Gustavia speciosa (Kunth) DC.

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T. & Mori, S. A. 1979. Lecythidaceae - Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae (Asteranthos, Gustavia, Grias, Allantoma & Cariniana). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Gustavia speciosa (Kunth) DC.

  • Type

    Type. Humboldt & Bonpland 1881 (holotype, P; isotypes, F neg. no. 38306, GH, photo, P). Colombia. Tolima: Near Mariquita, alt 450 ft, without date (fl).

  • Synonyms

    Pirigara speciosa Kunth, Japarandiba speciosa (Kunth) Kuntze

  • Description

    Description - Trees, medium sized, to 20 m tall, 40 cm in diameter, with a dense ovate crown; leaf-bearing branches 3-8 mm in diameter, the leaves loosely grouped at their ends; petiole scars to 10 mm apart. Bark nearly smooth, gray to brownish-gray. Leaf blades narrowly elliptic, oblanceolate or narrowly ovate, 13-44 x 4-18 cm, glabrous, chartaceous, with 15-22 pairs of lateral veins; apices acuminate; bases acute, cuneate or obtuse, sometimes unequal; margins entire to remotely serrulate. Petioles 20-80 x 2-3 mm, subterete in cross section. Inflorescences usually suprafoliar, racemose, glabrous to white-rusty-tomentose, with 3-10 fls; rachis 20-70 mm; pedicels 40-90 mm, subtended by a single, early-caducous, oblong to oblanceolate, cucullate bract 30 x 12 mm and bearing at some point from the middle to directly below ovary 2 ovate to narrowly ovate bracteoles, 2-7 x 3-4 mm. Flowers 13-14(-18) cm in diameter; calyx an entire or undulate rim or with 4 triangular, rounded or irregularly incised lobes; petals 6 or 8, narrowly oblong, narrowly obovate or lanceolate, 45-60(-88) x 15-30 mm, tawny-tomentose in bud, puberulous at anthesis, usually white, occasionally tinged with rose on the outside; connate androecial base 917 mm high, light yellow; outermost filaments 12-20(-25) mm, yellow at the apex; anthers 2-3.5(-4) mm, yellow; ovary smooth, glabrous or buff-rusty-tomentose, (4-)6-locular, the summit with a white-puberulous to white-tomentose indumentum tending to be arranged in irregular lines radiating from the style, style 1.5-3(-4) mm; stigma with 4-6 lobes. Fruits globose, with the opercular region bulging upwards, umbonate, 40-60 x 50-80 mm, with the calyx persisting only as an irregular rim without distinguishable lobes. Seeds trigonous in cross section, surrounded by a yellow-orange pulp, 30-35 x 20-25 mm, 1-4 per fruit, without distinctive funicles.

  • Discussion

    Key to the Subspecies of Gustavia speciosa

    1. Medium sized trees, to 10 m tall; leaf blade length to width ratio greater than 3; ovary walls pubescent; central valleys of Colombia, infrequently Amazonia; often cultivated. a. subsp speciosa.

    1. Large trees, to 20 m tall; leaf blade length to width ratio less than 3; ovary walls glabrous; Pacific Coast of Colombia; not cultivated. b. subsp occidentalis.