Trichilia pseudostipularis (A.Juss.) 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 pseudostipularis (A.Juss.) C.DC.

  • Type

    Type. Leandro di Sacramento s.n., Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, fl (holotype, P).

  • Synonyms

    Moschoxylum pseudostipulare A.Juss., Odontandra pseudostipulare (A.Juss.) Triana & Planch., Trichilia corcovadensis C.DC., Trichilia corcovadensis var. pubescens C.DC., Trichilia riparia Mart. ex DC., Trichilia microstachya C.DC., Trichilia casaretti var. microphyllina C.DC., Trichilia sebastianopolitana C.DC., Trichilia pseudostipularis var. sanctae-catharinae (A.Juss.) C.DC., Trichilia schwackei C.DC.

  • Description

    Species Description - Young branches sparsely strigulose, appressed, crisped or erect puberulous, or moderately to densely erect stiff pubescent (hairs mostly simple basifixed, sometimes with a few dibrachiate), becoming glabrous, greyish-white or -brown, usually lenticellate. Bud scales absent. Leaves usually imparipinnate, less frequently trifoliolate rarely unifoliolate, 0.5-12(-18.5) cm long; petiole and rhachis semiterete, minutely puberulous to densely stiff pubescent or glabrous; petiolule 0-4 mm long. Leaflets opposite or subopposite, strongly dimorphic, (1-)3-7(-9) with 1 pair of greatly reduced basal leaflets ("pseudostipules") clasping base of petiole, oblanceolate, elliptic, oblong or lanceolate, apex narrowly attenuate or acuminate, less frequently obtusely cuspidate to obtuse rarely minutely emarginate, base nearly always asymmetric, cuneate, acute, rounded, truncate, or minutely cordate to auriculate, base of terminal leaflets usually symmetric and narrowly attenuate, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, (4.5-)5.5-12(-28)[10.6] cm long, 2-5.5(-10)[3.9] cm broad, terminal usually larger, basal pair often much smaller, upper surface nearly always glabrous rarely with midrib sparsely puberulous, lower surface usually glabrous less frequently midrib and veins sparsely to densely puberulous or stiffly pubescent rarely with lamina pubescent, glandular-punctate and -striate or not; basal reduced leaflets usually orbicular or ovate with a cordate or reniform base less frequently obovate to spathulate, with a short petiolule, 0.1-2.5(-3.9) cm long, persistent; venation eucamptodromous to brochidodromous, midrib flat or slightly prominent or slightly sunken; secondaries 8-12(-16) on either side of midrib, ascending, straight or arcuate, parallel or convergent; intersecondaries often moderate to long; tertiary reticulum usually obscure. Flowers unisexual, plants dioecious; inflorescence axillary, to 2 cm long, a small few- to many-flowered fascicle with thyrsoid branching, $ inflorescence often reduced to 1-2 flowers, puberulous to glabrous; pedicel 0.25-0.5(-l) mm long. Calyx patelliform or cyathiform, 0.5-1(-1.5) mm long, with (3-)4-5(-6) broadly triangular or ovate lobes, ca. 1/2 length of calyx, puberulous on outer surface or glabrous. Petals 3-5, fused their length, valvate, reflexing, 2.5-4(-4.5) mm long, 0.75-1.25(-1.5) mm broad, lanceolate or narrowly triangular, apex acute, usually hooded, glabrous or sparsely strigulose or appressed puberulous on outer surface. Staminal tube urceolate or shortly cylindrical; filaments completely fused, 1.5-3.5 mm long, 0.75-2(-2.5) mm broad, margin with (4-)5-8(-9) short acute lobes alternating with anthers and 1/4-2/3 their length, outside crisped puberulous in upper half or glabrous, sparsely coarse pubescent to barbate in throat; anthers (4-)5-8(-9), 0.7-1.2 mm long, glabrous; antherodes slender, not dehiscent, without pollen. Nectary absent. Ovary ovoid, 3-locular, loculi with 2 collateral ovules, puberulous to dense stiff pubescent; style glabrous; style-head capitate equalling or slightly below antherodes; pistillode conical containing small non-functional ovules and bearing a style-head set well below anthers. Capsule oblong or ellipsoid, apex acute to rounded, apiculate, smooth to verrucose, usually appressed puberulous less frequently densely papillose intermixed with a few stiff appressed hairs, 1-2.5 cm long, 0.5-1.3 cm broad, 3-valved; pericarp 1-1.5 mm thick; endocarp thin, cartilaginous. Seeds 2, collateral in each fruit, to 1.8 cm long; arillode thick, fleshy, strongly developed only at apex of seed and along adaxial surface, free except for line of attachment from micropyle and along raphe; seed coat thin and soft. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons; radicle apical, included. Endosperm absent.

