bases persistent on rachis, ca. 3 mm long. Flowers ca. 4-5 cm diam.; hypanthium tapered into well-defined pedicel above articulation, pubescent especially in bud and at anthesis, the trichomes simple, septate, and short (<0.1 mm long); calyx with six lobes, the lobes widely ovate, 4.5-8.5 x 4-8.5 mm, ascending to erect, not or slightly imbricate, convex to carinate abaxially; petals six, widely obovate, usually yellow, sometimes white, 26-32 x 18-23 mm; androecium with hood 20 x 17-20 mm, with double coil, often vertically oriented (i.e., taller than long), yellow; staminal ring asymmetric, with 237-341 stamens, staminal ring lip present, the filaments 2-2.3 mm long, not clavate, the anthers 0.5-0.6 mm long; ovary 2-locular, with 6-16 basally attached ovules, the summit umbonate, ca. 4 mm tall, the style not well differentiated. Fruits turbinate, 5-8 x 6-8 cm (including operculum), the pericarp 5-7 mm thick, light brown, with rough texture, the calycine ring inserted near opercular opening; the operculum convex (shallowly dome-shaped), sometimes with or without an umbo. Seeds hemispherical on one side, flat on one or two sides, 2 -2.5 x 1.7 cm; aril lateral.

Common Names: Brazil: castanha vermelha, castanharana.

Distribution: Known from central to central southern Amazonia in the states of Amazonas and Rondônia, Brazil.

Ecology: A canopy tree of non-flooded, old growth forest. This species can be locally common; for example, a 100-hectare plot inventoried for Lecythidaceae in central Amazonian Brazil contains 571 individuals greater than or equal to 10 cm dbh.

Phenology: Peak flowering is from Dec through May.

Pollination: No observations recorded; however, the pollinators are most likely bees.

Dispersal: No observations recorded but we suggest that the lateral aril may be eaten by animals.

Predation: No observations recorded.

Field characters: Eschweilera atropetiolata is characterized by its cylindric trunks; slightly fissured outer bark and pink to dark red inner bark; relatively long petioles that usually dry black; whitish, somewhat papillate abaxial leaf surface which contrasts with the green adaxial leaf blade surface; double coiled, vertically oriented androecium; turbinate fruits with a light brown, rough exocarp.

Taxonomic notes: There are relatively few specie with a papillate abaxial leaf blade surface, especially among the species of Eschweilera. Similar leaf blade surfaces are found in Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythis barnebyi, L. brancoensis, L. parvifructa, L. poiteaui, and L. prance. This feature appears in dried herbarium specimens but most likely occurs in fresh leaves as well but this needs documentation. The papillae most likely reduce evapotransportation form the stomata.

Conservation: IUCN RedList: Lower Risk/conservation dependent ver 2.3. (Citation: Pires O'Brien, J. 1998. Eschweilera atropetiolata. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 01 November 2011).

Uses: No uses recorded.

Etymology: The epithet refers to the black color of the petioles of dried specimens.

Source: Based on Mori & Prance, 1990.

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

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Eschweilera atropetiolata S.A.Mori: [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.
Eschweilera atropetiolata 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.