Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq.
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro. 2003. Meliococceae (Sapindaceae):
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Family
Sapindaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Lectotype, Jamaica, Jacq., Select. Stirp. Amer. Hist., tab. 72. 1763, designated by Howard, 1989.
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Synonyms
Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq., Melicocca bijuga f. alata Kitan.
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Description
Species Description - Dioecious or monoecious tree 10-25 m tall; bark light grey, smooth, with horizontal markings. Stems glabrous, nearly terete. Leaves paripinnate; distal process subulate, early deciduous; leaflets (2) 4, opposite or subopposite, asymmetrical, elliptic, oblong, ovate or obovate, 4-14(20) × 2.2-5(7) cm, chartaceous, glabrous on both surfaces, the venation brochidodromus, adaxially prominulent, abaxially prominent, tertiary venation reticulate, the margins entire, slightly wavy, the apex acute or obtuse, the base attenuate on to the petiolule; petiolules drying brownish, not pulvinate, 2 mm long; rachis 1.5-3(4.5) cm long, glabrous, winged to broadly winged, or less often marginate; petioles 2.5-7 cm long, flattened, subterete or less often winged to broadly winged, glabrous. Panicles terminal, 5-12 cm long; cataphylls foliaceous, broadly ovate, 4-5 mm long; axes, glabrous, angled, striate, the staminate inflorescences with 4-8 lateral branches, slightly shorter than the main axis, the pistillate ones with 3-4 mostly basal, short branches; bracts triangular, minute, ciliate at margins; pedicels (2)5-7 mm long, not articulate. Flowers fragrant; sepals 4, greenish, 1.5-2.2 mm long, oblong, concave, glabrous except for the woolly margins; petals 5, cream to yellowish, obovate, 2-2.5 mm long, narrowed at base, rounded at apex, woolly to sparsely woolly at margins, lacking appendages; nectary disc annular, swollen, lobed, glabrous; stamens 8, spreading, the filaments of unequal length, glabrous, ca. 4 mm long in male flowers, and 1 mm long in female flowers, the anthers dorsifixed, elliptic, ca. 0.6 mm long; ovary glabrous, cylindric-ellipsoid, the style ca. 0.5 mm long, the stigmas bilobed or bilobed-disciform, papillate. Fruit subglobose or ellipsoid, green, 2-3.5 cm long, the pericarp coriaceous, ca. 1 mm thick. Seeds 1(2), 1.5-2.5 cm long, with a tan, fleshy testa. Embryo with erect, similar-sized cotyledons.
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Discussion
The specific epithet refers to the bijugate leaves.
Commonly cultivated for is delightful fruits (fleshy testa), which are available during the fruiting season along roadsides and markets in Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, New York City, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. An alcoholic drink called "bill" is made in Vieques Island (Puerto Rico) by aging rum with the fruits.Phenology. In the Greater Antilles and Central America flowering occurs between March and August (rarely as late as November), followed by fruiting from April to August. In northern South America and the Leeward Lesser Antilles, flowering has been recorded from October to May and fruiting from January to June.
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Common Names
Mamoncillo, mamón, Mamoncillo, kenip, limoncillo, melón, canape, mamón, genipe, mamón, quenepa, Spanish lime, mamón, genip, kenep, keneppy tree
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Distribution
Native to northern South America, perhaps from dry forest. Commonly planted and naturalized along roads and in secondary dry forest throughout northern South America, Central America, the West Indies, Cameroon, Gabon (Fouilloy & Halle, 1973a, 1973b), and the Pacific Islands. In secondary forest on Thomas and St. John (US Virgin Islands) is sometimes the dominant species.
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