  • Discussion

    Relationships Trichilia pseudostipularis shows more variation than any other species of Trichilia from the Brazilian coastal forests. It is however poorly known and with such meagre collections as are now available it is not possible to give a complete picture of the variation. It is possible that some collections included here may later be recognized as distinct species.

    Several characters show considerable variation but it is so diffuse and uncorrelated with that of other characters that it cannot be used to subdivide the species. The characters concerned are discussed below.

    1). Indumentum of young parts and leaves. This varies from subglabrous with a few strigulose hairs at the shoot apex, through short pubescent to densely long stiff pubescent.

    2). Number and size of leaflets. The most extreme form is the type of T. riparia which has only one fully developed leaflet and in which the basal leaflets are no more than 2 mm long. Other less extreme forms are now known in which leaflet number varies from 1-3 and 3-5, and the basal leaflets are larger.

    3). Shape of leaflet base. Nearly always asymmetric, this varies from acute or cuneate to rounded, cordate or auriculate. Most large-leaved specimens have leaflets with an auriculate or cordate base, but this type also occurs in some of the small-leaved specimens.

    4). Flower size and indumentum of the corolla. Petals vary from 2.5-4.5 mm long, some are glabrous, others have a puberulous or strigulose indumentum on the outer surface.

    5). Anther number shows greater variation than in any other species of Trichilia (4-9). However, it is of no taxonomic value and can vary widely on a single plant (e.g. anthers 4-7 in Kuhlmann 138306).

    If the variation in the above characters was in any way correlated it could provide the basis of several subspecific units. However, in this group of plants these characters are combined in almost every possible combination so that many "paper" species or subspecies could be described according to which character was given importance. No ecological or phenological data are available to support subdivision of the species. Consequently, it is therefore regarded as one species, rich in biotypes, whose elucidation must await further collections and detailed field study.

    Obs. 1. Trichilia riparia Martius ex C. de Candolle (Fig. 42). This represents the most extreme form in the complex and is included under T. pseudostipularis with some reservations. It is the only collection in which all the leaves have only one fully developed leaflet with two minute reduced basal leaflets. The leaflet has a rather prominent tertiary reticulum which is unusual in T. pseudostipularis. The flower though small, has an essentially similar structure to those of other specimens. The fruit is unknown.

    Obs. 2. Pennington et al. 10076, 10078, 10080, 10081, 10082 from Bahia, between Vitoria da Conquista and Barra da Choça, 900 m altitude. This population is provisionally included under T. pseudostipularis though it is outside the normal altitudinal range of the species. It closely resembles T. catigua in the structure of its normal leaflets and in flower structure but differs in the presence of reduced leaflets near the petiole base. Trichilia catigua is present at these elevations further inland in Minas Gerais, and it is possible that this Bahian population represents a form of this species.

    Obs. 3. Trichilia microstachya, T. microphyllina and T. sebastianopolitana are intermediate between T. pseudostipularis and T. tetrapetala. These three "species" are represented only by the type collections, all of which belong to the same species. The floral structure is close to that of those specimens of T. pseudostipularis with five anthers but the flowers are broader in relation to their length and the pair of reduced basal leaflets does not clasp the petiole and stem as they usually do in T. pesudostipularis. The leaf and leaflet morphology is closer to that of T. tetrapetala but the flowers have petals united for at least 1/2 their length whereas the petals are united only to 1/3 their length in T. tetrapetala. In addition, this "species" has five anthers in contrast to the 7-9 anthers of T. tetrapetala. Until further data become available, I have chosen to treat this "species" as part of the variable species, T. pseudostipularis.

    Field Characters: Treelet to 6 m, with horizontally spreading branches. The bark is smooth, greyish-white. The dimorphic leaflets are a conspicuous feature in the field, with the orbicular basal leaflets developing at the same time as the normal ones and opening a pinkish-brown colour. The basal leaflets clasp the petiole base and completely envelop the apical shoot. The plant flowers throughout the first half of the year from December to July. The greenish-white to creamish-pink flowers are without scent. The yellowish fruit ripens in August and September and contains 2 seeds surrounded by a red arillode.

  • Distribution

    Confined to the lowland coastal rain forests of Brazil from Bahia southwards to Santa Catarina. It is a common component of the forest understorey in Bahia.

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