Couratari tauari O.Berg

Authority

Mori, S. A. & Lepsch da Cunha, Nadia M. 1995. The Lecythidaceae of a central Amazonian moist forest. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 75: 1-55.

Family

Lecythidaceae

Scientific Name

Couratari tauari O.Berg

Description

Species Description - Understory trees, to 20 m tall, unbuttressed. Leaves: petioles 10-25 mm long; blades ovate to oblong-ovate, 8-15 x 3.5-8 cm, chartaceous to coriaceous, glabrous adaxially, with a few, sparsely distributed stellate hairs abaxially, with 9-17 pairs of secondary veins; base rounded to subcuneate; apex acute to shortly acuminate; margins entire or weakly crenulate, slightly undulate. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, racemose; pedicels at least 7 mm long. Flowers when leaves absent?; calyx of 6, broadly ovate, rounded lobes; petals oblong, 25-30 mm long, white at base yellow above; androecial hood purple, without echinate appendages; staminal ring with 18-22 stamens inserted mostly in a single row; hypanthium pubescent. Fruits campanulate, 7-10.5 (excluding stipe) x 3-4.5 cm, the pericarp ca. 2 mm thick, lenticellate on exterior.

Discussion

Phenology. No flowering collections have been gathered at Reserve 1501. Flowers in May and Dec, and fruits in Jul and Oct in other parts of central Amazonian Brazil (Mori & Prance, 1990a). Common name. Tauari. Comments. Identification of the few individuals determined as this species await confirmation by the collection of flowers and fruits.

Habitat. Terra firme. The 100-ha plot contains 3 individuals of this species >10 cm dbh.