Monographs Details:
Authority:
Prance, Ghillean T. & Mori, S. A. 1979. Lecythidaceae - Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae (Asteranthos, Gustavia, Grias, Allantoma & Cariniana). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270. (Published by NYBG Press)
Prance, Ghillean T. & Mori, S. A. 1979. Lecythidaceae - Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae (Asteranthos, Gustavia, Grias, Allantoma & Cariniana). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
Synonyms:
Gustavia superba var. puberula Dwyer
Gustavia superba var. puberula Dwyer
Description:
Description - Trees, single-stemmed or few-branched, to 7.5 m tall x 17 cm in diameter; leaf-bearing branches 13-35 mm in diameter, with clusters of leaves tightly grouped at their ends, and persistent bracts ca 115 x 50 mm subtending each flush of growth; petiole scars touching. Bark slightly fissured, brown. Leaf blades oblanceolate, tapered from the middle to an acute base, 73-100 x 10-21 cm wide, glabrous to minutely puberulous, with 45-54 pairs of lateral veins; apices acute-acuminate; margins serrate. Petioles 20-78 x 4-6 mm, semicircular in cross section. Inflorescences suprafoliar, the flowers solitary in bract axils, clustered near branch apex within a cup formed by the leaves, appearing terminal; pedicels 35-70 mm, subtended by a single oblanceolate floral bract 80-105 x 30-35 mm and bearing directly below the hypanthium 2 rounded-ovate bracteoles 45-65 x 34-48 mm. Flowers to 20 cm in diameter; calyx lobes 4, ovate to oblong, 29-55 x 24-55 mm, puberulous; petals 8(-9), narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, 74-90 x 27-45 mm wide, glabrous, mostly white with tinges of pink and red; connate androecium base 22-25 mm in diameter, ca 10 mm high, the outermost filaments 20-24 mm, white at the base, pink at the apex; anthers 2-5 mm, yellow; ovary without costae, puberulous, 6-locular, the summit puberulous with glabrous spots; style ca 1 mm long; stigma with 6(-7) lobes. Fruits globose, without costae, summit slightly bulged upward, 4.7-6 x 5.5-6.5 cm in diameter, with persistent ovate-oblong, tattered calyx lobes; endocarp a distinctive orange. Seeds more or less trigonous in cross section, 22-26 mm in diameter, mostly 1 per loculus, without distinctive funicle.
Description - Trees, single-stemmed or few-branched, to 7.5 m tall x 17 cm in diameter; leaf-bearing branches 13-35 mm in diameter, with clusters of leaves tightly grouped at their ends, and persistent bracts ca 115 x 50 mm subtending each flush of growth; petiole scars touching. Bark slightly fissured, brown. Leaf blades oblanceolate, tapered from the middle to an acute base, 73-100 x 10-21 cm wide, glabrous to minutely puberulous, with 45-54 pairs of lateral veins; apices acute-acuminate; margins serrate. Petioles 20-78 x 4-6 mm, semicircular in cross section. Inflorescences suprafoliar, the flowers solitary in bract axils, clustered near branch apex within a cup formed by the leaves, appearing terminal; pedicels 35-70 mm, subtended by a single oblanceolate floral bract 80-105 x 30-35 mm and bearing directly below the hypanthium 2 rounded-ovate bracteoles 45-65 x 34-48 mm. Flowers to 20 cm in diameter; calyx lobes 4, ovate to oblong, 29-55 x 24-55 mm, puberulous; petals 8(-9), narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, 74-90 x 27-45 mm wide, glabrous, mostly white with tinges of pink and red; connate androecium base 22-25 mm in diameter, ca 10 mm high, the outermost filaments 20-24 mm, white at the base, pink at the apex; anthers 2-5 mm, yellow; ovary without costae, puberulous, 6-locular, the summit puberulous with glabrous spots; style ca 1 mm long; stigma with 6(-7) lobes. Fruits globose, without costae, summit slightly bulged upward, 4.7-6 x 5.5-6.5 cm in diameter, with persistent ovate-oblong, tattered calyx lobes; endocarp a distinctive orange. Seeds more or less trigonous in cross section, 22-26 mm in diameter, mostly 1 per loculus, without distinctive funicle.
