Roupala consimilis Mez

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T., et al. 2007. Proteaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 100: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Proteaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Roupala consimilis Mez

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Tijuca, 1871 (fl), Glaziou 4944 (holotype, B, photo 11750 F, GH, MO; isotype, C).

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree, 4-20 m tall. Branch bark ochraceous-brown fading to beige, with vertical fissures developing, dark-brown to gray beneath, glabrous. Lenticels absent or few, inconspicuous, 0.5 mm, granular, plane, orange-brown, red-brown or faded to gray. Leaves compound in juveniles, mostly simple (rarely lobed) in adults, thin-coriaceous, drying concolorous, pale green to pale green-brown, or bicolorous, pale green above and pale brown beneath, matte, glabrous. Compound leaves with 1-6 pairs of leaflets, 1040 cm long (inclusive of petiole), 6.5-18 cm broad; petiole 2.5-ca. 8 cm long. Lateral leaflets 3-18 × 1-5.5 cm, length:breadth 2-4.5:1; base acute to cuneate on narrower side of lamina, acute to obtuse on broader side; apex attenuate; margins serrate on juvenile plants, entire when mature; lateral vein pairs 4-8; petiolules 0-0.5 cm long. Terminal leaflets ca. 4-14 × 1.5-5 cm, length:breadth 3-6:1; base long cuneate to acute, symmetrical or strongly asymmetrical; apex attenuate; lateral veins 4-8 pairs; margins as for lateral leaflets; leaflets sessile or with petiolules to 2.5 cm long. Simple leaf petiole not well defined, very rarely well defined, 2-6(-7.5) cmx 1.2-2 mm, 1-2 mm broad at midlength, 1/2-1/4.6 the length of the lamina, subterete at base, terete towards the middle, flattening out adaxially upward as lamina sides descend, canaliculate, mostly glabrous. Lamina 8-20 × (3-)4-11 cm, length:breadth 1.5-3(-3.3):l, oblong to narrowly oblong, widely elliptic to elliptic or narrowly to widely obovate; base acute to obtuse decurrent, less frequently cuneate or rounded, symmetrical, sometimes folded; apex acute or acuminate, more rarely attenuate, obtuse or retuse, the apical point of midrib not protruding, or only as a very small black point; margin entire or undulate, strongly revolute at the base, becoming less so towards the apex; venation ± raised, conspicuous above, raised and conspicuous beneath, semicraspedodromous, the mid vein reaching the apex; lateral veins 5-8 (-11) pairs. Inflorescences 8-23 × 2.5-4 cm, axillary, rarely terminal, unbranched, the indumentum sparse, long, pale yellow-pilose to densely orange-brown tomentose; peduncle 0.5-3 cm long, 1-2 mm broad, with sterile bracts rare towards base, undeveloped leaves sometimes present on previous season’s inflorescence directly below current season's inflorescence. Common bracts 0.7-1.3 × 1-1.3 mm, rarely persistent at anthesis, dropping while buds are immature, leaving conspicuous scars, orange-brown tomentose or glabrous with fimbriate margin to the outside, glabrous within, the lower half of the bract thickened, rugose, the upper half thin, fragile, smooth, narrowly triangular. Flower-pair axis absent. Pedicels 3.5-5.5(-8) × 0.6-1 mm, the indumentum bright brown, dense, short, appressed-tomentose. Buds 1.8-2.2 mm broad at apex, 1-1.5 mm broad at midlength, the indumentum as for pedicels. Flowers 8-13.5 mm long; filaments 0-1.5 mm long, adnate 6-11 mm from base of tepals; anthers 2.5-3.5 × 0.5-0.8 mm; nectary lobes 0.4-0.7 mm long, separated; ovary hairs extending 2-3 mm from base of ovary, very short, straight, appressed, yellow-orange to orange-brown, covering entire ovary evenly; ovules 0.6-0.8 × 0.2-0.3 mm. Infructescence 8-17 cm long, essentially glabrous to appressed-tomentose; fruit pedicels 3-7 × 1.5-2 mm, densely tomentose. Fruit 3-6 × 1.5-2.2 cm, unsutured side gently curved and sutured side strongly curved, or both sides curved more or less equally, the base constricted for 0-8 mm, the apex sharp with persistent style, constricted for 1.5-6 mm, not curved, the marginal vein running around periphery of fruit, frequently more conspicuous on sutured side; glabrescent, smooth, or occasionally with vascular tissue faintly visible on surface, dark purple-brown when young, pale brown outer layer developing on mature fruit, sloughing off. Seeds 3-3.2 × 1.5 cm.

  • Discussion

    Roupala consimilis is quite distinctive with its yellow- to orange-brown inflorescences, large inflorescences and flowers, and large leaf supported by a long petiole. It is perhaps most similar to Roupala obtusata, an Amazonian species, especially in the leaves, which in both species may be narrowly elliptic to oblong. However, R. obtusata grows in areas that receive an annual inundation of water, a major adaptation which distinguishes it from R. consimilis. Morphologically, they may be differentiated by the inflorescence indumentum, which is absent in R. obtusata and densely tomentose in R. consimilis. The leaves of R. consimilis may be confused with those of R. nitida which may also dry green gray and are entirely glabrous. However, R. nitida has a very small flowers and the inflorescence indumentum is very sparse.

    The contrast of glabrous or sparsely indumented leaves and densely tomentose inflorescence is a characteristic shared with Roupala suaveolens. R. suaveolens differs in its well-defined petioles, bushy ovary indumentum and the persistence of some indumentum on the leaf underside.

    Roupala consimilis may be identified by the combination of glabrous leaves with entire margins, which usually dry pale green to pale green brown; a densely tomentose inflorescence including the perianth and pedicels; and an ovary covered with an extremely short and dense indumentum. It may be confused with Roupala suaveolens which may also have glabrous leaves and densely hairy inflorescence, or with R. obtusata and R. nitida in the shape and color of the leaves.

    Field Characters: Tree, 4-20 m, to 35 cm diam. Bark smooth or lightly fissured longitudinally, brown. Leaves simple and compound on fertile adults, smelling of beef when crushed. Seedlings abundant beneath trees along open, sandy riversides, less abundant in shaded forest. Flower buds pale green or glaucous green with light covering of brown indumentum to dense covering of orange-yellow indumentum. Flowers whitish or cream-colored within, perfumed; ovary and style pale green; nectary lobes dark gray; pollen pale yellow.

    Phenology. Flowering predominates from May to Jun and in Nov although flowers have been collected in most months of the year; a fruiting period cannot be defined due to lack of specimens with fruit at the developing stage.

  • Common Names

    Came de vaca, carvalho

  • Distribution

    An endemic to the Mata Atlântica formation of Brazil, in the states of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina. Occurs in the pluvial forest on the littoral plains to 1300 m alt., in araucaria-dominated Atlantic forest in Paraná.

    São Paulo Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America|