Aiouea laevis (Mart.) Kosterm.

  • Authority

    Kubitzki, K. & Renner, Susanne S. 1982. Lauraceae I (Aniba and Aiouea). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 31: 1-125. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Aiouea laevis (Mart.) Kosterm.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Martius 237, fl (holotype, Bf; isotypes, BM, K, M, MO, NY, P).

  • Synonyms

    Cryptocarya laevis Nees ex Mart., Aiouea densiflora Nees, Aiouea brasiliensis var. glabriflora Meisn., Laurus maxima Salzm. ex Meisn., Aiouea brasiliensis var. attenuata Meisn., Aiouea brasiliensis var. nitida Meisn., Aiouea riedelii Mez, Aiouea scandens Ducke

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree, to 15 m or climbing shrub, the branches of which lay upon neighboring plants; branchlets terete, smooth, glabrous, yellowish tomentose, glabrescent at top. Leaves coriaceous, elliptic to broadly elliptic, 12-16(-22) x 3.5-6(-11) cm, base acute or obtuse, apex acuminate, rarely rotundate, acumen to 1.5 cm long, margins hardly thickened, smooth, glabrous above, glabrous, midrib and 4-7(-10) pairs of lateral veins per side prominent, densely reticulate beneath; petioles glabrous, (1.5-)3(-5) cm long. Peduncles often clustered at top of branchlets, reddish, densely hirsute pilose, becoming glabrous when fruits ripen; pedicels hirsute, 1-2(-5) mm long. Flowers hirsute, white, cream-colored or yellowish-green, 1.5-2.5(-3) mm long, floral tube obconical to cylindrical, sometimes slightly narrowed just below perianth, pilose within; tepals shorter than tube, pilose within; stamens of series I and II fertile, series III and IV staminodial; outer 6 stamens with introrse cells, connective hardly protruding beyond cells, obtuse or slightly emarginate, filaments as long as anthers or slightly shorter, narrower than anthers, pilose; staminodes III of same length as stamens, truncate, more sparsely pilose towards top than at base, small glands slightly distant from filament; staminodes IV triangular, sometimes emarginate, sessile or on very short stalks, pilose at base; ovary globose or ellipsoid, merging into style of same length; stigma slightly bigger than cross-section of style. Fruit black, l x l cm; cupule red, hemispherical, to 1 cm deep, merging into enlarged pedicel (1 cm long).

  • Discussion

    Ducke’s remark (1930), accompanying his description of A. scandens Ducke, is interesting: “Cette espece est une des rares lauracees grimpantes, tandis que la voisine A. guianensis est un arbre de taille assez elevee. Elle n’est pas trop rare dans la région des cataractes inférieures du Tapajoz où on la trouve sur la lisiere de la forêt appuyée avec ses longues branches droites aux petits arbres, a la maniere des Sparattanthelium (Hemandiacées) avec lesquels on peut la con-fondre.” Climbing specimens of A. guianensis have also been collected.

    The two “sister species” are alike in all but one important character. The outer six stamens are extrorse in A. guianensis versus introrse in A. laevis. Phenologically they are clearly separated from each other, A. laevis flowers during those months of the year in which A. guianensis is in the vegetative state. There is a short overlap of flowering in April/May.

  • Distribution

    Aiouea laevis grows on terra firme. Flowers Aug-Jan and Apr-May. A single ripe fruit collected in Apr, unripe fruits in Aug, Sep, and Oct. A member of this homogeneous group (Kegel 1185) is depicted in Flora Brasileinsis.

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