Pradosia

  • Authority

    Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Sapotaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pradosia

  • Type

    Type species. Pradosia glycyphloea (Casaretto) Liais (Chrysophyllum glycyphloeum Casaretto).

  • Synonyms

    Pometia, Glycoxylon, Neopometia, Chrysophyllum, Pradosia glycyphloea (Casar.) Liais, Chrysophyllum glycyphloeum Casar.

  • Description

    Genus Description - Leaves often opposite or verticillate, less frequently spirally arranged; venation usually eucamptodromous, less frequently brochidodromous, midrib usually sunken on the upper surface, rarely flat or raised, secondary veins often impressed on upper surface; intersecondaries usually absent, rarely well-developed; tertiaries usually oblique or horizontal; minute paired stipels sometimes present on petiole. Usually cauliflorous or ramiflorous, less frequently with axillary inflorescence. Flowers bisexual. Calyx a single whorl of usually five sepals. Corolla rotate, tube nearly always shorter than the widely spreading lobes, corolla lobes usually five. Stamens fixed at top of corolla tube or on base of lobes, exserted; filaments long, geniculate below the apex, and strongly narrowed below insertion of anther. Staminodes absent. Disk absent. Ovary (4-)5 (-6)-locular, style short. Fruit a drupe with thinly cartilaginous endocarp, often slightly asymmetric. Seed solitary, with smooth, shining testa and full-length adaxial scar; embryo with thinly planoconvex cotyledons, radicle often exserted or only extending to the surface; endosperm a thin sheath or absent.

  • Discussion

    Field Characters: Leaves often whorled. Corolla often dark red.

    Pollen (Figs. 188, 189A-D) (number of specimens examined: 9; number of spp.: 7). Grains prolate-spheroidal, sub-prolate or prolate, 3-, 3-& 4-, 4- or 4- & 5-colporate. Average polar length 22.1-35.3 µm. Colpi very reduced, short or long. Endoapertures broadly or narrowly lalongate, rarely more or less circular. Tectum in some species protrudent. Endexine a continuous thickened band in equatorial zone. Surface patterning of apocolpia more or less smooth, patterning of mesocolpia finely rugulate. In P. atroviolacea tectum completely smooth.

    Anomalous species: P. brevipes.

  • Distribution

    Twenty-three species in South America, with one species extending into Panama and Costa Rica, mostly confined to lowland rain forest.

    Panama Central America| Costa Rica South America|