Persea venosa Nees & Mart. ex Nees
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Authority
Kopp, Lucille E. 1966. A tasonomic revision of the genus Persea in the Western Hemisphere (Perseae-Lauraceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 14: 1-117.
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Family
Lauraceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type collection. F. Sellout 1387, Brasilia tropics (holotype presumably at B, fragment at NY from DC. Herb.).
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Description
Species Description - Tree to 7 m.; branchlets somewhat hollow at internodes, castaneous, glabrous to occasionally sparsely strigulose at the tip, glaucous; petioles 1-3 cm. long, canaliculate, slender, glabrous, glaucous; leaf-blades 7-13.5 cm. long, 3.5-6 cm. wide, chartaceous, not plane, elliptic to ovate, the tips acute to obtuse, the bases acute to obtuse to truncate, the upper surface glabrous, the lower surface glabrous to occasionally sparsely puberulous, the costa plane above, prominent beneath, the 7-10 pairs of primary nerves divergent at 45-60°, prominulous on both surfaces, the reticulation obscure beneath, more obvious above. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate, each equal to or slightly longer than its subtending leaf; peduncles 8-12 cm. long, glabrous, glaucous, the rachises 3-6 cm. long; pedicels 3-6 mm. long, glabrous, glaucous; flowers 7 mm. long; outer perianth-segments 1.7-2.5 mm. long, 1.7-2 mm. wide, ovate, sparsely puberulous and glaucous without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 5-7 mm. long, elliptic, very sparsely puberulous and glaucous without, densely pubescent within; stamens about 4 mm. long, the anthers about 1.5 mm. long, the filaments about 2.5 mm. long, the filaments of series 1 and II sparsely pilose, the anthers oblong, sparsely puberulous dorsally, quadrilocular; filaments of series III sparsely pilose, the glands subsessile. adnate to the basal 1/4-1/3 of the filament, the anthers oblong, quadrilocular, lower locules extrorse, the upper locules introrse; staminodia of series IV sagittate, with terminal bristles; gynoecium glabrous, the ovary subglobose; style 2-3 mm. long, slender. Infructescence multifructate; inner perianth-segments with the tips deciduous, the bases and the entire outer perianth-segments patent to reflexed; fruit 6 mm. long, 8 mm. wide, depressed-globose, glaucous.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. South-central Brazil.
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Discussion
Persea hypoglauca Nees & Mart, ex Nees, Syst. Laurin. 132. 1836.
Persea venosa var. 3 tersa Nees & Mart, ex Nees, Linnaea 8: 50. 1833.
Type collection. F. Sellout 1387, Brasilia tropics (holotype presumably at B, fragment at NY from DC. Herb.)
Persea venosa has also been known as P. racemosa, but the latter name is based on a picture which is not sufficienth definiti\e to be distinguished with certainty from P pyrifolia.
The two species. P. venosa and P pyrifolia, are closely related, but can be distinguished by the absence of ptibescense on most specimens of P. venosa. The leaves, most other vegetative parts, and the inflorescence, avitli the exception of the flowers, are glabrous. The previously mentioned parts, and the flowers are all glaucous. The collections of P pyrifolia exhibit some degree of pubescence on all parts, and have sericeous flowers.
The decision to include variety ^ tersa of P. hypoglauca as a svnonym of P. xunosa was based on the original description. The type was not seen. Nees' original description of P. hypoglauca was based on Sellow s.n. and Martius s.n., Monte Itacolumi. Minas Generalium. when he wrote his more elaborate description in the Systerna, he cited Martius. "In summo monte Itacolumi Provinciae Minartim generalium 4500 ped. alt. Martio meiise. et in campestribus altis eiusdem Provinciae atque Provinciae S. Pauli ad s\harum margines cum frtictu legit de Martius," and Selloio 4803. Meissner recognized two different taxa. and renamed the Martius specimen P. scrobiculata. Mez later transferred it to Ocotea as O. hypoglauca.