Ouratea spruceana Engl.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1989. The Botany of the Guayana Highland- Part XIII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 51: 1-127.

  • Family

    Ochnaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Ouratea spruceana Engl.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree. Leaves coriaceous, oblong, oblong-elliptic to elliptic-ovate, obtusely acute to acuminate at apex, rounded or obtuse at base, 6-16 cm long, 2.5-6 cm wide, obsoletely crenulate with 4-6 scarcely manifest crenulations per cm, upper surface nearly enervate or the lateral, intermediate, and tertiary nerves shallowly insculpted or engraved and of about equally shallow impression, lower surface with scarcely evident nervation, the lateral and intermediate nerves finely insculpted or engraved with a slightly granulose pebbly surface produced by the indefinite reticulum of the tertiary veinlets, tertiary veinlets forming a subparallel or elongated, subhorizontal pattem; petioles 4-10 mm long. Inflorescences short, paniculate, 4-15 cm long, 4-15 cm broad, often broader than high or as broad as high, densely flowered throughout, with 2-8 simple, unbranched axes 1-12 cm long, the rachis with short internodes. Flowers usually solitary; pedicels 6-12 mm long. Floral bud lance-oblong,

    Distribution and Ecology - Rainforests and savannas in Amazonian Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil, at 100-200 m elevation.

  • Discussion

    Specimens examined. COLOMBIA. Araracoara savannas, Rio Caqueta, 6 Sep 1959, B. Maguire, Fernandez & C. K Maguire 44155 (NY)

    VENEZUELA, territorio federal amazonas: Prope San Carlos ad Rio Negro, 1853-1854, Spruce 3813 (isotype NY); Buena Vista, Rio Casiquiare, 25 Sep 1928, Tate 154 (NY); rocky top of Esmeralda Ridge, 100 m, 8 Oct 1928, Tate 192 (NY); San Carlos, Rio Negro, 100 m, 28-29 Jan 1930, HoU & Gehriger 299 (NY, US); same location & elevation, 28 Jan 1930, Nat. Geogr. Soc. 299 (VEN); same location & elevation, HoU & Blake 635 (NY, US); no locality or date, Williams 13832 (VEN); selvas del Pimichin, Guainia, Alto Rio Negro, 128 m, no date, Williams 14180 (VEN); San Carlos de Rio Negro, sabanetas, 100 m, 4 Mar 1942, Williams 14618 (NY, VEN); low woods bordering opening vie. San Fernando de Atabapo, on rd. to Titi, 100 m, 7 Sep 1944, Steyermark 58412 (F, NY); shores of Rio Orinoco and rocky outcrop in savanna La Esmeralda, 16 Jul 1951, Croizat 160 (NY); edge of Yapacana Savanna 3, 125 m, 17 Mar 1953, Maguire & Wurdack 34573 (NY); laguna, Cafio Yapacana, nr. N W base of Cerro Yapacana, 125 m, 19 Mar 1953, Maguire & Wurdack 34582 (NY); Esmeralda Ridge, Alta Rio Orinoco, 150-200 m, 23 Mar 1953, Maguire & Wurdack 34648 (NY, VEN); opening behind Laja Arapacua, Rio Pacimoni, 120 m, 6 Apr 1953, Maguire iSi Wurdack 34880, 34880A (NY); Laja Arapacua, Rio Pacimoni, Casiquiare, 110 m, 8 Feb 1954, Maguire, Wurdack & Bunting 37606 (NY, VEN); Cafio Hechimoni, 8 km above mouth, Rio Siapa, 120 m, 9 Feb 1954, Maguire, Wurdack & Bunting 37608 (NY); Sabana Hechimoni, left bank of Cafio Hechimoni, 8 km above mouth, 120 m, 100-130 m, 9 Feb 1954, Maguire, Wurdack & Bunting37666 (NY); Laja Arapacua, Rio Pacimoni, 6 km above mouth, 100 m, 25 Sep 1954, Maguire, Wurdack & Keith 41574 (NY); Esmeralda Ridge, Alto Rio Orinoco, 130-200 m, 20 Sep 1957 Maguire, Wurdack & Keith 41564 (NY, VEN); lugar pantanoso, Santa Cruz, margen del Rio Atabapo, cerca de la boca de Rio Atacair, 3 Sep 1960, Foldats 3634 (VEN); bosque al lado de la laja Cabezon, al margen del Rio Cabezon, cerca de su desembocadura en el Rio Atabapo, unos 2-3 k m al sur de El Merey, 11 Sep 1960, Foldats 3886 (VEN); pie del Duida, a lo largo del Orinoco, Jan-Feb 1969, Farinas, Velasquez & Medina 305 (NY, VEN); bosque enano sobre yacimientos de cuarzo, a 5 km arriba de la desembocadura del Cafio Cotua con el Rio Orinoco, suroeste del Cerro Yapacana, 3*'45'N, 66°50'W, 100 m, 30 Apr 1970, Steyermark & Bunting 103002 (NY, VEN); Cerro Yapacana, selva alta en la parte SW, desde al campamento Base hasta las faldas pedregosas, 3°45'N, 66°45'W, 125-400 m, 3 May 1970, Steyermark & Bunting 103061 (NY, VEN); Laja de Tonina, Rio Sipapo sur de pendare, afloramiento granitico, 100 m, 22 Nov 1977, Morillo 6899 (VEN); Dept. Atabapo, sabanas y bosques al E del Cafio Perro de Agua afluente derecho (oriental) del Rio Orinoco), a unos 30 km al SE de la confluencia Orinoco- Ventuari, 3''47'N, 67°00'W, 100 m, 30 Nov-1 Dec 1978, Huber & Tillett 2803 (VEN); Dept. Atures, sabana de arena blanca aprox. 1 km al N E de Caserio Munduapo (aprox. 20 km al S de la boca del Rio Sipapo), 4°53'N, 67°47'W,90m, 17Feb 1919, Huber 3156 {YEN);Y^epX. Atabapo, Cafio Caname afluente derecho (oriental) del medio Rio Atabapo, sabanas de Cucurital, 20 km al E de la boca, 3M0'N, 6T22'^, 100 m, 29 Apr-4 May 1979, Huber, Tillett & Davidse 3656 (MO, VEN); Dept. Rio Negro, sabana en la ribera izquierda (sur) del bajo Rio Siapa, poco distante de su desembocadura en el Rio Casiquiare, 2°05'N, 66''25'W, 125 m, 7 Feb 1981, Huber & Medina 5823 (NY). BRAZIL, amazonas: Basin of Rio Negro, Rio Cueiras, just below mouth of Rio Brancinho, campina caatinga on white sand, 25 Sep 1971, Prance et al. 14840 (NY); Ponta Negra-Manaus Rd,, k m 2, 6 Sep 1973, Lleras, Ongley & Ramas P17567 (NY); above mouth of Rio Brancinho, Rio Cueiras, 11 Sep 1973, Prance etal. 17714 (NY); Rio Cueiras, 2 k m from Rio Cueiras, 2 km below mouth of Rio Brancinho, 13 Sep 1973, Prance et al. 17878 (NY); Estrada Terra Preta km 2, branch of Manaus-Manacapuru, 5 km from Cacau Pirera, campina on white sand, 18 Jun 1975, Prance, Anderson & Schubert 23503 (NY); Cueiras Campina, Rio Cueiras nr. mouth of Rio Brancinho, 2 Jul 1975, Anderson 142 (NY). rond6nl\: Serra Pacaas Novos, campina sobre pedra de arenito, 10''46'S, 63°49'W, 15 Aug 1976, Rosa, Pires & Rodrigues 889 (NY),