Terminalia actinophylla Mart.

  • Authority

    Stace, C. A. & Alwan, A.-R A. 2010. Combretaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 107: 1-369. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Combretaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Terminalia actinophylla Mart.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Bahia: In sylvis catangas in mediterraneae, 1818, Martius s.n. (lectotype and 2 isolectotypes, M, here designated), 1819, Martius s.n. (lectoparatype, M), 1817-1820, Martius 125 (2 isolectotypes or lectoparatypes, L).

  • Synonyms

    Chuncoa actinophylla Griseb., Myrobalanus actinophylla Kuntze

  • Description

    Species Description - Deciduous tree 4-20 m. Leaves 2.5-12 × 1.4-6.5 cm, chartaceous, obovate or less often elliptic, sometimes narrowly so, rounded to subacute at apex, attenuate-cuneate at base, sparsely pubescent adaxially, pubescent abaxially, becoming subglabrous at fruiting; pocket-shaped domatia often present in proximal secondary vein axils. Venation brochidodromous; midvein moderate to weak, prominent; secondary veins 5-7(-9) pairs, moderately spaced to distant, originating at moderately to widely acute angles, curved, prominent; intersecondary veins present; tertiary veins randomly reticulate to irregularly and weakly percurrent; higher order veins scarcely distinct; areolation imperfect, scarcely prominent. Petiole 0.1-1 cm, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, eglandular or biglandular. Inflorescences 3-12 cm, simple, andromonoecious, the female organs variably expressed; peduncle 0.9-4 cm, densely rufous-pubescent; rhachis 2-5.7 cm (at anthesis) to 8 cm (at fruiting), densely rufous-pubescent. Flowers pentamerous, 3-5 × 2-4.5 mm; lower hypanthium 1-3 mm, densely rufous-pubescent, not much shorter in male than in bisexual flowers; upper hypanthium 1.3-2 mm, campanulate, densely rufous-pubescent; calyx lobes 0.5-1 mm, densely rufous-pubescent, suberect to strongly reflexed; disk pilose to sparsely so; stamens 4-5.5 mm; style 3.5-4.5 mm and sparsely pilose for proximal half in bisexual flowers, very sparsely pilose to glabrous and varying down to absent in male flowers. Fruits (few to) numerous disposed along whole length of rhachis, 0.4-0.7 × 0.9-1.8 cm, usually brown or pale brown, sometimes yellowish brown, flattened or irregular, transversely elliptic to transversely narrowly oblong in side view, rounded to strongly beaked at apex, truncate to shortly pseudostipitate at base, pubescent to densely so; wings variously developed, usually 2 subequal well-developed ones often with l(-3) others partly developed or rudimentary, sometimes only 1 well-developed with 1-4 others variously developed, fairly stiff to papery, to 0.9 cm wide, rounded to narrowly rounded laterally; body ca. 0.3 cm wide, usually bulging on one face and flatter on other, but with 1-2 ridges or rudimentary wings on each. Reproductive biology. Flowers cream-colored, cream-colored with red filaments, yellow, green, melliferous. Flowering August to November; fruiting August to June.

  • Discussion

    Uses. Timber source in Bahia; foliage eaten by cattle in Piauí.

    Illustrations. Figs. 91c (lf), 92c (fr). Eichler (1867), fr, pl. 33; Marquete Ferreira da Silva & Valente (1996), pp. 40 & 42.

    Terminalia actinophylla is a very well-defined species but is frequently misdetermined as either T. fagifolia or T. glabrescens. It differs from T. fagifolia in its brochidodromous (not craspedodromous) venation and its relatively elongated fruiting rhachis with fruits along its length, from T. glabrescens in its andromonoecious flowers and its usually darker brown 2-winged fruits, and from both in its randomly reticulate or very irregularly percurrent (not parallel and very regularly percurrent) tertiary veins. The male and bisexual flowers are fairly randomly mixed (hence the fruits are dispersed along the rhachis), but there tend to be more bisexual and fewer male flowers near the apex. Expression of femaleness is varied; some “intermediate” flowers have quite well-developed styles and two ovules much reduced in size (and presumably non-functional).

  • Common Names

    Tanimbuca amarela, catinga de porca, Chapada, chapada-lisa, camaçari, Mussambe

  • Distribution

    Cerrado, grassy campos, rocky hills, scrub, on mostly sandy soils, at 0-1000 m. Eastern Brazil, from Maranhão to central Goias and southern Bahia, within the distribution of Terminalia glabrescens but not extending so far west in the southern part of its range.

    Maranhão Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Ceará Brazil South America|