Taxon Details: Eschweilera venezuelica S.A.Mori
Taxon Profile:
The Plant List
International Plant Name Index
Tropicos
Catalogue of Life
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
JSTOR Types
JSTOR
BHL
Encyclopedia of Life
WikiSpecies
Google Scholar
PubMed
Morphbank
IUCN
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Barcode of Life
Narratives:

Additional Resources:

Family:

Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:

Eschweilera venezuelica S.A.Mori
Primary Citation:

Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2): 197. 1990
Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.
Description:

Author: Scott A. Mori & Nathan P. Smith

Type: Venezuela. Miranda: Near Caucagua, May 1957 (fl), Aristeguieta 2790 (holotype, VEN).

Description: Small trees, to 15 m tall. Leaves: petioles 6-8 mm long; blades elliptic, 10-14.5 x 4.5-6 cm, glabrous, with distinct, reddish-brown punctae abaxially, the base acute to obtuse, the margins entire, the apex acuminate; secondary veins in 10-13 pairs. Inflorescences terminal, unbranched or once branched, subspicate, the rachises 9-13 cm long, light brown, lenticellate, puberulous; pedicel/hypanthium 2 mm below articulation, sessile above articulation. Flowers ca. 3 cm diam.; hypanthium truncate at base, puberulous; calyx-lobes 6, the lobes very widely ovate, 1-1.5 x 3 mm, horizontally oriented, thick, carinate, puberulous; petals cream-colored, widely obovate, 16-20 x 10-13 mm; androecium zygormorphic, the staminal ring with 259 stamens, the filaments 2 mm long, slightly swollen at apex, the hood 19 x 15 mm, forming triple coil; gynoecium with 3-locular ovary, the ovary summit obconical, the ovules 3-5 per locule, inserted at base, 3 mm long, the style not differentiated. Fruits depressed globose, 2.5-3 x 5-6 cm (excluding operculum), the calyx-lobes inserted below middle, persisting as triangular woody knobs, the infracalycine zone truncate from calycine ring to pedicel, the supracalycine zone erect, the pericarp light brown, rough, 3-6 mm thick; operculum convex, slightly umbonate. Seeds triangular in cross section, 3 x 2 cm.

Common names: Venezuela: chupon, coco de mono (applied to various species of Eschweilera and Lecythis).

Distribution: Known only from Carabobo and Miranda Venezuela.

Ecology: A small tree restricted to the Caribbean slopes ofthe mountains of north central Venezuela from 100 to 550 m alt. Chavez 14 (VEN) states that his collection comes from dry tropical forest.

Phenology: Flowers have been collected in May and fruits in Apr.

Pollination: No reports of pollination have been recorded.

Dispersal: No reports of dispersal have been recorded.

Predation: No observations recorded.

Field characters: Eschweilera venezuelica is characterized by the following: chartaceous leaves with abaxial punctae; very broadly ovate, thick, carinate calyx-lobes; androecial hood with triple coil; and 3-locular ovary.

Taxonomic notes:: -

Conservation: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable B1+2c ver 2.3 (World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Eschweilera venezuelica. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 14 March 2014.).

Uses: None reported.

Etymology: The name "venezuelica" means of or from Venezuela.

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

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Eschweilera venezuelica 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.