Guarea crispa T.D.Penn.

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Meliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Guarea crispa T.D.Penn.

  • Type

    Type. Prance, Pena & Ramos, 3061, Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus to Caracaraí road, km 28, fl (holotype, INPA; isotypes, F, FHO, GH, K, S).

  • Description

    Latin Diagnosis - Rami novelli dense implexo-puberuli, magni, mox corticem suberosum, per longitudinem fissuratum, usque ad 5 mm crassum efferentes. Folia paripinnata, 15-28 cm longa, gemmula terminali ?nulla; petiolus semiteres; rhachis teres vel supra canaliculata, omnis dense puberula; petiolulus 2-3 mm longus. Foliola 3-5-juga, late oblonga, apice acuta usque obtusa vel obtuse cuspidata, basi obtusa, crassa, coriacea, 18-28.5[23.8] cm longa, 9.5-14[11.7] cm lata; pagina superiori praeter costam puberulam glabra, pagina inferiori dense crispato-implexo-pu-berula, nec glanduloso-punctata nec -striata; venatio eucamptodroma, costa impressa; nervi secundarii 8-9 utroque costae latere, adscendentes, aliquantulum arcuati, ± paralleli, intersecundarii breves, tertiarii obliqui, paralleli. Inflores-centia axillaris, dense puberula, 15-20 cm longa, pyramidalis, thyrsoidea, ramis inferioribus usque ad 5 cm longis. Pedicellus ca. 1.5 mm longus, crassus. Calyx cyathiformis, extus puberulus, ca. 3 mm longus, 3-4-lobatus, lobis rotundatis 12.5 mm longis. Petala 4-5, valvata, ca. 12.5 mm longa, 3 mm lata, oblonga-lan-ceolata, apice acuta, extus dense sericea, intus glabra. Tubus stamineus ca. 9 mm longus, 5 mm latus, margine crenulatus, glaber; antherae 8, ca. 1.1 mm longae. Nectarium crassum, stipitiforme, infra ovarium in annulum ampliatum, ca. 2 mm longum, glabrum. Ovarium 4-loculare, dense adpresso-pubescens, loculis uni-ovulatis; stylus superne glaber. Capsula ± globosa, paullo latior quam longior, apice truncata, basi rotundata, praeter 4 suturas prominentes laevis, dense puberula, ca. 2.6 cm longa, 2.9 cm lata, 4-valvata, valvis monospermis; pericarpium 2-3 mm crassum. Semen ovoideum usque ellipsoideum, ca. 1.5 cm longum, 1 cm latum, sarcotesta tenui superficie adaxiali incrassata cinctum; punctum micropylar abaxiale sub apicem; hilum ca. 10 mm longum, 6 mm latum; testa mollis. Embryo cotyledonibus crassis, plano-convexis, superpositis instructus, testa vascularizata lateraliter impressus; radicula abaxialis, superficiem attingens.

    Species Description - Tree to 15 m, with conspicuous deeply fissured suberous bark on the trunk and massive branches. The flowers are produced in November, with a reddish calyx and cream-coloured corolla. The red capsule matures in May.

  • Discussion

    Relationships

    Guarea crispa is a very distinct species without close relatives. The combination of dense-matted puberulous indumentum of the lower leaflet surface, massive twigs with thick-fissured suberous bark, large 4-merous flowers uniovulate locules and smooth fruit is unique.

    Obs. 1. The sterile collection Pennington et al. 9985 from the Manaus to Pôrto Velho road may belong in this species. It has a similar indumentum on the lower leaflet surface but differs in the larger leaflets with more numerous secondary veins.

  • Distribution

    Known only from two collections in central Brazilian Amazonia. A tree of non-flooded lowland forest.

    Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|