Nectandra weddellii Meisn.

  • Authority

    Rohwer, Jens G. 1993. Lauraceae: . Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 60: 1-332. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Nectandra weddellii Meisn.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Without locality, Weddell 1135 (holotype, G-DC; isotypes, L, NY).

  • Description

    Species Description - Trees. Branchlets 5 cm below terminal bud 1.8-3.2 mm in diam., initially distinctly irregularly angular, with a dense, yellowish to light brown indument of mixed short to long (up to ca. 0.7 mm), almost straight to curled, ± erect hairs, the shorter hairs completely covering the epidermis, more persistent than the longer ones, on older twigs matted and greyish, very slowly wearing off; terminal buds ± ovoid to elongate, 2-11 mm long, 1-4 mm thick, densely covered with ± straight, long, ± ascending hairs. Petioles 5-11 mm long, 1.2-2.2 mm thick, roundish below, ± canaliculate above, indument above ± as on twigs, usually shorter and slightly less dense below, subpersistent. Leaves alternate, elliptic to obovate-oblong or (oblanceolate-elliptic, widest 1/2 to 2/3 from the base, mostly just above the middle, 7-13 cm long, (2-)2.7-4 cm wide, 2.4-3.6 times longer than wide, tip acute to obtuse with a very short and indistinct acumen, base attenuate to acute, margin slightly bent down to (mostly) narrowly recurved, midrib and secondary veins (in mature leaves) distinctly impressed above, very prominent below, secondary veins 5-8 pairs, diverging at 25-40°, in midlamina running at an angle of 20-30° to the midrib, tertiary venation predominantly or entirely scalariform, almost level to ± impressed above, ± raised below. Indument consisting of ± appressed to ascending, almost straight to curled hairs of variable length (ca. 0.1-0.5 mm), the longer hairs more frequent on veins, initially dense (almost completely concealing the epidermis) to moderately sparse above but much denser on veins, (moderately) dense below, the short hairs ± pointing towards the leaf tip, the longer hairs denser in the axils of the secondary veins, older leaves glabrescentabove, indument becoming moderately sparse and ± appressed below. Gland dots visible only on upper surface of youngest leaves (if not concealed by the indument). Inflorescences in the axils of young leaves, 0.7-1.5 mm in diam. at the base, on a twig of 1.5-5 mm diam., (3.5-)7.5-15 cm long, usually much longer than their subtending leaf; peduncle (0.7-)3.5-5.5 cm long, i.e., 1/5 to 2/3 the length of the inflorescence, lateral branches (0-)2-6 below the terminal cluster of cymes, branched once or twice, indument similar to that on twigs but often lighter. Pedicels 3-5.5 mm long, 0.4-0.7 mm thick. Flowers 6-9.5 mm in diam., tepals ± elliptic to elongate, 2.8-4.2 mm long and 1.7-2.5 mm wide, heavily papillose on the inside surface. Stamens ca. 1.1-1.4 mm long including a short filament of ca. 0.2 mm, anthers distinctly papillose, in the first whorl broadly rhombic to roundish-pentagonal, with a ± obtuse or rarely almost rounded tip, in the second whorl pentagonal to trullate with a ± acute tip, in the third whorl roundish-obtrapeziform to elongate-pentagonal with an obtuse to ± truncate tip. Staminodes reaching ca. 1/3 the length of the stamens, slightly capitate, papillose and sometimes hairy on abaxial side, glandular on adaxial side, united with the inner stamens at the base. Pistil ca. 1.7-2 mm long, glabrous, ovary spheroidal, style ca. 2/3 as long as the ovary. Receptacle shallowly cup-shaped to deeply urceolate, almost closed by the bases of stamens and staminodes above, glabrous or with a few hairs inside. Fruit unknown.

  • Discussion

    Nectandra weddellii is closely related to N. lanceolata, and it is possible that Mez (1889) was correct when he merged the two. However, a relatively high proportion of ± regularly appressed to ascending hairs on the lower leaf surface, and the almost bullate mature leaves, drying dark brown, give N. weddellii a distinctive appearance. Intermediates to typical N. lanceolata are relatively rare, but typical N. weddellii is not frequent either.

    Very similar to the material cited above, differing only by narrower leaves and a sparser indument, is Guerra 32 (NY). According to the label, however, this collection comes from Mato Grosso, and therefore I hesitate to accept it as the same species.

    The type specimens of Nectandra weddellii are somewhat monstrous, in both leaves and flowers, and they are therefore difficult to interpret. The leaves lack a normal tip, and most of their secondary veins branch off near the ± decurrent leaf base. Their indument, however, is largely in agreement with the group described above, and so are the relatively few normally developed flowers.

  • Distribution

    Known only from within 250 km around the city of Rio de Janeiro. Flowers October.

    Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America|