Swartzia bannia Sandwith

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Swartzia bannia Sandwith

  • Type

    Type collection. D. B. Fanshawe 2505 (F.D. 5241) (holotype K; isotypes NY, U, US), Ituni Road, Mackenzie, Demerara R., Essequibo Dist., Guyana.

  • Description

    Description - Tree 12 m tall, the trunk 3 dm diameter, "fluted over short lengths . . . , forming windows or troughs in the wood" (fide Fanshawe), the branchlets densely strigulose; stipules caducous to deciduous, 1-3 mm long, subulate, minutely strigulose externally; petioles (8-)12-18(-25) mm long, flat on the upper side, minutely strigulose, the rachis 6-13(-50) mm long, not stipellate or alate; leaflets 1- or 2-jugate, the petiolules 2-4 mm long, minutely strigulose to puberulous, the blades elliptic or the lateral ones sometimes ovate, (4.5-)6-11 (-13) cm long, 2(-3.5) cm wide, the base acute to cuneate but the laterals sometimes rounded-obtuse, the apex acute to acuminate, the upper and lower surfaces strongly discolorous, the upper glabrous, the lower minutely strigulose sparingly, the venation obscure or prominulous on the lower surface, the costa strongly impressed on the upper surface, salient beneath, the veinlets plane; inflorescence 8-11.5 cm long, racemose, ramuligerous, the axis strigulose, the bracts persistent, 1-1.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, lanceolate, minutely strigulose externally, glabrous within, the bracteoles lacking; pedicels 2.5-4.5 mm long, minutely strigulose; calyx segments 4, minutely strigulose externally, glabrous within, persistent with the fruit; petal lacking; larger stamens 2, the filaments 4 mm long, glabrous, the smaller stamens glabrous; gynoecium densely strigulose, the stigma punctiform, the style 0.3 mm long, the ovary elliptic-oblong, ca 3.5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, the gynophore 2.5-3 mm long; fruit oblong-elliptic in outline, 2-2.5 cm long, 1.5 cm diameter, glabrescent, the stipe 2-5 mm long, strigulose, 1-seeded; seed 12-15 mm long, 10 mm wide, black, nitid, the aril white, half-enclosing the seed.

  • Discussion

    S. bannia is probably most nearly related to S. caribaea, from which it may be separated by the texture and discolorous nature of the leaflets of the former. The two species share the characteristic of non-alate and non-stipellate leaf-rachises, which combination separates both from other related species.

  • Common Names

    Aliana, bannia, banja, ebony, isiatie, savanne-ijzerhart

  • Distribution

    (Fig. 23). Scrub forest on white sand in northern Guyana and Suriname in the lowlands.

    Guyana South America| Suriname South America|