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.
Family:

Lecythidaceae
Scientific Name:

Couratari tauari O.Berg
Description:

Species Description - Understory trees, to 20 m tall, unbuttressed. Leaves: petioles 10-25 mm long; blades ovate to oblong-ovate, 8-15 x 3.5-8 cm, chartaceous to coriaceous, glabrous adaxially, with a few, sparsely distributed stellate hairs abaxially, with 9-17 pairs of secondary veins; base rounded to subcuneate; apex acute to shortly acuminate; margins entire or weakly crenulate, slightly undulate. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, racemose; pedicels at least 7 mm long. Flowers when leaves absent?; calyx of 6, broadly ovate, rounded lobes; petals oblong, 25-30 mm long, white at base yellow above; androecial hood purple, without echinate appendages; staminal ring with 18-22 stamens inserted mostly in a single row; hypanthium pubescent. Fruits campanulate, 7-10.5 (excluding stipe) x 3-4.5 cm, the pericarp ca. 2 mm thick, lenticellate on exterior.

Discussion:

Phenology. No flowering collections have been gathered at Reserve 1501. Flowers in May and Dec, and fruits in Jul and Oct in other parts of central Amazonian Brazil (Mori & Prance, 1990a). Common name. Tauari. Comments. Identification of the few individuals determined as this species await confirmation by the collection of flowers and fruits.

Habitat. Terra firme. The 100-ha plot contains 3 individuals of this species >10 cm dbh.

Distribution and representative specimen. Central Amazonian Brazil. Mori et al. 21462 (st) (tree 6754).