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Additional Resources:

Family:

Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Brittonia 52: 145, fig. 1. 2000

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Type Specimens:

Specimen 1: Isotype -- J. L. Clark
Specimen 2: Isotype -- J. L. Clark
Specimen 3: Isotype -- J. L. Clark
Specimen 4: Isotype -- J. L. Clark

Description:

Author: Xavier Cornejo & Scott A. Mori

Type: Ecuador. Esmeraldas: Reserva Ecológica Mache-Chindul, Bilsa Biological Station, 5 km W of Santa Isabel, 00º21'N, 79º44'W, 400-600 m, 10 Apr 1995 (fl, fr), J. L. Clark & Y. Troya 684 (holotype, QCNE; isotypes, GB, MO, NY, US).

Description: Pachycaulous, unbranched or few-branched, understory trees, usually only to 10 m tall, the trunk cylindrical, not buttressed. Bark light-brown, smooth. Stems glabrous, the leaf-bearing stems to 30 mm diam. Leaves: petioles usually absent; blades oblanceolate, 110-250 X 30-60 cm, coriaceous, glabrous, sometimes with pellucid red punctations abaxially, the base tapering, the margins entire, the apex acute; venation brochidodromous, the secondary veins in 51-62 pairs, the tertiary veins weakly percurrent, the higher order venation plane and difficult to see. Inflorescences cauline, racemes, with 3 to 25 or more flowers, the rachises glabrous, elongate, 30-110 cm long; pedicels 13-20 mm long, subtended by a single, oblong, caducous large bract, ca. 10 x 6-7 mm, this leaves conspicuous scar on falling, with 2, caducous, inconspicuous, scale-like bracteoles on lower third of pedicel, these leaving inconspicuous scars on falling. Flower buds ovoid; mature flowers ca. 8 cm diam.; hypanthium glabrous; calyx closed in bud, with circumscissile dehiscence and then forming rim 3-5 mm wide or splitting into 2-4 irregular lobes at anthesis; petals oblong, 20-35 X 10-20 mm, pale yellow, widely spreading to reflexed at anthesis; androecium obloid, the staminal tube ca. 2-3 mm high, arched from base to apex, divided into 2 chambers, the lower chamber straight to slanted inward adaxially. the upprt chamber slanted outward adaxially, the stamens 39-59 stamens, the filaments curved inward, constricted at apex, the outermost ca. 10 mm long, the connectives absent, the anthers suborbicular, ca. 0.9 mm long, with lateral dehiscence; ovary 4-locular, with 1-4 ovules per locule, the summit umbonate, red when flowers fresh, the style short, ca. 1 mm long, the nectary disk absent. Fruits oblongoid to ellipsoid, ca. 10 X 6 cm, dark-brown, the mesocarp yellow, ca. 10 mm thick, the endocarp with 8 longitudinal ribs (dry). Seeds ca. 80-90 x 30-35 mm.

Common names: None recorded.

Distribution: Grias longirachis is known only from the type locality, the Bilsa Biological Station, located in the Ecuadorean national system of protected areas (SNAP, in Spanish) in the Province of Esmeraldas in northwestern Ecuador.

Ecology: This species is an understory tree in primary mature forest and occasionally along streams. In three one-hectare permanent plots in mature forest it was recorded only once. Nevertheless, because of its terminally clustered large leaves, it is one of the most noticeable trees at the Bilsa Biological Station, especially along the edges of forests and fields. It persists in disturbed habitats, possibly because of its ability to stump sprout after being cut down.

Phenology: Flowers have been collected from Jan to Apr and from Sep to Nov; mature fruits have been collected from Oct to Dec.

Pollination: We are uncertain of the significance of the long rachis of Grias longirachis. This feature places the flowers in a position free from the foliage and suggests pollination by bats (Faegri & van der Pijl, 1966; Proctor et al., 1996). However, G. peruviana and G. neuberthii have been shown to possess floral aromas with fatty acid derivatives suggestive of beetle pollination (Knudsen & Mori, 1996). Pollination observations as well as collections of floral aromas from G. longirachis are needed.

Dispersal: Based on our observation of fruits of other species in the genus, we conclude that mammals may be involved in the dispersal of this species.

Predation: No observations recorded. However, as in all species of Grias, it is most likely that the fruits of this species are preyed upon by rodents.

Field characters: Grias longirachis differs from all known species of Grias in its combination of enclosed calyx in bud; poorly developed, caducous bracteoles on the lower part of the pedice; long inflorescence rachises; and widely spaced (10-15 mm apart) flowers along the rachis. The only other species with rachises as long as this species is Grias neuberthii but it does not have the calyx enclosed in buds and has very persistent and conspicuous bracteoles, a feature not shared by any other species in the genus.

Taxonomic notes: The summit of the ovary is raised above the staminal tube scar but seems to have two different forms in the same collection, in one form the summit is umbonate with the cylindric short style arising from the apex of the umbo (photo of a fresh flower of Clark 1641) and in the other form the summit is raised on a short platform which is erect at the base and tapered at the apex with the short, cylindric style arise arising from the apex of the tapered ovary summit (photo based on a pickled flower of Clark 1641). This difference may be the result of images taken from different stages of flower development. A sectioned bud of an unvouchered plant photograped by Clark shows a red summit of the ovary which may indicate the presence of nectar-producing tissue.

Conservation: Because of its apparent rarity and narrow distribution, we suggest including Grias longirachis in the programs of conservation and restoration of the forests around the Bilsa Biological Station. We also suggest that this new species be assigned the IUCN conservation status of endangered, EN B1ab(iii) (IUCN, 2001).

Uses: None recorded.

Etymology: The epithet refers to the well-developed, elongate rachis of this species.

Source: Clark, J. L. & S. A. Mori. 2000. Grias longirachis (Lecythidaceae), a new species from northwestern Ecuador. Britonia 52: 145-148.

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to J. L. Clark for allowing us to use his images to illustrate the characters of this species.