Nectandra acutifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Mez

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Nectandra acutifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Mez

  • Synonyms

    Laurus acutifolia Ruiz & Pav., Nectandra berchemiifolia Meisn., Nectandra berchemiifolia var. pavonii Meisn.

  • Description

    Species Description - Trees, to 35 m (sometimes already flowering when only 3 m tall). Branchlets 5 cm below terminal bud 1.6-4(-4.8) mm in diam., ± angular/ flattened initially, sometimes quickly becoming terete, indument rather variable, most frequently consisting of both short, ± appressed to ± erect hairs, and longer (mostly up to 0.7 mm, rarely up to 1.2 mm), ± ascending to erect, straight to curled hairs, sometimes only one of the two types present, below terminal bud mostly (moderately) dense, almost persistent or quickly becoming (moderately) sparse, rarely quickly glabrescent; terminal buds elongate, 4-20 mm long, 1-4 mm thick, often sprouting at anthesis, densely covered with reddish or light brownish hairs of variable length and orientation. Petioles 7-20 (-24) mm long (often appearing longer due to a revolute leaf base), 1-3 mm thick, irregularly roundish below, usually slightly canaliculate above, indument ± as on twigs, usually denser above. Leaves alternate, lanceolate to elliptic, varying towards oblong or ovate, widest ± at the middle or slightly below (rarely down to 1/3 from base), (7.5-)10-24(-33) cm long, (2.7-)3.5-9 (-13.5) cm wide, (1.6-)2.4-4.2(-5.7) times longer than wide, tip ± acuminate, attenuate to rounded towards the base, the base itself often attenuate due to a ± distinctly revolute margin, less frequently margin flat to ± recurved, midrib usually ± impressed above and (at least in the middle of the lamina) ± convex in its impression, (very) prominent below, secondary veins (level to) slightly impressed and/or slightly convex above, prominent below, (5-)6-11(-13) pairs, diverging at 40-60(-75)0, in mid-lamina running at an angle of (15-)20-35(-45)° to the midrib, the distal ones sometimes loop-connected, tertiary venation densely scalariform (rarely percurrent), ± level to raised above, ± raised below. Indument rather variable, most frequently consisting of two types of hairs, i.e., short, appressed to ascending, ± yellowish hairs in the intercostal area and longer (0.3-1 mm), more reddish hairs mainly on the veins (in Colombia the short hairs rarely absent, in Ecuador the long hairs often absent, or restricted to the axils of the secondary veins), the short hairs initially dense to sparse or rarely absent above, the long ones straight to ± curled, ± moderately sparse to absent on lamina, dense to absent on veins, the short hairs moderately dense to sparse below, mostly clearly less dense than above, rarely absent, the long ones ± curled, ± moderately sparse to absent in intercostal area, dense to absent on veins, very often crowded in the axils of the secondary veins, in older leaves indument slowly or quickly becoming sparser, finally glabrescent above, more persistent or subglabrescent in the intercostal area below, with at least some persistent hairs on and along the veins. Gland dots in young leaves usually (moderately) distinct on both sides (if not concealed by the indument), later often becoming much less conspicuous but mostly still visible at least on one side. Inflorescences in the axils of foliage leaves, 0.9-2.3 mm in diam. at the base, on a twig of 1.4-5 mm diam., (3-)5-16(-19) cm long, reaching ca. 1/3 to slightly more than the length of the subtending leaf (rarely much shorter); peduncle (1.5-)3-8 cm long, i.e., 1/3-3/4 the length of the inflorescence, lateral branches (0-)2-8(-10) below the terminal cyme or cluster of cymes, branched 1-4(-5) times, indument on peduncle variable like that on twigs, sparse to moderately dense, closer to the flowers becoming much denser. Pedicels 1-5.5 mm long, 0.3-0.7 mm thick. Flowers (4.7-)6-9.5 mm in diam., tepals elliptic to elongate elliptic, (2-)2.7-4.2 mm long and (1.2-)1.8-2.8 mm wide, usually heavily papillose on the inside surface. Stamens ca. 0.8-1.9 mm long including a filament of 0.1-0.3 mm, anthers papillose, in the first whorl ± ovate (rarely suborbicular) with a (rounded to) acute or parabolic tip, in the second whorl (elongate-)ovate to trullate, with a parabolic to acute tip (in Bolivia often obtuse, see below), in the third whorl roundish-rectangular to pentagonal, with an acute to truncate tip. Staminodes reaching ca. 1/3-1/2 the length of the stamens, usually slightly clavate, papillose on abaxial side, often glandular on adaxial side, at the base united with the inner stamens. Pistil ca. 1.6-2.4 mm long, ovary ± ellipsoid to depressed spheroidal, glabrous, style ± as long as the ovary (1/3 shorter to 1/3 longer), glabrous or ± papillose, rarely with a few hairs (never densely papillose-hairy). Receptacle broadly hemispherical to urceolate, usually glabrous inside, occasionally with some appressed hairs. Berry ovate to elliptic, ca. 16-20 mm long and 9-12 mm in diam., cupule bowl-shaped to ± hemispherical, ca. 4-9 mm high and ca. 915 mm in diam., ± verrucate, immature cupules sometimes very slightly ridged along the veins running to the tepals, pedicel scarcely to distinctly thickened.

  • Discussion

    Uses. The wood is usually considered to be of good quality. It is used in construction. According to Zarucchi (pers. comm.) it is among the most commonly used woods in Antioquia.