Discussion:
Ecology. Gustavia grandibracteata is found in tropical moist to tropical wet forests. In both vegetation types it is locally common at the margins of lagoons and wet season swamps and in river flood plains. However, it also grows on more well drained sites. In Panama, G. grandibracteata flowers from March through May (late dry-early wet seasons) and fruits in June and July (middle wet season).The stem of this species produces a group of sterile, sessile, foliaceous bracts; then a group of flowers, each of which is subtended by a floral bract; and then a tightly compacted group of petiolate leaves (Fig 42C). At anthesis the flowers are clustered within the rosette formed by the leaves of the previous growth flush. At this time the cluster of solitary flowers appears as a single terminal inflorescence. The rosette of leaves conceals the flowers from view from the ground and also holds the rotting floral parts, and other debris in place. This mass of flowers, rotting floral parts, and debris forms an ideal habitat for many kinds of insects and other animals. As the fruits mature their weight bends the branch downward making them visible from the ground. With the expansion of the next flush of petiolate leaves the fruits assume a lateral position.The Panamanian collections are finely puberulous on the abaxial leaf surface whereas the Colombian material is glabrous. The hairs are simple, unicellular, thick walled, and sharply pointed.The fact that Gustavia superba var puberula is synonymous with G. grandibracteata was not discovered until after the latter species was published. The holotype collection of G. superba var puberula is mixed and hence a source of confusion. The herbarium sheet of the holotype contains a packet with Eschweilera flowers as well as Gustavia leaves on the sheet itself. The isotype fruit collection at MO has a fruit rachis of G. nana along with the fruits of the correct species. Because of the mixed fruit collection I was led to believe that the fruits of G. superba var puberula arose from below the leaves and therefore I thought the taxon to be completely unrelated to G. grandibracteata. Later examination of the GH material revealed the true nature of the fruit and inflorescence thereby enabling me to bring it into synonymy with G. grandibracteata.Another source of confusion is found in the protologue of G. superba var puberula (Dwyer, 1965). In Figure 1 a photograph of the fruits of the paratype of G. superba var puberula (Stern et al 410) is labelled "Gustaviapittieri. ”
Ecology. Gustavia grandibracteata is found in tropical moist to tropical wet forests. In both vegetation types it is locally common at the margins of lagoons and wet season swamps and in river flood plains. However, it also grows on more well drained sites. In Panama, G. grandibracteata flowers from March through May (late dry-early wet seasons) and fruits in June and July (middle wet season).The stem of this species produces a group of sterile, sessile, foliaceous bracts; then a group of flowers, each of which is subtended by a floral bract; and then a tightly compacted group of petiolate leaves (Fig 42C). At anthesis the flowers are clustered within the rosette formed by the leaves of the previous growth flush. At this time the cluster of solitary flowers appears as a single terminal inflorescence. The rosette of leaves conceals the flowers from view from the ground and also holds the rotting floral parts, and other debris in place. This mass of flowers, rotting floral parts, and debris forms an ideal habitat for many kinds of insects and other animals. As the fruits mature their weight bends the branch downward making them visible from the ground. With the expansion of the next flush of petiolate leaves the fruits assume a lateral position.The Panamanian collections are finely puberulous on the abaxial leaf surface whereas the Colombian material is glabrous. The hairs are simple, unicellular, thick walled, and sharply pointed.The fact that Gustavia superba var puberula is synonymous with G. grandibracteata was not discovered until after the latter species was published. The holotype collection of G. superba var puberula is mixed and hence a source of confusion. The herbarium sheet of the holotype contains a packet with Eschweilera flowers as well as Gustavia leaves on the sheet itself. The isotype fruit collection at MO has a fruit rachis of G. nana along with the fruits of the correct species. Because of the mixed fruit collection I was led to believe that the fruits of G. superba var puberula arose from below the leaves and therefore I thought the taxon to be completely unrelated to G. grandibracteata. Later examination of the GH material revealed the true nature of the fruit and inflorescence thereby enabling me to bring it into synonymy with G. grandibracteata.Another source of confusion is found in the protologue of G. superba var puberula (Dwyer, 1965). In Figure 1 a photograph of the fruits of the paratype of G. superba var puberula (Stern et al 410) is labelled "Gustaviapittieri. ”
Distribution:
Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America|
Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America|