Sacoglottis ceratocarpa Ducke
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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: Ducke 12 and 1174, Brazil, Amazonas, Manaos.
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Description
Description - Medium-size or small tree with hirtellous, soon glabrous, young branchlets. Leaves rigid, coriaceous, glabrous. Petiole 7-13 mm. long, robust, subterete, more or less winged, flat above, thickened at base. Blade ovate-oblong or ovate-elliptic-oblong, rounded or obtuse at base, attenuate and acuminate or cuspidate at apex, slightly crenate at margin; 8-22 cm. long, 3.5-10 cm. broad, brownish when dry; above smooth with almost flat midrib, secondary nerves and veins obsolete; beneath with prominent midrib, secondary nerves thin but prominent, 10-12 pairs, subspreading, near margin arcuate, ascendent, anastomosate, minor veins forming a lax-prominulous reticulum. Inflorescences axillary, cymose-paniculate, dichotomous, very short, sessile, subglomeriform; peduncle almost absent, branchlets reddish, angulate, short-pubescent, hirtellous. Bracts ovate-triangular, acute, subglabrous, 0.5-1 mm. long, deciduous. Pedicels very short articulate to very short peduncles. Sepals about 1.5 mm. long, rather thick, orbicular, imbricate, glabrous except for ciliate margin. Petals greenish, thick, glabrous, linear, subacute, about 5 mm. long, 1 mm. broad. Stamens 10, united in lower half, glabrous, filaments compressed, 2.5 and 3 mm. long alternating. Anthers ovoid-oblong, about 1.2 mm. long, thecae elliptic about 0.5 mm. long, connective thick, ovoid-sublanceolate, subacute. Disk membranaceous, denticulate ring 0.7-0.8 mm. high. Ovary ovoid, glabrous, 5-locular, cells uniovulate, attenuate at apex. Style 2-3 mm. long, erect, glabrous. Stigma capitate, 5-lobulato. Drupe elliptic-oblong-elongate, attenuate at both ends, subfusiform, apex acute, often apiculate, 4-5 cm. long, 1.3-1.8 cm. diameter, plus apiculum up to 8 mm. long. Exocarp smooth, subcoriaceous when dry, 1 mm. thick. Endocarp woody, narrowly oblong, acute at apex, resinous-lacunose, surface slightly bullate.
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Discussion
A. Ducke wrote the following interesting remarks about the distribution of this species and its relation to S. amazonica: "This species has been confused with S. amazonica since the time of Martius who cited his S. amazonica not only for the Amazon estuary but also for the upper Amazon where this species probably does not exist (he certainly did not know the fruits of both species). The true S. amazonica grows rather frequently on the shores of streams subjected to the influence of the Atlantic tide; I observed it near Belém, on the Islands of Breves, and near Gurupa at the head of the Amazon estuary. Its fruit has a thin, more coriaceous than fleshy, mesocarp and is apt to float; old endocarps can be found every time on the banks of the rivers around the city of Pará. S. ceratocarpa, on the contrary, grows in the central part of Amazonia in marshy upland forest along streamlets, and its fruits do not seem apt for water transport, but they are probably dispersed by forest animals. Their white, more farinaceous than fleshy, mesocarp is somewhat like that of S. heterocarpa Ducke, growing in 'caatinga' in the upper Rio Negro basin."