Swartzia grandifolia Bong. ex Benth.

  • Authority

    Cowan, Richard S. 1967. Swartzia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae Swartzieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 1: 3-228. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Swartzia grandifolia Bong. ex Benth.

  • Type

    Type collection. Robert Schomburgk 914 (lectotype K; isolectotypes F, Fl, G, GH, P, US, W), Barcellos on the Rio Negro and Rio Parine, Amazonas, Brazil, 1839. Although the original description mentions another collection, the collector and number is not recorded and it appears obvious that Bentham considered the Schomburgk collection the principal element, which is here designated lectotype. The leaflets of the type collection are among the narrowest observed for this species, which is, for the genus, unusually variable vegetatively.

  • Synonyms

    Tounatea grandifolia (Bong. ex Benth.) Taub., Tunatea grandifolia (Bong. ex Benth.) Kuntze

  • Description

    Description - Trees 6-18 m tall, the trunk 13-20 cm diameter, the branchlets velutinous, the hairs dark brown; stipules caducous, 6-8 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, lanceolate or ovate, narrowly acuminate, strigose externally, glabrous within; petioles terete, stipellate apically, (2-)4-6(-8) cm long, dark brown velutinous, the rachis (9.5-) 13-42.5 cm long, marginate to alate, the wing to 11 mm wide, oblong to narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, glabrous but the remainder of the rachis pilose to tomentose; leaflets (3-)5- (or 6-) jugate, the petiolules 1-3 mm long, velutinous, the blades of the lowermost pair of leaflets oblong-elliptic to oval, 7-14.5 cm long, 4-8.5 cm wide, the other pairs with elliptic to oblong blades 11-23.5 cm long, 4-9 cm wide, the base of all the leaflets obtuse to rounded, sometimes slightly cordulate, or narrowed but finally obtuse, the apex acute to rounded or obtuse, pilose on the costa above, velutinous-tomentose beneath, the venation plane and inconspicuous on the upper surface, conspicuously salient beneath; inflorescence 9-35 cm long, ramigerous or cauligerous, the axis usually velutinous, but sometimes strigulose, the bracts persistent, (2-)3-5(-7) mm long, (1 -)2-4(-6) mm wide, broadly ovate to almost semicircular, densely strigulose to velutinous externally, glabrous within, the bracteoles persistent on the base of the calyx or arising just below the flowers at the pedicel apex, (1 -)2-3(-5) mm long, (0.7-)l-2(-4) mm wide, lanceolate to ovate, acute, strigulose to velutinous externally, glabrous within; pedicels (8-) 12-20 mm long, laterally compressed, densely strigulose or velutinous; buds globose to oval in outline, 10-15 mm long, 10-12 mm diameter, smooth or costulate at maturity; calyx segments 4, thick and woody, strigulose to velutinous externally, glabrous within, persistent with the mature fruit; petal cream-colored to yellow, the veins purple, the claw (3-)5-7 mm long, the blade oblate to broadly ovate, (16-)22-35 mm long, (20-)28-40 mm wide, basally cordate, sericeous to villose-sericeous externally, glabrous within; larger stamens (15-)20-25(-28), glabrous, the filaments 22-30 mm long, the anthers 2.2-3 mm long, 0.6-1.5 mm wide, oblong, the pollen grains globose or subglobose, 30-38 µ diameter, the smaller stamens glabrous, the filaments 14-16 (-20) mm long, the anthers oblong, 1-1.5 mm long, the pollen subglobose and 30 µ diameter; stigma capitellate to capitate; style 6.5-7(-18) mm long, glabrous; ovary 12-24 mm long, 1.5-3.5 mm wide, arcuate-linear, sericeous; gynophore 5-12 mm long, sericeous; fruit moniliform, to 8-seeded, 2-2.5 cm diameter, minutely strigulose, the stipe 10-12 mm long; seeds 18-20 mm long, ca 15 mm diameter.

  • Discussion

    This is one of the more variable species, especially with respect to the vegetative characteristics; the size and form of the leaflets are notably unstable. It has often been confused with S. picta, to which it is surely nearly related, but that species has a glabrous gynoecium, and the leaflets are usually glaucous and strigose beneath.

  • Common Names

    Montouchi

  • Distribution

    (Fig. 5). Rain forest along rivers on clay, sandy clay, or rocky soils at low elevations (150-500 m), above the level of seasonal inundation, in French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, north-central and northwestern Brazil.

    Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America|