Pouteria macrophylla (Lam.) Eyma
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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
Chrysophyllum macrophyllum Lam., Bumelia nervosa Vahl, Lucuma rivicoa C.F.Gaertn., Achras glaucescens Willd. ex Steud., Vitellaria rivicoa (C.F.Gaertn.) Radlk., Richardella rivicoa (C.F.Gaertn.) Pierre, Vitellaria glaucophylla Engl., Lucuma acreana Krause, Richardella macrophylla (Lam.) Aubrév.
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Description
Species Description - Tree:; young shoots appressed puberulous with golden hairs, eventually glabrous, greyish or pale brown, finely cracked, usually without lenticels. Leaves spaced or loosely clustered, spirally arranged, 6.5-21 × 2.2-8.5 cm, usually oblanceolate, less frequently elliptic, apex obtusely cuspidate, acute, narrowly attenuate, rarely rounded, base narrowly attenuate, chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, slightly glaucous below, subglabrous above, sparsely puberulous below with minute, closely appressed hairs (visible only with lens); venation eucamptodromous, midrib flat or slightly raised on the upper surface, thin marginal vein present, secondary veins 12-18 pairs, parallel, straight or slightly arcuate; intersecondaries absent; tertiaries horizontal to oblique (often rather obscure), finer higher order reticulum often visible on upper surface. Petiole 0.9-2 cm long, not channelled, finely appressed puberulous. Fascicles 3-12-flowered, axillary and clustered below the leaves. Pedicel 0.6-1.8 cm long, finely appressed puberulous. Flowers bisexual. Sepals five(six), 4-6 mm long, broadly ovate, apex acute to rounded, densely appressed puberulous outside, inside glabrous, or puberulous only near the margin, ciliate (especially the inner ones). Corolla tubular, 6.5-9.5 mm long, tube 3.5-5 mm long, lobes five, 2.5-4 mm long, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, apex rounded to obtuse, with sparse appressed hairs outside (especially on lobes) or glabrous, glabrous inside. Stamens five, fixed at or near the top of the corolla tube; filaments ca. 1.5 mm long, geniculate at apex, glabrous, anthers 1.5-2 mm long, lanceolate, glabrous. Staminodes five, 2.5-3 mm long, subulate, papillose. Disk absent. Ovary broadly ovoid, five(-six)-locular, appressed, puberulous; style 56 mm long after anthesis, exserted in bud and open flower, appressed puberulous below; style-head simple or minutely lobed. Fruit 2.5-3.5 cm long, globose or broadly ellipsoid, apex and base obtuse or rounded, smooth, glabrous. Seed 1-2, 2-2.5 cm long, broadly ellipsoid (when solitary) or plano-convex (when paired), with a small abaxial crest near the base, testa smooth, shining, 0.3-0.6 mm thick; scar broad, adaxial and extending over the base, covering one third to half the seed surface, very rough and irregularly furrowed; embryo with plano-convex, free cotyledons, radicle extending to the surface; endosperm absent. Field characters. Tree to 30 m high and 35 cm diam. with small buttresses and fluted trunk. Bark blackish-brown, finely and shallowly fissured; slash cream-coloured, with copious white latex. Flowers greenish-white to greenish-yellow, fruit ripening yellow with yellow fresh. Flowering Aug to Oct, fruit maturing Oct to Feb.
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Discussion
The edible fruit is said to be rather starchy and sweet, with a strong scent. Fruits of selected strains attain a diameter of up to 6 cm.
Distribution and Ecology: Surinam and French Guiana, Amazonian and coastal Brazil, to Amazonian Peru and Bolivia. Occurring in lowland forest on non-flooded land up to 350 m altitude, also frequently in old secondary forest, in drier semideciduous forest (Mato Grosso) and occurring occasionally in cerrado-type vegetation, or transitional forest between Campina and taller forest (Pará).
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Common Names
Abiurana, acara-uba, banana do matta, cortica, cutite, cutiti, cutitiriba, juturuba, sapotilla, taturuba
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Objects
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Distribution
Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America|