Monographs Details:
Authority:

Kubitzki, K. & Renner, Susanne S. 1982. Lauraceae I (Aniba and Aiouea). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 31: 1-125. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:

Lauraceae
Synonyms:

Ocotea puchury-minor Mart., Nectandra puchury-minor (Mart.) Nees, Aniba amazonica (Meisn.) Mez, Aydendron amazonicum Meisn.
Description:

Species Description - Tree to 20 m; branchlets stiff, straight, densely and minutely tomentellous, ca. 3 mm thick, glabrescent; terminal bud inconspicuous, 2-5 mm long, tomentellous. Leaves chartaceous, clustered at top of branchlets, elliptical or lanceolate, 12-20 x 4.5-7 cm, base obtuse, acute, cuneate or angustate, apex obtuse or acute and shortly acuminate, glabrous, midrib prominulous, flat or impressed, nerves slightly impressed above, minutely and laxly appressed-pilose, somewhat glabrescent (?), midrib and nerves and nerves prominent beneath, nerves 8-10 pairs, erect-patent, more or less united near margin; petioles slender, canaliculate, tomentellous, 0.8-2.5 cm long. Panicles subterminal, in axils of caducous bracts and persistent leaves, 5-12 cm long, rusty-tomentellous. Flowers tomentellous, 2.5 x 1.8-2 mm; ovary tube inside at base glabrous; pedicels 0.5-1 mm long; tepals erect, ovate-suborbicular, wider than long, 1-1.4 mm long, glabrous inside, inner ones fimbriate at margin, outer ones nearly valvate in bud; stamens 0.8-1 mm long, those of ser. I and II with broad, depressed, glabrous anthers, large cells, slightly protruding connectives and pilose filaments wider than anthers, of ser. III with clavate, glabrous anthers and pilose, biglandulose filaments; staminodes absent; pistil glabrous, 1.8 mm long; style as long as ovary; stigma small, truncate. Berry ellipsoid, to 2.5 x 1.5 cm; cupule red, obconical, rather smooth, with small, rusty spots, to 2.5 x 1.8 cm.

Discussion:

This species seems to have become rare because there has been much demand for its aromatic seeds which are used for medicine (Martius, 1830). Aniba puchury-minor is difficult to delimit because it possesses few distinctive features. The best diagnostic characters are its rhythmic growth and peculiar leaf indument. However, I am not sure the latter vanishes with age.

Aniba tessmannii, considered synonymous with A. puchury-minor by Kostermans (1938b), is identical with A. guianensis. Aniba intermedia, which was made a variety of A. puchury-minor by the same author, is reinstated in this revision.
Distribution:

Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Pando Bolivia South America|