Monographs Details – Vascular Plants of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Monographs Details:

Authority:

Sleumer, Hermann O. 1980. Flacourtiaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 22: 1-499. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family:

Salicaceae

Scientific Name:

Tetrathylacium macrophyllum Poepp.

Synonyms:

Edmonstonia pacifica Seem., Tetrathylacium macrophyllum var. pacificum (Seem.) Triana & Planch., Tetrathylacium pacificum (Seem.) Standl., Tetrathylacium costaricense Standl., Tetrathylacium nutans Sleumer

Description:

Species Description - Tree 3.0-8.0(-15.0) m tall, with spreading crown; trunk 10.0-30.0 cm diam; bark pinkish or grayish-brown, rather smooth; young stems inhabited by ants. Branchlets pubescent at tips, glabrescent. Leaves narrowly to broadly oblong, apex long to shortly caudate-acuminate or often rounded with a short abrupt acute acumen, base somewhat unequal, rounded or rather deeply cordate or truncate, chartaceous to coriaceous, glabrous and shining above, glabrous or short-pubescent, rarely tomentulose, and dull beneath, (14.0-)20.0-40.0 cm long, (5.0-)8.0-14.0(-18.0) cm broad, entire to remotely and rather obscurely serrate, midrib and lateral nerves slightly sunken above, very prominent beneath, lateral nerves (8-)10-12 pairs curved-ascendent, veins more oblique to transverse forming with the veins a dense reticulation which is hardly raised above, though distinctly so beneath; petiole subpeltately inserted, robust, 0.5-1.5(-2.0) cm long; stipules including foliar buds lanceolate, pubescent, ca 1.0 cm long, caducous before the leaves start to grow. Panicles axillary and sometimes from older branches and the trunk, 8.0-10.0(-20.0) cm long at anthesis, up to 35.0 cm in fruit, sessile or on peduncle up to 5.0 cm long, pendent, ample, corymbiform or broom-like, composed of numerous spikes, the flowers spaced along the angular, short-pubescent or subglabrous rhachis; bracts and bracteoles broadly triangular, ciliate, persistent, ca 1.0 mm long. Flowers subglobose, reddish-purplish or maroon, puberulous or glabrous. Calyx 4-gibbous, 1.5-2.5(-3.5) mm long, glabrous outside, pubescent inside, lobes ca 1.5 mm long. Stamens ca 2.2 mm long; anthers sagittate, ca 1.5 mm long; filaments glabrous. Ovary puberulous to yellowish-tomentellous. Fruit subglobose, red-purple, puberulous, up to 1.5 cm diam; seeds ovoid, ca 1.5 mm long.

Distribution and Ecology - From Costa Rica to E Peru and adjacent Amazonian Brazil; in forest, also secondary forest, old clearings and thickets, generally at low alt, rarely up to 1250 m.