Licania pallida Britton

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Chrysobalanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Licania pallida Britton

  • Type

    Types. Spruce 1576, Brazil, Amazonas, fl (lectotype, P; isotypes, BR, CGE, F,K, LE, M, NY, OXF); 1635 fl (paratype, K).

  • Synonyms

    Licania parviflora var. pallida Spruce ex Hook.f., Licania pallida Spruce ex Sagot

  • Description

    Description - Tree to 30.0 m tall, the young branches glabrous and lenticellate. Leaves oblong-elliptic, coriaceous, 5.0-13.0 cm long, 2.0-6.5 cm broad, the apex with a finely pointed acumen 6.0-15.0 mm long, rounded-subcuneate at base, glabrous on upper surface; lower surface with well developed stomatal cavities filled with lanate pubescence, the reticulation glabrescent and cavities conspicuous; midrib plane above, or slightly impressed toward base, glabrous; primary veins 7-10 pairs, prominent below, more or less plane above; petioles 5.0-7.0 mm long, glabrescent, eglandular, rugose, usually shallowly canaliculate. Stipules 2.0-3.0 mm long, linear, coriaceous, subpersistent, adnate to extreme base of petiole. Inflorescences terminal and axillary branched panicles, the rachis and branches slender, puberulous. Flowers 1.5-2.0 mm long, usually on long slender peduncles attached to primary branches of inflorescence, rarely almost sessile on branches of inflorescence. Bracts and bracteoles persistent, o.2-1.0 mm long, puberulous. Receptacle campanulate, tomentellous on exterior, tomentellous to puberulous within; pedicels ca 0.25 mm long. Calyx lobes acute, puberulous on both surfaces. Petals absent. Stamens 3-5, unilateral; filaments shorter than calyx lobes, glabrous, free to base. Ovary inserted at base of receptacle, tomentose. Style equalling filaments, sparsely pubescent throughout. Fruit oblong; epicarp with short sordid reddish-brown pulverulent pubescence; pericarp thin, hard, fibrous, sparsely hirsutulous within.

  • Discussion

    Licania pallida is very closely related to L. parviflora, but differs in the more slender inflorescence branches, the pedicellate flowers borne in small groups on distinct peduncles, and the shorter sordid reddish-brown indumentum of the fruits. The well developed stomatal cavities distinguish L. pallida from other species with this type of inflorescence.

    The nomenclature of this species has been much confused in the past, as the specific epithet pallida has been applied to three different species of Licania. The earliest mention of L. pallida Spruce was by Hooker who cited it in synonymy under L. parviflora var pallida, this leading to the later specific citation in Index Kewensis. Sagot treated L. pallida as a species in 1883, taking it to include both L. parviflora var pallida and var subfalcata, but basing the description more on the characters of var pallida. As this was the first legitimate use of pallida as a specific epithet in Licania, L. pallida Sagot must take priority over L. pallida of Britton, 1890 ( =L. britteniana Fritsch) or L. pallida (Hook, f.) Kuntze, 1891 ( =L. hookeri Fritsch and L. octandra (Hoffmgg. ex R. & S.) Kuntze). In spite of the fact that Fritsch (Osterr. Bot. Zeitschr. 42: 6. 1892) showed that the correct name for this species is L. pallida Sagot, the epithet pallida has frequently been applied illegitimately to other species by later authors.

  • Common Names

    Macucú Sangue

  • Distribution

    Non-flooded forest in Venezuela and Brazilian Amazonia.

    Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America|