Monographs Details:
Authority:
Cuatrecasas, José. 1970. Brunelliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 2: 1-189. (Published by NYBG Press)
Cuatrecasas, José. 1970. Brunelliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 2: 1-189. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Brunelliaceae
Brunelliaceae
Description:
Description - Tree to 40 m high. Branchlets ochraceous-tomentose or more or less glabrate, in a few varieties glabrous from the first. Stipules geminate or bigeminate, deciduous. Leaves opposite 3-9-jugate; axis 10-35 (-65) cm long, usually bicostate and narrowly canaliculate above, the petiole 4-14 cm long. Leaflets moderately coriaceous or chartaceous, sessile or shortly petiolulate; blades 6.5-17.0 cm long, 1.3-7.0 cm broad, ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate-elliptic, or oblong-elliptic, acute or subacute at the apex, obtuse or attenuate at the base, doubly serrate or crenulate, or occasionally simply indented, the teeth mucronulate; glabrous or more or less pubescent above; more or less densely hirtellous-tomentose beneath, the costa and secondary nerves (10-17 on each side) prominent, the venular reticulum more or less prominent, more or less dense or loose. Inflorescence 3-20 cm long, usually densiflorous, the peduncle 2-8 cm long, tomentose or glabrescent. Branchlets divaricately dichotomous, angulate or striate, tomentose or densely hirtellous. Pedicels 1-3 mm long, shortly pedunculate. Flowers usually unisexual, tetramerous or pentamerous, rarely hexamerous. Expanded calyx 4-7 mm in diam, pubescent-tomentulose outside, minutely tomentulose on the margins, rather densely sericeous inside. Fertile stamens 2.5-4.5 mm long, hyaline-pilose in their lower half. Staminodia 1-2 mm long. Carpels as many as the sepals, usually all developing in female flowers. Follicles subglobose or ovoid-ellipsoid, 2-4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, densely tomentulose and hispid, monospermous. Endocarp cartilagineous, ellipsoid, 2-3 mm long, 1.8-2.0 mm broad, when dry and open, in U-shape. Seed ellipsoid, 2.0-2.5 × 1.2-1.8 mm. Disc densely hirsutous-tomentose.
Description - Tree to 40 m high. Branchlets ochraceous-tomentose or more or less glabrate, in a few varieties glabrous from the first. Stipules geminate or bigeminate, deciduous. Leaves opposite 3-9-jugate; axis 10-35 (-65) cm long, usually bicostate and narrowly canaliculate above, the petiole 4-14 cm long. Leaflets moderately coriaceous or chartaceous, sessile or shortly petiolulate; blades 6.5-17.0 cm long, 1.3-7.0 cm broad, ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate-elliptic, or oblong-elliptic, acute or subacute at the apex, obtuse or attenuate at the base, doubly serrate or crenulate, or occasionally simply indented, the teeth mucronulate; glabrous or more or less pubescent above; more or less densely hirtellous-tomentose beneath, the costa and secondary nerves (10-17 on each side) prominent, the venular reticulum more or less prominent, more or less dense or loose. Inflorescence 3-20 cm long, usually densiflorous, the peduncle 2-8 cm long, tomentose or glabrescent. Branchlets divaricately dichotomous, angulate or striate, tomentose or densely hirtellous. Pedicels 1-3 mm long, shortly pedunculate. Flowers usually unisexual, tetramerous or pentamerous, rarely hexamerous. Expanded calyx 4-7 mm in diam, pubescent-tomentulose outside, minutely tomentulose on the margins, rather densely sericeous inside. Fertile stamens 2.5-4.5 mm long, hyaline-pilose in their lower half. Staminodia 1-2 mm long. Carpels as many as the sepals, usually all developing in female flowers. Follicles subglobose or ovoid-ellipsoid, 2-4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, densely tomentulose and hispid, monospermous. Endocarp cartilagineous, ellipsoid, 2-3 mm long, 1.8-2.0 mm broad, when dry and open, in U-shape. Seed ellipsoid, 2.0-2.5 × 1.2-1.8 mm. Disc densely hirsutous-tomentose.
Discussion:
Leaf shape, density of indumentum on branchlets or leaves, prominence of the venular reticulum on the under side of the leaves, and size and shape of exocarp and endocarp vary greatly. These and other minor variations in the habit of the plants are clearly related to geographical location. A thorough study of leaves and flowers of many specimens has convinced me that these variations deserve subspecific rank, each subspecies being uniform and geographically limited.
Leaf shape, density of indumentum on branchlets or leaves, prominence of the venular reticulum on the under side of the leaves, and size and shape of exocarp and endocarp vary greatly. These and other minor variations in the habit of the plants are clearly related to geographical location. A thorough study of leaves and flowers of many specimens has convinced me that these variations deserve subspecific rank, each subspecies being uniform and geographically limited.
Distribution:
Costa Rica South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Sabana Grande Puerto Rico South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| West Indies| Puerto Rico South America| Guadeloupe South America|
Costa Rica South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Sabana Grande Puerto Rico South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| West Indies| Puerto Rico South America| Guadeloupe South America|