Monographs Details:
Authority:
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.
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.
Family:
Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
Description:
Species Description - Emergent trees, to 50 m tall, unbuttressed. Bark fissured, the outer bark thicker than inner bark. Leaves: petioles 20-35 mm long; blades oblong, 17-36 x 6.5-15.5 cm, glabrous, papillate abaxially, with 29-45 pairs of lateral veins; base rounded; apex apiculate to attenuate; margins entire to slightly crenulate. Inflorescences terminal or in axils of uppermost leaves, with paniculate arrangements of spikes, with 2 or less frequently 3 orders of branching. Flowers ca. 3 cm diam.; calyx with 2 oblong-ovate, navicular lobes, 8-14 mm long; petals 6, white to pale yellow, tightly appressed to androecium and coiled under at apices; androecium with appendages of hood swept inward but not forming full coil, the hood white to pale yellow, the appendages always darker yellow than hood, the staminal ring with 80-130 stamens; ovary with ovules inserted at base of septum, 16-25 in each locule, the style ca. 8 mm long, obliquely oriented. Fruits globose, usually 10-12.5 cm diam. Seeds 10-21 per fruit, with a very hard, bony testa, ca. 3.5-5 x 2 cm.
Species Description - Emergent trees, to 50 m tall, unbuttressed. Bark fissured, the outer bark thicker than inner bark. Leaves: petioles 20-35 mm long; blades oblong, 17-36 x 6.5-15.5 cm, glabrous, papillate abaxially, with 29-45 pairs of lateral veins; base rounded; apex apiculate to attenuate; margins entire to slightly crenulate. Inflorescences terminal or in axils of uppermost leaves, with paniculate arrangements of spikes, with 2 or less frequently 3 orders of branching. Flowers ca. 3 cm diam.; calyx with 2 oblong-ovate, navicular lobes, 8-14 mm long; petals 6, white to pale yellow, tightly appressed to androecium and coiled under at apices; androecium with appendages of hood swept inward but not forming full coil, the hood white to pale yellow, the appendages always darker yellow than hood, the staminal ring with 80-130 stamens; ovary with ovules inserted at base of septum, 16-25 in each locule, the style ca. 8 mm long, obliquely oriented. Fruits globose, usually 10-12.5 cm diam. Seeds 10-21 per fruit, with a very hard, bony testa, ca. 3.5-5 x 2 cm.
Discussion:
Phenology. Flowers in the dry season from Oct to Dec just after the new leaves have lignified. Fruits are harvested mostly in the wet season in Jan and Feb. Common names. Brazil nut, castanha, castanha do Pará, castanheira. Uses. This species, the economically most important Lecythidaceae, provides the well-known Brazil nut of commerce. The seeds are harvested mainly from wild trees. The wood furnishes excellent timber, but is little used because of the value of the tree as a commercial source of seeds. The seeds are used locally as a food and as a source of cooking oil. The bark is used to make a dye for staining fish nets and may possess medicinal properties as it is sometimes sold in the Manaus market in the medicinal plant section. More details about the economic botany of the Brazil nut can be found in Mori and Prance (1990b). Comments. This species is characterized by its (1) cylindric trunk and deeply fissured bark; (2) abaxial leaf surface with microscopic, cuticular papillae; (3) calyx with only 2 lobes; and (4) globose fruits that fall to the ground with the seeds inside at maturity. Bertholletia excelsa is pollinated by large-bodied bees belonging to the genera Bombas, Centris, Eulaema, and Xylocopa, and its seeds are dispersed by rodents, especially agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.) (Mori & Prance, 1990b).
Phenology. Flowers in the dry season from Oct to Dec just after the new leaves have lignified. Fruits are harvested mostly in the wet season in Jan and Feb. Common names. Brazil nut, castanha, castanha do Pará, castanheira. Uses. This species, the economically most important Lecythidaceae, provides the well-known Brazil nut of commerce. The seeds are harvested mainly from wild trees. The wood furnishes excellent timber, but is little used because of the value of the tree as a commercial source of seeds. The seeds are used locally as a food and as a source of cooking oil. The bark is used to make a dye for staining fish nets and may possess medicinal properties as it is sometimes sold in the Manaus market in the medicinal plant section. More details about the economic botany of the Brazil nut can be found in Mori and Prance (1990b). Comments. This species is characterized by its (1) cylindric trunk and deeply fissured bark; (2) abaxial leaf surface with microscopic, cuticular papillae; (3) calyx with only 2 lobes; and (4) globose fruits that fall to the ground with the seeds inside at maturity. Bertholletia excelsa is pollinated by large-bodied bees belonging to the genera Bombas, Centris, Eulaema, and Xylocopa, and its seeds are dispersed by rodents, especially agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.) (Mori & Prance, 1990b).
Distribution:
Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Peru South America| Ecuador South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America|
Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Peru South America| Ecuador South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America|