Persea rufotomentosa 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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Description
Species Description - Tree to 3 m. (fide Riedel); branchlets aromatic, angular, densely rufouslanate; petioles 1.5-2.5 cm., striate, densely rufous-lanate; leaf-blades 9-24 cm. long, 2.5-6 cm. wide, coriaceous, elliptic to oblong-elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, the tips short-acuminate to attenuate, the bases acute to rounded, the upper surface glabrescent, often nitid, occasionally slightly bullate, the lower surface moderately rufous-lanate, the costa impressed above, prominent beneath, the 9-11 pairs of primary veins divergent at 40-50°, impressed above, prominent beneath, the reticulation obscure on both surfaces. Inflorescences sessile or subsessile, broad, axillary, subterminal, multiflorous panicles, each 1/2-3/4 length of its subtending leaf; peduncles 0-1 cm., rufous-lanate; pedicels to 3 mm.; flowers 5-6 mm.; outer perianth-segments 2 mm. long, broadly ovate, rufous-lanate without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 4-5.5 mm., elliptic, rufous-lanate on both surfaces; stamens about 3 mm., the anthers about 1 mm., the filaments about 2 mm.; filaments of series I and II sparsely lanate, the anthers broadly oblong to ovate, quadrilocular; filaments of series III sparsely lanate, the glands subsessile and subbasal, the anthers narrowly oblong, bilocular or quadrilocular, having the upper locules, if present, introrse or lateral and the lower extrorse; staminodia of series IV broadly sagittate with terminal brisdes; gynoecium glabrous or occasionally with a few lanate hairs, the ovary globose; style 1.5 mm.; stigma peltate. Infructescences with pedicels to 5 mm.; perianth-segments patent and persistent in their entirety; fruits globose and apiculate, rarely with few crisped hairs.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Central Brazil, forests.
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Discussion
Type collection. K. F. P. von Martius s.n., Montanis Serro Frio, Minas Gerais, "Habitat in sylvis Copaes et in Tambuleiro." Flowers in August (holotype M).
Except for the type and Duarte collections, which have larger and slightly more bullate leaves, the general appearance of the specimens of P. rufotomentosa is homogeneous. Most of the flowers have a glabrous ovary and the anthers of the third whorl of stamens are two-celled. The fruits of Glaziou 19779 bear a few crisped, rufous hairs, and the ovaries of flowering material of the same number and of Glaziou s.n. show some indications of pubescence, though it is not well developed. T h e only collection having quadrilocular anthers in the third whorl of stamens is Riedel 1248. T h e preceding evidence indicates that in this species the evolutionary trend is toward the loss of pubescence on the ovary and toward the loss of the upper pair of locules in the anthers of the third whorl of stamens. The relationship is with P. jenmani (which see).
As a synonym of P. rufotomentosa Nees, Mez cited, "Persea rigida Meissn. (nee Nees) DC. Prodr. XV, 1, p. 46," implying the publication of a P. rigida different from that of Nees. This is merely a record of misdeterminations by Meissner who included in his monograph descriptions of P. rufotomentosa Nees and of P. rigida Nees, and mistakenly applied the epithet rigida Nees to Pohl 3394 and Riedel 1248. Therefore P rigida Meissn. has no validity.