Endlicheria punctulata (Mez) C.K.Allen

  • Authority

    Chanderbali, Andre S. 2004. (Lauraceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 91: 1-141. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Endlicheria punctulata (Mez) C.K.Allen

  • Type

    Type. French Guiana. Without locality and date, Mélinon 204 (lectotype, designated by Allen, 1966: P; isolectotype: P).

  • Synonyms

    Ocotea punctulata Mez

  • Description

    Species Description - Treelets or shrubs to 4 m. Branchlets slender, midway along flush 1.5-2.5 mm diam., angular, sparsely strigillose, the surface clearly exposed, reddish brown, the hairs short, to 0.2 mm, straight, appressed, greyish white; terminal buds slender, 3 × 0.6 mm, silvery sericeous. Leaves alternate, widely and evenly spaced along current flush; petioles slender, to 1.5 × 0.1 cm, canaliculate, the indument as on branchlets; laminae stiff-chartaceous to coriaceous, plane to subbullate, obovate, 7-11 × 3-5 cm, the base attenuate, the apex caudate for up to 1.5 cm, the margins minutely recurved throughout; upper surface olive green to light brown, minutely punctulate, the midrib prominent, the higher-order venation immersed; lower surface glabrous, all vein orders immersed, the midrib dark, conspicuous against the lighter lamina; secondary veins 5-6 per side, ± evenly spaced, slightly more distant around midlamina, ascending at 50-60° (more obtusely towards apex), arcuate, the distal pairs loop-connected; tertiaries laxly reticulating between secondaries. Staminate inflorescences evenly spaced along current flush in the axils of foliage leaves, to 6 cm long with 6 lateral branches, branch orders 2-3, the highest order dichasial, lax, the flowers distant, the axes sparsely grey-strigillose; bracts and bracteoles caducous by anthesis, triangular, with indument as on axes; pedicels terete, to 2 mm long, those supporting secondary flowers slightly shorter. Flowers tubiform, sparsely grey-strigillose outside; receptacle infundibuliform, 0.6 × 1 mm, densely rusty tomentose inside. Tepals chartaceous, triangular, 0.6 × 0.3 mm, erect, surrounding androecium at anthesis, the outer and inner surfaces sparsely grey-strigillose, the margins and apex inside sparsely papillose. Stamens of whorls I and II 0.6 mm tall, stipitate, the anthers ovate, 0.4 × 0.3 mm, glabrous, the apex rounded, the connectives broad above the 2 locelli, these suborbicular, introrse, the filaments laminar, narrower than anthers, sparsely grey-pilose; whorl III stamens stipitate, 0.7 mm tall, the anthers oblong, 0.4 × 0.3 mm, erect, locelli 2, extrorse-latrorse, the filaments narrower than anthers, slender, laminar, sparsely grey-pilose, the basal glands sessile, globose, relatively large, filling the space between filaments of inner and outer whorls; whorl IV wanting; pistillode fusiform. Pistillate inflorescences unknown. Fruits borne on claviform pedicels of up to 1 × 0.3 cm; cupules hemispherical, to 0.5 × 1 cm, glabrous inside and outside, the margins entire; drupes ellipsoid, to 1.5 × 1 cm.

  • Discussion

    Endlicheria punctulata is distanced from most species of Endlicheria by its concolorous leaves, pauciflorous inflorescences, and distinct filaments in all three staminal whorls. This combination of vegetative and floral features is otherwise only found in E. coriacea, from which E. punctulata is readily distinguished by the minute pin-prick pattern on its upper leaf surface and the immersed venation below. These two species are isolated in Endlicheria and apparently more closely related to species in the Ocotea cernua species group (see Generic Delimitation and Species Groups, above).

    Mez (1889) cited five fruiting collections (Mélinon 204, 216, 227 & 551, and Jenman 1702) in the protologue of the basionym of this species, Ocotea punctulata. I have seen the Paris (P) duplicates of Melinon 204, 216, and 557, and the Copenhagen (C) sheet of Melinon 227. All are from French Guiana and are clearly conspecific.

    However, Jenman 1702, collected in Guyana and seen at BRG, likely deposited also at K, belongs to either Ocotea pauciflora or O. cernua. Both are very similar to E. punctulata, but with smooth rather than punctulate upper leaf surfaces. Allen’s (1966) lectotypification on Mélinon 204 prevents future confusion.

  • Common Names

    louro

  • Distribution

    Understory treelets or shrubs of lowlands and lower montane forests (200-800 m) in French Guiana, adjacent Suriname, and the state of Amapá in Brazil. Flowering August and September, fruiting material collected from January to October.

    Amapá Brazil South America| Brazil South America| French Guiana South America|