Aspidosperma

• Authority

  Maguire, Bassett & Wurdack, John J. 1958. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part III. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10: 1-156.

• Family

  Apocynaceae

• Scientific Name

  Aspidosperma

• Discussion

  Material with flowers past anthesis and matured fruits is available. As far as can be seen in the absence of flowers, the plant differs from A. nehlinae chiefly in the persistent grey tomentum which forms a close hoary covering on the under side of the leaves. The fruits are not thickly velutinous as in A. neblinae, but only minutely tomentulose; their lightly roughened surface is exposed. The seeds are more or less similar to those of A. neblinae, generally ovalorbicular but varying to triangular, about 5 em long, 3.5-4 cm wide; cotyledons orbicular, about 1.7 cm in diameter, cordate at the base with closed sinus; radicle 3 mm long, not surpassing the cotyledon-lobes. The calyx (past anthesis) is about 3 mm broad at the base, the lobes about 3.3 mm long. The leaf-blades are (6-) 7-16 cm long and 3.5-7 cm wide. The vegetative indumentum is similar to that of A. sprueeanum Benth. and A. fendleri Woods., but the hairs average twice as long. The leaves are more strongly obovate, the broadest part being further toward the summit; the apex is emarginate or rounded, only rarely with the slightest indication of an acumen.