Licania michauxii Prance

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T. 1972. Chrysobalanaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 9: 1-410. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Chrysobalanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Licania michauxii Prance

  • Type

    Type. Michaux sn, U.S.A. Georgia, fl (holotype, P).

  • Synonyms

    Chrysobalanus oblongifolius Michx., Chrysobalanus retusus Raf., Geobalanus oblongifolius (Michx.) Small, Geobalanus pallidus Small, Chrysobalanus pallidus (Small) L.B.Sm., Chrysobalanus incanus Raf.

  • Description

    Description - Low suffrutex to ca 40.0 cm tall, the young stems glabrous, not lenticellate. Leaves lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate to rarely oblong-elliptic, serrulate, coriaceous, 4.0-11.0 cm long, 1.1-3.5 cm broad, acute to rounded or, rarely retuse at apex, often mucronate, cuneate to subcuneate at base, glabrous or the lower surface gray-lanate-arachnoid; midrib prominent and glabrous above; primary veins 8-13 pairs, prominulous on both surfaces; reticulations conspicuous on both surfaces; petioles 1.0-3.0 mm long, glabrous, terete, eglandular. Stipules o.5-1.0 mm long, lanceolate, coriaceous, persistent or caducous, extrapetiolar. Inflorescences rather lax terminal and subterminal cymose panicles, the rachis and branches puberulous. Flowers ca 2.5 mm long, in small groups on long slender primary and secondary inflorescence branches. Bracts and bracteoles minute, ovate, persistent, puberulous on exterior. Receptacle campanulate, tomentose on exterior, tomentellous within; pedicels 1.0-3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes acute, tomentellous on both sufaces. Petals 5, densely pubescent. Stamens 14-17, inserted in a complete circle; filaments exceeding calyx lobes, connate at base, glabrous. Ovary inserted at base of receptacle, glabrous or sparsely villous. Style equalling filaments, glabrous except for pubescent base. Fruit ovoid, 2.5-3.0 cm long; epicarp smooth, glabrous; pericarp thin, hard, fibrous, with no lines of dehiscence, sparsely pilose within.

  • Discussion

    Details of the nomenclature of this species have been elucidated elsewhere (Prance, in press). Rafinesque (New Fl. Am. 3: 26. 1836) described another species, Chrysobalanus prunifolius Raf., which has commonly been referred to this species. I have been unable to find type material of C. prunifolius, but judging from the description it is not L. michauxii. The small leaves, the few-flowered racemes, and the pod-like fruit of C. prunifolius are all unlike L. michauxii. The specific epithets of all the synonyms cited are already occupied in Licania. For these reasons the Rafinesque name is not used, and a new name was proposed for the species commonly known as Chrysobalanus oblongifolia.

    Geobalanus (Chrysobalanus) pallidus is placed here in synonymy. The original difference given by Small is not sound. Pubescence of both the ovary and the leaf undersurface vary from glabrous to lanate. In many cases the pubescence of the leaf is caducous and the older leaves are glabrous. This was the only difference given by Small to separate C. pallidus and C. oblongifolia. Although Small did not cite a type in his description of C. pallidus, the specimen, Small & Carter 711, at NY was annotated by Small as the type and hence is chosen here as a lectotype.

    Chrysobalanus incanus Rafinesque, which also corresponds to the material described as C. pallidus, was based on Michaux's original description of C. oblongifolia. Rafinesque elevated a variety to specific rank without seeing the material at all. I do not consider the material with pubescent leaf undersurfaces worthy of taxonomic rank, because of the gradation in this character.

    This species has often been said to have a stellate pubescence. Küster (Bot. Centralb. 69: 135—137. 1897) worked on the anatomy of the Chrysobalanaceae and originally reported the stellate pubescence, which has led to the mention of stellate pubescence in connection with the family in several other publications. Attribution of a stellate pubescence to L. michauxii has been recorded erroneously as the result of a mixed gathering of herbarium material. The widely distributed herbarium material of Curtiss 727 contains, in addition to L. michauxii, sterile branches of Quercus pumila Walt. This species of Quercus does have stellate pubescence on the lower leaf surface. Q. pumila has the same Suffruticose habit as L. michauxii, and could easily be mistaken for it in the sterile condition, except for the pubescence.

  • Common Names

    Gopher apple, Ground oak

  • Distribution

    Pine barrens, sand dunes and oak scrubland of southeastern United States. Flowering between December and August, especially from April to June, fruiting June to September. Representative collections:

    United States of America North America| Louisiana United States of America North America| Mississippi United States of America North America| Alabama United States of America North America| Georgia United States of America North America| South Carolina United States of America North America| Florida United States of America North America|