Casearia fasciculata (Ruiz & Pav.) Sleumer

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Salicaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Casearia fasciculata (Ruiz & Pav.) Sleumer

  • Type

    Type. Ruiz & Pavon sn, Peru, Huánuco, in Chinchao nemoribus circa Hualqui praedium, fl (holotype, MA; isotypes, F, Fl-Webb).

  • Synonyms

    Chaetocrater fasciculatum Ruiz & Pav., Crateria fasciculata Pers., Casearia punctata Spreng., Casearia petiolaris Poepp. ex Eichler, Casearia maculata Pilg.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub or tree, rarely up to 16.0 m high. Branchlets gray puberulous or glabrous, early covered with gray cork and laxly lenticellate. Leaves persistent, oblong, elliptic-oblong or oblanceolate-elliptic, apex rather abruptly subcaudate-acuminate for 1.0-2.0 cm, tip acute, base equilateral, cuneate to the petiole, thin-chartaceous to subcoriaceous, olivaceous and dull in dry specimens, glabrous, though occasionally with laxly hairy domatia in the axils of the lateral nerves with midrib beneath, laxly to densely coarsely pellucid-punctate and -lineate (each dot within an areola formed by the ultimate veinlets), sometimes almost impunctate, obscurely serrate-crenulate or subentire, variable in size, (6.0-)8.0-16.0 (sometimes -22.0) cm long, (2.5-)3.0-6.0 (-7.0, -9.0) cm broad, midrib depressed in its lower part above, lateral nerves (4-)5-6 (rarely -7) pairs arculately high-ascending, excurrent before the margin, veins more or less transverse, slightly raised beneath, reticulation of veinlets a little prominent to almost obscure beneath; petiole slender, glabrous, (6.0-)8.0-10.0 (-12.0, -15.0) mm long; stipules normally subulate, ca 4.0 mm long, caducous, sometimes foliar and persistent, up to 1.0 by 0.5 cm. Fascicles (5-)10-15(-30)-flowered at nodes of foliate or defoliate branchlets; bracts numerous, ovate, membranous, brownish, (sub)glabrous, 1.0-1.5(-2.0) mm long, often forming glomerules up to 5.0 mm diam; pedicels articulate above base, slender, gray-tomentellous, (2.0-)2.5-3.0(-5.0) mm long. Sepals 5, oblong-obovate, obtuse, spreading, connate in the lower 1/2-1/3, gray-tomentellous outside, less densely hairy inside, rarely subglabrous, white, cream or greenish, provided with distinct dark resinous dots and lines, erect-campanulate, 2.0-2.5(-3.0) mm long, ca 1.3 mm broad. Stamens 10, slightly unequal in length; filaments glabrous or patently hairy, 1.5-1.8 mm long; anthers subglobose, with a minute apical gland or practically glandless, 0.5 mm long. Disk-lobes linear-spathulate, villous, 1.0-1.5 mm long. Ovary ovoid, marked with dark resinous dots, glabrous; style short, bearing a few hairs; stigma capitate. Fruit baccate, depressedly subglobose, yellow, (3.5-)4.5-5.5 cm diam; pericarp brittle, thin (0.5-1.0 mm) with dark points inside; seeds numerous, oblongoid, 1.5-2.0 cm long, mutually compressed; testa with dark streaks.

    Distribution and Ecology - Ecuador, Amazonian Peru and Brazil; mainly in lowland, also in montane forest up to 1250(-2000 ?) m alt.

  • Discussion

    Fruit said to be edible.

    Vernacular Limón capi (E Peru).

    Specimens collected by Ruiz and Pavon named Chaetocrater fasciculatum such as deposited in the herbaria of Geneva and Paris belong to Casearia arborea (L. C. Richard) Urban, the labels apparently mixed up with those of specimens of Chaetocrater capitatum Ruiz & Pavon.

  • Distribution

    Ecuador South America| Los Ríos Ecuador South America| Imbabura Ecuador South America| Bolívar Ecuador South America| Tungurahua Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Junín Peru South America| Ayacucho Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America|