Manilkara longifolia (A.DC.) Dubard
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Authority
Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Sapotaceae
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Scientific Name
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Synonyms
Mimusops longifolia A.DC., Kaukenia longifolia (A.DC.) Kuntze
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Description
Species Description - Tree; young branches puberulous or glabrous, stout (1-1.5 cm diam.), very rough with prominent leaf scars, lenticels present or not. Stipules absent. Leaves 20-30 × 5-8 cm, narrowly cuneiform or oblanceolate, apex obtuse or rounded, base long narrowly cuneate or attenuate, glabrous, coriaceous; midrib finely prominent on the upper surface; secondaries ca. 50 pairs, areolate quaternaries visible on the upper surface; venation slightly impressed on the upper surface. Petiole 4-5.2 cm long, not or only slightly channelled, sparsely tomentose to glabrous. Flowers ca. five in a fascicle. Pedicel 4-5 cm long, shortly loose tomentose. Sepals 1-1.1 cm long, slightly accrescent in fruit (to 1.5 cm long) narrowly triangular, acute, distinctly swollen at the base and abruptly contracted into the pedicel, outer whorl densely short tomentose outside, inner whorl puberulous, both whorls glabrous inside except for some appressed hairs near the margin. Corolla glabrous, 0.9-1.1 cm long, tube ca. 2 mm long; lobes six, divided to base into 3 segments; median segment narrowly boat-shaped, clawed, apex rounded; lateral segments slightly shorter than the median segment, strongly reflexed, lanceolate, sometimes irregularly cut. Stamens six, glabrous; filaments ca. 3.5 mm long, free; anthers 2.5-3 mm long. Staminodes six, glabrous, 2-3 mm long, oblong, fimbriate. Ovary ovoid, 9-locular, glabrous; style 1-1.1 cm long after anthesis, glabrous. Mature fruit unknown; young fruit broadly ellipsoid, with obtuse apex and rounded base, ca. 2.5 cm long, smooth, glabrous, bearing a stout persistent style ca. 5 mm long, several-seeded. Field characters. Unbuttressed tree to ca. 15 m high. Slash red, exuding copious white viscous latex. Flowering Dec, fruit maturing Apr.
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Discussion
Relationships. A rather isolated species related closely only to Af. maxima. Its massive twigs, with dense terminal clusters of very long slender coriaceous leaves with numerous secondary veins, immediately distinguish it from all other species. The flowers are larger than those in all species except Af. maxima. Its relationship with Af. maxima is discussed under the latter.
Note 1. A similar plant, represented by Ducke 2406 and Curran 327, both from a plant cultivated at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, was considered by Monachino (1952: 115), to represent a distinct species. He refrained from describing it, as its country of origin was unknown.The leaves of this plant are similar in shape and texture to those of Af. longifolia but they have fewer, much less distinct secondary veins, and the lower surface has a dense waxy pale pellicle. In addition the flowers are smaller than those of Af. longifolia (ca. 7 mm long), the lateral corolla lobe segments considerably shorter than the median segment, and the staminodes are reduced to vestigial blobs ca. 0.5 mm long.No further material of this plant has been collected, and I have been unable to find any Manilkara from Africa or Asia that resembles it, so it remains a mystery. It certainly bears more resemblance to Af. longifolia than to any other species, and I believe it to be Brazilian in origin.Note 2. A second species, also probably related to Af. longifolia is represented by the collections Santos 952 and Bondar s.n. from Espírito Santo, Brazil. The leaf shape and size is similar to that of Af. longifolia, but the lower leaf surface has a dense golden appressed indumentum. Fertile material is needed before it can be described. -
Common Names
Maparaju, massaranduba, massaranduba folha de jaca, massaranduba rosa, paraju
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Objects
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Distribution
Coastal E Brazil (Bahía, Espírito Santo (Ducke, 1957: 647)) in wet lowland forest, the altitudinal range from sea level to ca. 200 m.
Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America|