Buchenavia grandis Ducke

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Combretaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Buchenavia grandis Ducke

  • Type

    Types. Brazil. Pará: Oriximiná, by Rio Trombetas, Feb 1918, Ducke 16976 (lectotype, selected by Stace, 1971, p. 339, MG; isolectotypes, BM, F, G, P, RB. US). Brazil. Pará: Prope Obidos, Mar 1909, Ducke 10235 (lectoparatypes, BM, G, RB, US). Brazil. Pará: Inter montem et lacum Curumú, Ducke 17682 (lectoparatype, RB). Brazil. Pará: Prope medium flumen Tapajoz in collibus Quataquara, Aug 1923, Ducke 17687 (lectoparatypes, G, K, P. RB. S, U, US). Brazil. Pará: Circa eiusdem fluminis cataractas infimis loco Bella Vista, Ducke 17688 (lectoparatypes, RB, U). Brazil. Maranhão: Regione uminis Itapecurú prope Codó, Ducke 658=RBI5853 (lectoparatypes, F, MG, RB, U). Brazil. Maranhão: Regione fluminis Itapecurú prope Mirador, Lisboa 2351 (lectoparatypes, F, G, MG. RB).

  • Synonyms

    Buchenavia huberi Ducke

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree 15-45 m ("et interdum altior"), occasionally as little as 5 m. Leaves 2.5-16 × 1.3-7 cm, coriaceous, obovate or elliptic-obovate to narrowly so, rounded to subacute or sometimes retuse or apiculate at apex, cuneate at base, densely rufous-pubescent when very young but soon subglabrous except sparsely pubescent on midvein, especially abaxially; domatia usually present in secondary vein-axils. Venation brochidodromous or eucamptodromous-brochidodromous; midvein moderate to strong, prominent; secondary veins 5-10 pairs, moderately spaced, originating at moderately to widely acute angles, curved, prominent; intersecondary veins absent; tertiary veins weakly to strongly percurrent, usually rather prominent; higher order veins often distinct; areolation usually well developed, small, usually rather prominent. Petiole (0.5-) 1-2.8 cm, pubescent to sparsely so, usually eglandular but sometimes inconspicuously biglandular. Inflorescences 3-12 cm, spicate; peduncle 1.2-2.4cm, puberulous; rhachis 2.2-10 cm, puberulous. Flowers 2-5-3.5 mm; lower hypanthium ca. 2 mm, glabrous to densely pubescent, with neck ca. half of length and glabrous to sparsely pubescent; upper hypanthium ca. 1.5 × 2.5-4 mm, glabrous to very sparsely pubescent. Fruits 2.4-3.5 × 1.1-1.6(-2.5) cm, elliptic in side view, more or less terete, rounded to apiculate at apex, shortly pseudostipitate at base, glabrous to densely tomentellous. Reproductive biology. Flowering August to October fruiting October to June. Fruits astringent and distasteful to man but sought after by gamebirds.

  • Discussion

    Uses. Wood yellowish brown, frequently used for construction.

    Illustrations. Figs. 5a (domatium), 112h (fr), 118d (lf). Bautista & Abreu (1978), pp. 407 & 409 (as B. grandis & B. huberi); Ribeiro et al. (1999), p. 459, fruiting shoot.

    Buchenavia grandis is another very variable species with few distinctive features. It resembles B. viridiflora in some respects but has larger more coriaceous leaves with a closer well differentiated areolation, larger fruits, and longer inflorescences. It more closely resembles B. hoehneana. As in the latter species the fruit varies greatly in pubescence: B. grandis was described with glabrous fruits and B. huberi with densely tomentellose ones. Ducke (1925) noted the great variation in pubescence in B. grandis sensu stricto, in which the ovary varies from glabrous to densely pubescent. Possibly more than one species is included here. On the other hand both species grow to tall trees on lowland terra firme or in the uplands, and more likely together represent one variable species.

    Distribution and Ecology: Not a plant characteristic of the western or northern Rio Amazonas basin, but more common on the drier higher ground to the south and west (to eastern Ecuador and Peru) and in eastern Brazil, and in the lower reaches of the Rio Amazonas, but also sparsely in the Colombian and Venezuelan Amazonian region; dry forests or scrub, hill-forests, bush-savannas, sometimes near rivers, characteristically on non-inundated often sandy soils, at 140-580 m.

  • Common Names

    Xurim, Mirindiba, cuiarana

  • Distribution

    Acre Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Loreto Peru South America| Orellana Ecuador South America| Pastaza Ecuador South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| French Guiana South America|