Monographs Details:
Authority:
Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)
Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Meliaceae
Meliaceae
Synonyms:
Guarea trianae C.DC., Guarea weberbaueri C.DC., Cabralea weberbaueri Harms, Ruagea jelskiana Harms, Ruagea weberbaueri (C.DC.) Harms, Ruagea trisperma Cuatrec., Ruagea floribunda Cuatrec.
Guarea trianae C.DC., Guarea weberbaueri C.DC., Cabralea weberbaueri Harms, Ruagea jelskiana Harms, Ruagea weberbaueri (C.DC.) Harms, Ruagea trisperma Cuatrec., Ruagea floribunda Cuatrec.
Description:
Species Description - Young branches usually slender, minutely appressed puberulous when young soon glabrous, pale greyish-brown, usually with a few lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or paripinnate, with or without some limited apical growth, 8-55 cm long; petiole semiterete, rhachis often canaliculate above, sometimes narrowly winged, puberulous or glabrous; petiolule of lateral leaflets 1-7 mm long, petiolule of terminal leaflet 10-12 mm long. Leaflets opposite or alternate, (5-)8-15(-17), elliptic, oblong or oblanceolate, apex usually short, narrowly attenuate, less frequently acute to obtuse rarely rounded, base acute, cuneate or attenuate, margin rarely revolute, usually chartaceous, 8-20(-32)[14.6] cm long, 3-9(-16)[5.9] cm broad, upper midrib sometimes puberulous, lower surface glabrous or with sparse to dense soft short pubescence on midrib and veins and scattered hairs on lamina, sometimes mixed with a few red papillae; venation eucamptodromous or rarely brochidodromous; secondaries (8-) 10-14(-18) on either side of midrib, broadly spreading, arcuate at tip, parallel or slightly convergent; intersecondaries often rather long; tertiaries usually obscure. Flowers unisexual, plants dioecious; inflorescence axillary, 5-30(-60) cm long, usually a slender panicle with short basal branches less frequently with widely spreading branches to 10 cm long, flowers in small clusters or racemose, minutely puberulous or subglabrous; pedicel 0-1 mm long. Calyx patelliform, sepals 0.75-2 mm long, ovate to orbicular, sparsely puberulous or glabrous, ciliate. Petals 5-7(-8) mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm broad, elliptic, oblong or spathulate, apex rounded, glabrous. Staminal tube cyathiform or short cylindrical, 2-6 mm long, 1.5-3 mm broad, margin crenulate or with 10 emarginate lobes, glabrous or sparsely barbate inside; anthers (8-)10(-ll), 0.75-1(-1.1) mm long, sometimes with a short basal appendage, glabrous; antherodes narrower, without pollen, not dehiscing. Nectary a short stout stipe, sometimes swollen below the ovary, 0.25-1(-2) mm long, glabrous. Ovary (2-)3(-4)-locular, loculi with (1-)2 superposed ovules, glabrous or sparsely pubescent near the base; style stout, glabrous; style-head discoid; pistillode similar with well-developed non-functional ovules. Capsule globose or short pyriform, smooth, dark brown (when dry) with large pale lenticels, glabrous, 2-3 cm diam., 3-valved, valves 1-seeded; pericarp 0.5-2 mm thick. Seed ca. 1.5 cm long, 0.7 cm broad, ± ellipsoid, with a thick, fleshy, basal sarcotesta; seed coat thin, membraneous. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons; radicle apical, extending to surface.
