Heisteria silvianii Schwacke

  • Authority

    Sleumer, Hermann O. 1984. Olacaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 38: 1-159. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Olacaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Heisteria silvianii Schwacke

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Minas Gerais: Rio Novo, fl, Schwacke (leg. Araujo) 8973 (lectotype, RB; isolectotypes, B, photo B 1431/16). Syntype. Brazil. Minas Gerais: Rio Novo, fr, Schwacke 8921 (RB).

  • Synonyms

    Heisteria raddiana Benth. ex Hook., Heisteria stereoneura Pierre ex Glaz.

  • Description

    Species Description - Glabrous tree, (3-) 10-15(rarely -20) m tall; trunk occasionally to 50 cm diam. Branchlets flexuous, subangular, finely striate, purple to brownish in the dry state. Leaves oblong-elliptic to oblong, sometimes lanceolate, apex shortly and more or less obliquely attenuate to subacuminate, tip mucronulate, base cuneate to the canaliculate petiole, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, flexible, laticifers numerous, well visible beneath, usually densely and finely tuberculate above only, or rarely on both surfaces, shiny and green to olive-green in dry specimens, paler beneath, edge hardly revolute, 6-10(-17) x 2-4(-5) cm, midrib somewhat impressed above, strongly raised beneath, lateral nerves very numerous and equal, obliquely straight-ascending, subparallel to each other, collected into an intramarginal nerve, and connected with a dense network of veins, all nerves and veins equally prominent on both surfaces; petiole swollen and rugulose in its upper part, 8—12(-17) mm long. Flowers 6-12(-15) per axillary fascicle; basal perulae small; pedicels rather robust, 5-7 mm long at anthesis. Calyx lobes ovate-deltoid, 1-1.5 mm long. Petals ovate-lanceolate, carinate, fleshy, white to cream or greenish, white-hairy in the upper ½ inside, (2-)2.5 x 1.2 mm. Stamens 10. Ovary adnate below to a thickish 10-sulcate disk. Drupe ellipsoid-oblongoid, yellowish to whitish when fresh, smooth when dry, (1.2-)1.5 x (0.7-) 1 cm. Fruit-calyx dark red to purplish, spreading, (2.5-)3 cm diam. when expanded, obtusely 5-lobed halfway; peduncle 0.8-1 cm long.

  • Discussion

    Timber said to be of good quality.

  • Common Names

    Casco de tatú , rapadura

  • Distribution

    SE Brazil (Minas Gerais to Santa Catarina); in the Atlantic rain forest, also in secondary forest, both on the littoral plains and the adjacent mountains, often along stream, locally frequent, from sea level to ca. 950 m alt.

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