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Additional Resources:

Family:

Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 57: 386. 1971

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Type Specimens:

Specimen 1: Isotype -- S. A. Mori

Description:

Author: Scott A. Mori & Nathan P. Smith

Type: Panama. Darién: N slope of Cerro Pire, 15 Nov 1967 (empty fr), Mori 364 (holotype, WIS; isotypes, BM, F, GH, MO, NY, UC, US, WIS).

Description: Trees, to 50 m tall, the trunk not buttressed or with low, thick buttresses. Bark with vertical fissures, shedding in small flakes, brown to dark brown, the sapwood cream-colored, the heartwood red., the thickness of the outer and inner bark not known. Stems glabrous. Leaves: petioles 9–15 mm long, glabrous; blades narrowly ovate to lanceolate or elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 12.5-23.5 x 4.5-8.5 cm, chartaceous, glabrous, the adaxial surface darker green than abaxial surface, the base acute to obtuse, the margins entire to minutely crenulate, undulate, the apex acuminate to attenuate; venation brochidodromous, the midrib prominent adaxially, salient abaxially, the secondary veins in 10-20 pairs, the tertiary veins reticulate, the higher order venation prominulous. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, spicate, unbranched or with 1 order of branching, the rachis not known; pedicel/hypanthium length above and blow articulation not known, the bract and bracteoles not known. Flowers when leaves present, 3.5 cm diam.; hypanthium truncate (Aguilar 13712), glabrous, sulcate, presence of longitudinally oriented mucilage-bearing ducts not known; calyx-lobes 6, ovate to narrowly ovate, 6-7 x 4-5 mm, imbricate for 1/2 length or more, indument not known but probably glabrous, green; petals 6, white, the 4 anterior petals pressed against androecium for lower half of length, coiled under at apices, the two posterior ones erect, somewhat cucullate; androecium zygomorphic, presence of a staminal lip not known, the staminal ring with numerous stamens, the filaments clavate, white, the anthers yellow, the hood curved, outer surface smooth, white proximally, darker yellow distally (i.e., at entrance into flower), with numerous vestigial stamens, proximal vestigial stamens swept inward, distal vestigial stamens pendant or curved inward, yellow, staminodes absent, presence of anterior hood extension not known; ovary 4-locular, the ovary summit plateau-like, the ovule not known, the style long, tapering towards apex, oblique, length not known, stylar collar absent. Fruits dehiscent, globose to turbinate, 6.5-11.5 x 7-9 cm, the calyx-lobes sometimes persistent, woody, not reflexed, the infracalyine zone 4–7 cm long, rounded to pedicel, the calycine ring not markedly expanded, the supracalycine zone 1–3.5 cm long, gradually tapered to operculum, the pericarp 6–15 mm thick, smooth, usually drying dark brown, the operculum 5-11.5 cm diam., flat, with spine-tipped umbo, the opercular rim rough but not muricate. Seed 3.5-4 x 2.5-3 cm, number per fruit not known, the testa thickness not known, reddish brown, with 5 longitudinal veins, the veins raised above surface of testa when seeds dry but only visible at base in fresh seeds; aril basal-lateral, yellowish, splitting at chalazal end and slightly extending along veins of seed; embryo without differentiated cotyledons.

Common names: Colombia. Coco cristal.

Distribution: This species is found in the Osa Peninsula and Pacific coast of Costa Rica near Puriscal in the Province of San José, the Darién of Panama, and the Madgalena Valley of Colombia.

Ecology: Lecythis mesophylla is a canopy to emergent species found in wet forests at elevations usually below 500 meters.

Phenology: In Costa Rica, flowers have been collected in Apr and Jun and fruits in Nov on the Osa Peninsula and flowers in April and seeds in September in the vicinity of Puriscal. Mature fruits have been collected in May in the Darién of Panama.

Pollination: No observations recorded but the flower color, especially the yellow at the entrance into the flower, suggests bees as the principal pollinators. The pollinator reward has not been recorded but it is most likely nectar secreted at the bases of the vestigial hood anthers.

Dispersal: There are no reports of dispersal of this species, but the presence of a seed aril suggests bats as the dispersers.

Predation: On the label of Kirkbride et al. 1371 it is reported that the "fruits" are eaten by monkeys, parrots, and other frugivores. Most likely, these animals were after the seeds or arils because the fruits are woody and inedible. We suggest that monkeys, parrots, and other frugivores may be seed predators, but that remains to be demonstrated. It is most likely, that some animals may eat the basal aril and disperse the seeds.

Field characters: Lecythis mesophylla is characterized by its: large stature; cylindrical trunk without buttresses or with low, thick buttresses; slightly fissured, brown to dark brown bark; leaves that are mid-sized and often with undulate margins; sulcate hypanthium; white petals; white androecial hood with yellow at the entrance or anterior end of the flower; curved, slightly expanded androecial hood with curved, mostly yellow vestigial stamens; medium-sized fruits; flat operculum with a spine-tipped umbo; and seeds with a lateral-basal aril.

Taxonomic notes: Morphologically, this species is related to an Amazonian and eastern Brazilian group of species called the Lecythis chartacea by Huang et al. (in press). These species are held together by their arched androecial hood with yellow at the entrance into the hood; four anterior petals are tightly pressed against the androecium, and the inwardly curved vestigial stamens. This species was not resolved in the molecular analysis of Mori et al. (2007)

Conservation: IUCN Red List: Not on list.

Uses: None reported.

Etymology: The specific epithet, derived from Greek, refers to the medium-sized leaves of this species.

Source: Based on Mori in Mori and Prance (1990).

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Reinaldo Aguilar and Xavier Cornejo for allowing us to post some of their images.

Flora and Monograph Treatment(s):

Lecythis mesophylla S.A.Mori: [Article] 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.