    Nectandra acutifolia is the central species of the closely knit N. acutifolia group. Its closest relatives include N. acuminata, N. canescens, N. crassiloba, N. fulva, and N. krugii. The differences amongst these taxa are discussed under the respective species. As circumscribed here, N. acutifolia is an extremely variable species, but most transitions (especially those in the indument) are well documented. Therefore, I decided to include also forms that in the material at hand are separated by weak characters, or by one divergent character only, although I had already prepared separate descriptions for some of them. In particular, those groups that lack the revolute leaf base, or that have relatively few lateral veins, can look very different from the “central concept” of the species.

    In the Colombian department of Antioquia, where most typical collections come from, we also find a population growing at relatively low elevation in the valley of the Río Anorí. This group has both fewer secondary veins and a ± flat leaf base. Together with the habitat difference this seemed to allow a specific distinction. There are, however, also some collections with a higher number of secondary veins, or with a revolute leaf base from lower elevation, or with a flat leaf base from high altitude. More and more such collections turned up during my work, so that I finally decided that it is impossible to separate this group from Nectandra acutifolia.

    Another character of “typical” Nectandra acutifolia is the relatively elongate anther with a long sterile tip. However, several collections from marginal parts of the range of the species have more orbicular or pentagonal anthers with a short sterile tip, and therefore they may appear separable from the rest of the species. In addition to shorter anthers several Bolivian collections show smaller flowers with a somewhat weaker papillosity. The typical collections of this group, however, all come from the Mapiri region, and those from other localities either link the Mapiri group to collections from other countries, or they show additional divergent characters. Bang 2901 (BM, F, M, MO, NY, US), e.g., is intermediate in size and shape of its flower parts, whereas Steinbach 9396 has still smaller anthers and lacks the revolute leaf base.

    Short anthers and a flat or only slightly recurved leaf bases are also found in a population from the Cordillera de la Macarena in Amazonian Colombia. However, since neither character is reliable in the rest of the material, I prefer to include this group in Nectandra acutifolia.

    The most hairy forms of Nectandra acutifolia are sometimes quite similar to some populations of the variable N. reticulata. Nearly always the two can easily be separated by looking at the inside of the receptacle. In N. reticulata it is usually completely filled with hairs, whereas in N. acutifolia it is nearly always glabrous. Some collections of N. acutifolia do have some appressed hairs inside the receptacle, but these differ from N. reticulata in other characters.

    Nectandra acutifolia can also become very similar to the almost equally variable N. lineatifolia. This is most clearly illustrated by Cook & Gilbert 1120 (US), from the Urubamba valley in Peru, and by Lehmann 4701 (F, US), from the Ecuadorean province Los Ríos. The former looks like a perfect N. lineatifolia, except that its ovary has a rather long style. Like N. crassiloba, the style is densely papillose-hairy, but in contrast to that species the anthers are very elongate, and there is no trace of ridges on older receptacles. The latter collection shows a largely reduced indument, and the length of the style is apparently intermediate between N. lineatifolia and N. acutifolia. Both are provisionally placed here. Also possible intermediates are van der Werff 8268 (MO) and 8362 (MO), sterile and bearing diseased fruit, respectively, from Oxapampa in the Peruvian department of Pasco. Their general aspect and the remnants of their indument are quite similar to N. acutifolia from the same region, but the note saying that the wood was of rather low quality creates the suspicion that they represent a different species. The most likely alternative is N. lineatifolia, because this species sometimes comes very close to N. acutifolia in the outline, venation, and indument of the leaves.

    In Peruvian Amazonia we find another group that is very close to Nectandra acutifolia, although it may not be not conspecific. It is characterized by a very dense, felt-like indument on the upper surface of the young leaves, contrasting with a sparse indument on the lower surface, by a flat to slightly recurved leaf base, and by the absence of the longer, reddish type of hairs from the leaves. However, each of the five collections, A. Castillo Q. 17 (MO), 43 (MO), J. Ruiz 1222 (HBG, MO; see also p. 272), R. Vasquez & Jaramillo 5625 (MO), and van der Werff et al. 10068 (HBG, MO), deviates from the others in one or another character, and the enormous variational range of N. acutifolia does not permit keying them out as one group. Therefore, I prefer to treat them as aberrant specimens rather than to describe them as a new species.

    A population sharing characters of Nectandra acutifolia and N. amazonum is discussed under the latter species.

    Based on the description of Nectandra berchemiifolia, both syntypes (Jervise s.n. and Linden 425) are equally well suited as lectotypes. In order to avoid confusion I selected the numbered collection. In the original publication the epithet was spelt “berchemiaefolia” but in accordance with Art. 73.8 of the Code it has to be changed.

  • Common Names

    aguacatillo, Jigua, jigua de Orilla, laurel, laurel amarillo, laurel jigua, Mulato, chin, hijanonga negra, Jigua, jigua amarilla, jigua palealte, yalte, mundshuy, roble, roble Corriente, laurel

  • Distribution

    Slopes and valleys of the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia, mostly between 800 and 2000 m altitude, rarely up to 2400 m, and lowlands west of the Andes; rarely in the Amazonian lowlands (see discussion). Often growing in secondary forest, or as remnant trees in pastures, plantations, or along roadsides. Nectandra acutifolia has been found flowering in all months of the year. Fruits have rarely been collected, in November, January and March.

    Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Boyacá Colombia South America| Caldas Colombia South America| Cauca Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Huila Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Azuay Ecuador South America| Bolívar Ecuador South America| Carchi Ecuador South America| Chimborazo Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Loja Ecuador South America| Los Ríos Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Cajamarca Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Junín Peru South America| Pasco Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Cochabamba Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America|