Monographs Details:
Family:
Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
Synonyms:
Couratari Aubl., Goeldinia Huber
Couratari Aubl., Goeldinia Huber
Description:
Description - Small to medium trees. Leaves alternate, entire, glabrous. Inflorescences racemes or once-branched racemose panicles, terminal or subterminal. Flowers hermaphrodite, 15-22 mm long. Receptacle campanulate. Sepals (5-)6, united at base with triangular small lobes at apex. Petals 6, oblong. Androecium urceolate, only slightly asymmetrical, the apex divided into 8-10 inward-reflexed lacinae with anthers at the apex of most of them, with additional stamens inserted sparsely all over the interior of androecium on short thick reflexed filaments, stamens ca 30, all anthers fertile. Ovary (3-)4-5-locular, with numerous ovules in each loculus. Style short with a rounded undivided stigmatic surface. Pyxidium woody, tubular-cylindrical to cylindrical campanulate, straight or slightly curved, always longer than broad. The operculum tack shaped, 4-5 angular, readily dehiscent from the base of the pyxidium. Seeds narrowly linear-elongate, with a caducous flattened stipe-like funicle, not winged, the exterior of testa verrucose.
Description - Small to medium trees. Leaves alternate, entire, glabrous. Inflorescences racemes or once-branched racemose panicles, terminal or subterminal. Flowers hermaphrodite, 15-22 mm long. Receptacle campanulate. Sepals (5-)6, united at base with triangular small lobes at apex. Petals 6, oblong. Androecium urceolate, only slightly asymmetrical, the apex divided into 8-10 inward-reflexed lacinae with anthers at the apex of most of them, with additional stamens inserted sparsely all over the interior of androecium on short thick reflexed filaments, stamens ca 30, all anthers fertile. Ovary (3-)4-5-locular, with numerous ovules in each loculus. Style short with a rounded undivided stigmatic surface. Pyxidium woody, tubular-cylindrical to cylindrical campanulate, straight or slightly curved, always longer than broad. The operculum tack shaped, 4-5 angular, readily dehiscent from the base of the pyxidium. Seeds narrowly linear-elongate, with a caducous flattened stipe-like funicle, not winged, the exterior of testa verrucose.
Discussion:
When Miers described the genus Allantoma, he included twelve species. Three of these were known from flowering material and nine from fruiting collections. The three flowering species were later included in Couratari where they belong (A. multiflora (Smith) Miers, A. subramosa Miers and A. fagifolia (Berg) Miers). The remaining nine of Miers’ species belong to Allantoma as defined here. Sprague (1932) and Eyma (1932) have both given reasons for regarding the fruiting species as typical of Allantoma, and Sprague chose A. torulosa Miers as the lectotype. I agree with these workers that Allantoma was based more on fruit characters, and can thus be maintained as the valid name for the material included in it in the present work.
When Miers described the genus Allantoma, he included twelve species. Three of these were known from flowering material and nine from fruiting collections. The three flowering species were later included in Couratari where they belong (A. multiflora (Smith) Miers, A. subramosa Miers and A. fagifolia (Berg) Miers). The remaining nine of Miers’ species belong to Allantoma as defined here. Sprague (1932) and Eyma (1932) have both given reasons for regarding the fruiting species as typical of Allantoma, and Sprague chose A. torulosa Miers as the lectotype. I agree with these workers that Allantoma was based more on fruit characters, and can thus be maintained as the valid name for the material included in it in the present work.
Distribution:
Brazil South America| Venezuela South America|
Brazil South America| Venezuela South America|