Species Description - Young branches usually slender, minutely appressed puberulous when young soon glabrous, pale greyish-brown, usually with a few lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or paripinnate, with or without some limited apical growth, 8-55 cm long; petiole semiterete, rhachis often canaliculate above, sometimes narrowly winged, puberulous or glabrous; petiolule of lateral leaflets 1-7 mm long, petiolule of terminal leaflet 10-12 mm long. Leaflets opposite or alternate, (5-)8-15(-17), elliptic, oblong or oblanceolate, apex usually short, narrowly attenuate, less frequently acute to obtuse rarely rounded, base acute, cuneate or attenuate, margin rarely revolute, usually chartaceous, 8-20(-32)[14.6] cm long, 3-9(-16)[5.9] cm broad, upper midrib sometimes puberulous, lower surface glabrous or with sparse to dense soft short pubescence on midrib and veins and scattered hairs on lamina, sometimes mixed with a few red papillae; venation eucamptodromous or rarely brochidodromous; secondaries (8-) 10-14(-18) on either side of midrib, broadly spreading, arcuate at tip, parallel or slightly convergent; intersecondaries often rather long; tertiaries usually obscure. Flowers unisexual, plants dioecious; inflorescence axillary, 5-30(-60) cm long, usually a slender panicle with short basal branches less frequently with widely spreading branches to 10 cm long, flowers in small clusters or racemose, minutely puberulous or subglabrous; pedicel 0-1 mm long. Calyx patelliform, sepals 0.75-2 mm long, ovate to orbicular, sparsely puberulous or glabrous, ciliate. Petals 5-7(-8) mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm broad, elliptic, oblong or spathulate, apex rounded, glabrous. Staminal tube cyathiform or short cylindrical, 2-6 mm long, 1.5-3 mm broad, margin crenulate or with 10 emarginate lobes, glabrous or sparsely barbate inside; anthers (8-)10(-ll), 0.75-1(-1.1) mm long, sometimes with a short basal appendage, glabrous; antherodes narrower, without pollen, not dehiscing. Nectary a short stout stipe, sometimes swollen below the ovary, 0.25-1(-2) mm long, glabrous. Ovary (2-)3(-4)-locular, loculi with (1-)2 superposed ovules, glabrous or sparsely pubescent near the base; style stout, glabrous; style-head discoid; pistillode similar with well-developed non-functional ovules. Capsule globose or short pyriform, smooth, dark brown (when dry) with large pale lenticels, glabrous, 2-3 cm diam., 3-valved, valves 1-seeded; pericarp 0.5-2 mm thick. Seed ca. 1.5 cm long, 0.7 cm broad, ± ellipsoid, with a thick, fleshy, basal sarcotesta; seed coat thin, membraneous. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons; radicle apical, extending to surface.
Discussion:
RelationshipsA variable species especially in leaflet shape, texture and indumentum, but with the extremes intergrading through a series of intermediates throughout its range.It is distinguished from R. pubescens by the minute appressed indumentum of the young parts (densely pubescent or tomentose in R. pubescens), the usually chartaceous leaflets, with a usually attenuate or acute apex (coriaceous, apex usually obtuse or rounded in R. pubescens); petals 5-8 mm, anthers 0.75-l(-l.l) mm (petals 9-9.5 mm, anthers 1.5-1.7 mm in R. pubescens); staminal tube often sparsely barbate inside (glabrous in R. pubescens).Ruagea trisperma differs from R. glabra in its large leaflets (27 × 11.7 cm), and its larger capsule (ca. 4.5 cm diameter) with a pericarp ca. 1 cm thick. It is known only from the type gathering from the western Cordillera of Colombia, Department del Valle. Until further collections prove differently this species is considered to be synonymous with R. glabra.
RelationshipsA variable species especially in leaflet shape, texture and indumentum, but with the extremes intergrading through a series of intermediates throughout its range.It is distinguished from R. pubescens by the minute appressed indumentum of the young parts (densely pubescent or tomentose in R. pubescens), the usually chartaceous leaflets, with a usually attenuate or acute apex (coriaceous, apex usually obtuse or rounded in R. pubescens); petals 5-8 mm, anthers 0.75-l(-l.l) mm (petals 9-9.5 mm, anthers 1.5-1.7 mm in R. pubescens); staminal tube often sparsely barbate inside (glabrous in R. pubescens).Ruagea trisperma differs from R. glabra in its large leaflets (27 × 11.7 cm), and its larger capsule (ca. 4.5 cm diameter) with a pericarp ca. 1 cm thick. It is known only from the type gathering from the western Cordillera of Colombia, Department del Valle. Until further collections prove differently this species is considered to be synonymous with R. glabra.
Field Characteristics: Tree to 20 m with pale brown smooth bark. The flowers have a strong sweet scent, with a white or cream-coloured corolla. The mature fruit is pale yellow-brown with a rather fleshy pericarp bearing conspicuous lenticels. Flowers January to April in Costa Rica and Panama, elsewhere in February-March, May-July, October. Fruit maturing January to August. Specimens bearing both flowers and mature fruit are frequent.
Distribution and Ecology: Costa Rica and western Panama, absent from Panama east of the Canal Zone, elsewhere known from the mountains of northern and western Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, into northern Peru (Cajamarca and Amazonas Provinces). A tree of montane rain forest and cloud forest between 650 and 3000 m altitude. In northern Peru it is associated with Podocarpus and Ocotea in cloud forest between 2700 and 3000 m altitude (Weberbauer, 1911).
Distribution:
Costa Rica South America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Veraguas Panama Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Huila Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Santander Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Trujillo Venezuela South America| Zulia Venezuela South America| Falcón Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America|
Costa Rica South America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Veraguas Panama Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Huila Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Santander Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Trujillo Venezuela South America| Zulia Venezuela South America| Falcón Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America|
Common Names:
cedrillo, Savaleta, amargo
cedrillo, Savaleta, amargo