Ocotea punctulata Mez
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett & Wurdack, John J. 1964. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part V. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10: 1-278.
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Family
Lauraceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Small tree known only from fruiting material growing at low altitudes m French and British Guiana and possibly on sandstone areas of western Venezuela.
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Discussion
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Type. ''In Guyanae sylvis montanis in Gallica ad Kovrou," French Guiana Melinon 204 (fr., the first of several syntypes cited by Mez; possible isotype, fr NY).
This species belongs to the widely occurring O. caudata complex which has been collected chiefly in the flowering stage. Apparently Mez had no flowers of his species at hand. The Melinon number which I have seen is conspecific with the Venezuelan collection. Other material more recently attributed to O. punctulata (Brit. Guiana For. Dept. 2774 (5573) and Tutin 208) shows leaves with shorter veins more horizontally arcuate and extremely slender, sparsely flowered inflorescences up to 9 cm long which thicken only slightly in the fruiting stage. It would seem that flowering specimens of the species have not been collected to date, or more probably that they have not been recognized as belonging to this taxon. Another possibility is the fact that Mez' species may not belong to the genus Ocotea. A thorough study of the types of other species of the complex involved (Ocotea urophylla, marowynensis, caudata, pauciflora, etc.), not feasible at this time, m a y shed light on this interesting problem.
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Distribution
Distribution. Small tree known only from fruiting material growing at low altitudes m French and British Guiana and possibly on sandstone areas of western Venezuela.
Venezuela South America| French Guiana South America| Guyana South America|