Trichilia silvatica C.DC.

  • Authority

    Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Meliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Trichilia silvatica C.DC.

  • Type

    Type. Warming s.n., (3236 in herb. C), Brazil, near Rio de Janeiro, fr (lectotype, C, here designated).

  • Synonyms

    Trichilia cuspidata C.DC.

  • Description

    Species Description - Young branches appressed puberulous with most trichomes basifixed or sometimes intermixed with a few dibrachiate hairs, soon glabrous, greyish-white to dark brown, sometimes with a few lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one leaflet of ultimate pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet, (4-)8-20 cm long; petiole and rhachis semiterete, glabrous; petiolule (1.5-)2-5 mm long. Leaflets usually alternate less frequently opposite, (3-)5-7, elliptic, oblong or oblanceolate, apex narrowly acuminate, base narrowly attenuate or cuneate, sometimes long decurrent into petiolule, base of lower leaflets not or only slightly asymmetric, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, 8-26[12.9] cm long, 2.7-7.7[4.1] cm broad, lower pairs smaller but similar in structure to other leaflets, glabrous, not glandular-punctate or -striate; venation eucamptodromous or brochidodromous, midrib sharply prominent; secondaries 9-20 on either side of midrib, ascending, usually ± arcuate, parallel or convergent; intersecondaries usually short; tertiary reticulum usually obscure, occasionally moderately prominent. Inflorescence axillary or several on a very short axillary shoot, 1.5-4(-11) cm long, a few-flowered panicle or thyrse, sparsely puberulous or subglabrous; pedicel 0.75-2 mm long. Calyx patelliform to shortly cyathiform, 0.5-1.5 mm long, with (3-)4-5 irregular, broadly ovate or triangular, acute or obtuse lobes, to 1/2 length of calyx, usually with a few minute appressed hairs on outer surface. Petals (3-)4-5(-6), free or fused to 1/3 their length, valvate, reflexing, (2-)2.5-3 mm long, 0.75-1.25 mm broad, lanceolate, apex acute sometimes hooded, outer surface with a few minute appressed hairs or glabrous, inside glabrous. Staminal tube cyathiform or urceolate; filaments completely fused, 1-2 mm long, 1-1.75 mm broad, margin with (4-)6-7(-9) acute appendages alternating with anthers and 1/3-2/3 their length, outside usually glabrous less frequently with a few crisped hairs at apex and crisped pubescent in throat; anthers (4-)6-7(-9), 0.6-1 mm long, glabrous. Nectary absent. Ovary ovoid, 3-locular, loculi with 2 collateral ovules, puberulous or strigulose; style short, stout, glabrous; style-head small discoid to capitate, sometimes minutely lobed, equalling anthers. Capsule narrowly oblong, apex and base rounded, smooth to strongly verruculose, densely papillose intermixed with dense puberulous hairs, 2-2.5 cm long, 0.6-1.5 cm broad, 3-valved; pericarp ca. 1 mm thick; endocarp thinly cartilaginous. Seed solitary, 1.6-2.2 cm long, tapering from near apex to base, completely surrounded by a 3-partite fleshy arillode; arillode free except for attachment at apex and along raphe; seed coat membraneous. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons; radicle apical, included. Endosperm absent.

  • Discussion

    Relationships

    Trichilia silvatica is a member of the large group of Brazilian species with valvate corollas and (usually) partially fused petals. It is very similar in floral structure to T. emarginata, but lacks the characteristic leaflet shape and winged rhachis of the latter. It is, however, closest to T. tetrapetala, and shares most of its range. Indeed, it has to be admitted that the two species are only doubtfully distinct. The differences are slight and mostly quantitative, but on the basis of the existing inadequate material all specimens can be assigned to one or the other without difficulty. The differences are listed below.

    T. silvatica

    Lowest leaflets smaller than the others but ± similar in structure to them Midrib sharply prominent Upper leaflets 8-26[12.9] cm long Intersecondary veins usually short and obscure Fruit 2-2.5 cm long

    T. tetrapetala

    Lowest leaflets often much smaller than the others, with a different shape, and strongly asymmetric base Midrib flat Upper leaflets 4.7-6.8[6.1] cm long Intersecondary veins long and prominent Fruit ca. 1 cm long

    The scanty field data indicates that T. tetrapetala flowers outside the flowering season of T. silvatica.

    Field Characters: Small treelet to 10 m. The flowers are described (Reitz & Klein, field data) as white or greenish-white and produced bimodally from February to April and again from August to November. The ripe capsule is red and has been collected from November to February.

  • Common Names

    Catigua, Catigua branca, Rosa branca

  • Distribution

    Lowland forest up to 750 m altitude in the states of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Santa Catarina, Brazil. The species is not yet recorded from Espírito Santo, or Paraná, where it almost certainly occurs.

    Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America|