Vantanea parviflora Lam.
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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
Typo: Le Blond, French Guiana.
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Description
Description - Large tree with subterete, lenticellate, glabrous, rarely puberulous branchlets. Leaves coriaceous, flexible, glabrous or sometimes appressed-pilose, or midrib hirtellous beneath. Petiole semiterete, sulcate above 5-15 cm. long. Leaf blades entire, elliptic, more or less elongate, obtusely cuneate or cuneate at base, obtuse, emarginate, obtuse-acuminate or even subrotundate at apex, 5-10 cm. long, 2-5.5 cm. broad; greenish -brown or olivaceous above with distinct flat midrib and prominulous secondary and smaller nerves; beneath more or less lustrous, cuperous-brownish with prominent midrib, 9-10 slender but prominent ascendent secondary nerves on each side, arcuate and united near the margin, smaller veins reticulate, prominulous. Panicle cymose-dichotomous, corymbiform, axillary or terminal, shorter than the upper leaves; the axis and branchlets more or less compressed, pubescent-hirtulous. Bracts ovate, subobtuse, minutely pubescent, soon deciduous, 1 mm. long. Pedicels about 1-2 mm. long, moderately thick, minutely pubescent-hirtulous. Calyx broadly cupular scarcely 1 mm. long, 2.5 mm. diameter, puberulous outside, the margin ciliolate, entire or slightly undulated. Petals white, linear, rather thick, 7-8 mm. long, pubescent outside, hairs abundant, retrorse, subappressed, glabrous inside, estivation contorted. Stamens 80-120, filaments glabrous, 2-3 seriate, united at base, unequal, 5-7 mm. long. Anthers about 0.8-1 mm. long, dorsifixed with 4 elliptic-oblong lobes, the connective with a long, thickish, acute tip. Disk annular, thick, densely hirto-tomentous, 1-1.5 mm. high, girdling the ovary. Style columnar, about 3.5 mm. long, subglabrous, only some long, spreading hairs near its base. Ovary 2.5 mm. high, ellipsoid, villosohispid with long hairs, with 5 biovulate cells. Stigma obtuse, glutinous. Drupe ellipsoid, 2.5-2.8 cm. long, 2.2-2.5 cm. broad, becoming glabrous; the endocarp woody like a nut, rugose, 2.1-2.5 cm. long, 1.8-2 cm. broad, with 5 longitudinal broad ribs and valves.
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Discussion
One specimen from French Guiana, Wachenheim 179 (P), has globose drupes and endocarp. The drupe is about 24 mm. in diameter, with a 1-2 mm. thick ectocarp. The endocarp is densely ligneous, rugose, with 12 sulci, and 6 longitudinal valves. The specimen seen has only two seminal cavities. This specimen and another closely related one from French Guiana do not show any other difference from the Brazilian specimens, for which reason they are considered conspecific. The typical V. parviflora is completely glabrous except for the inflorescence. Only a few specimens from Brazil show appressed, sparse hairs on the underside of the leaf or a slightly hirtellous pubescence on the midrib and petiole; these forms are transitional toward the variety puberulifolia.