Vantanea guianensis Aubl.
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Authority
Cuatrecasas, José. 1961. A taxonomic revision of the Humiriaceae. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 35: 25-214. pl. 1-24.
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Family
Humiriaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type: Aublet, French Guiane, Comté de Gêne.
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Description
Description - Large trees with brownish-green, glabrous, subterete lenticellate branchlets. Leaves coriaceous, flexible, glabrous. Petioles 6-12 mm. long, flat and sulcate above. Blades entire, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, obtuse-cuneate at base and decurrent on the petiole, attenuate, shortly and obtusely acuminate at apex, 6-14 cm. long, 2.7-6 cm. broad; more or less lustrous above with prominent and thin costa, secondary nerves slightly prominulous, lesser veins few and almost inconspicuous; beneath with a thick midrib, 13-15 pairs of prominulous, slightly ascendent arcuate-anastomosate secondary nerves, the minor veins reticulate, less conspicuous. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, shorter than the leaves, cymose-paniculate, subcorymbiform, rich in flowers, the peduncle stout, short, subterete, glabrous, the branchlets angled, glabrous. Bracts soon deciduous, embracing, ovate, about 1 mm. long. Pedicels ratber thick, smooth, glabrous, 2-5 mm. long. Calyx thick, deep-cupular about 4 mm. long, glabrous, slightly dentate with obtuse teeth, glandular outside. Petals red or purple, linear, acutish, glabrous, about 3 cm. (up to 4 cm.) long, 2.5 mm. broad. Stamens 64-80, globrous, filaments flexuous, 25-32 mm. long, united at base in 5-7 mm. long tube. Anthers 1 mm. long, oblong-ellipsoid, lobes 4, oblong, 0.8 mm. long, the connective rather thick with a short, acute tip. Disk tubular, thick, glabrous, 1.5 mm. high with almost smooth margin, encircling the ovary. Ovary ovoid, about 2 mm. high, glabrous, 5-celled, the cells biovulate. Styles flexuous, glabrous, 30 mm. long or longer. Stigma obtuse. Drupe ellipsoid-ovoid, almost smooth, about G cm. long, 4.5 cm. broad. Exocarp carnose, 3-5 mm. thick and coriaceous when dry. Endocarp 5X3.8 cm., hard, woody, ovoid-ellipsoid, broadly rounded at the base, abruptly and obtusely apiculate-contracted at the apex, deeply anfractuose-rugose with encephalouslike aspect; five longitudinal, deep and narrow furrows. At the bottom of each furrow a hidden longitudinal, long, narrow operculum (valve). Inside irregular empty cavities alternate with the furrows. The seeds oblong, about 3.2 cm. long and 0.3 cm. thick, only 2 or 3 developed, at bottom of the grooves, protected by the opercula.
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Discussion
V. guianensis is a medium-size or large tree of humid forests on elevated land, displaying inflorescences of large crimson flowers. Its fruit are of the size of an apricot with a fleshy, insipid, scarcely fatty mesocarp and a hard and corrugated endocarp. According to Schomburgk, these endocarps cut in halves are used as neck ornaments by Guiana Indians. Aublet quoted the native name "Iouantan" as the Caribbean name for the species, on which he based the generic Latin name. Urban (p. 453) gave the Caribbean name the spelling "Schuantan." In Brazil it is known as "uchi-rana" or "achua-rana."
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Common Names
iouantan, schuantan, uchi-rana, achuá-rana