Couroupita nicaraguarensis DC.

  • Authority

    Mori, S. A. & Prance, Ghillean T. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II: The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). With a study of secondary xylem of Neotropical Lecythidaceae by Carl de Zeeuw. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-376. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Couroupita nicaraguarensis DC.

  • Type

    Type. Nicaragua. Painting from the Sessé and Moçiño collection, original (holotype) deposited at Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA in the Torner Collection 6331.1456.

  • Synonyms

    Lecythis nicaraguarensis DC., Couroupita odoratissima Seem., Couroupita parviflora Standl., Couroupita cutteri C.V.Morton & Skutch, Couroupita darienensis Pittier, Couroupita magnifica Dwyer

  • Description

    Description - Tree, to 50 m tall, the young branches glabrous. Leaves in terminal clusters of 12-18, the old leaf scars noticeably larger and more conspicuous than in other species, with the scars of successive leaves on swollen part of young stem; blades oblong-oblanceolate, 11-30 cm x 4-8.5 cm at broadest point, thinly coriaceous, glabrous above, glabrous beneath except on veins and in axils of primary and secondary veins; apex bluntly acute or shortly and bluntly acuminate; base cuneate; margins entire but with numerous minute teeth at nerve endings; petioles 12-20 mm long, flattened above, not winged or slightly winged, sparsely puberulous. Inflorescences cauliflorous or ramiflorous, racemose, the rachis puberulous (length unknown, only apex seen); pedicels 2-8 mm long, puberulous. Flowers 3.5-4.5cm diam.; Calyx-lobes rounded at apex, ca. 5 mm long, sparsely puberulous to glabrescent on exterior, with ciliate margins; petals oblong, 25-40 mm long, glabrous except for a few scattered hairs on margin, yellow; staminal ring ±16 mm wide, the ligule with numerous stamens on short filaments inserted all over interior but sparsest towards center, with ca. 600 stamens on ring and ligule, the hood yellow, with ca. 400 stamens inserted all over interior, the filaments longer than on ring stamens, no sterile appendages; hypanthium campanulate, ca. 5 mm long, the style minute, not well-differentiated from summit of ovary. Fruits roundish, ca. 11-13 x 10-15.5 cm, the exocarp crustaceous, smooth, the calycine ring 6.5-7.5 cm diam., inserted ca. 1 cm below apex, with six slightly protruding remnants of Calyx-lobes persisting, the pulp sponge-like when dry, but woody. Seeds densely hirsute on exterior.

  • Discussion

    The majority of the Central American material belongs to Couroupita nicaraguarensis, defined here to include C. parviflora, C. cutteri, C. magnifica, and C. odoratissima. Couroupita nicaraguarensis differs from C. subsessilis in its larger, broader, and thicker leaves; the larger fruit with prominent calyx scars; the conspicuous series of leaf scars on the swollen young stems; the stamens inserted all over the interior of ligule; and the lack of a V-shaped cleft apex in the hood. Couroupita nicaraguarensis is quite closely related to C. subsessilis, but is, in many respects, intermediate between it and C. guianensis. Couroupita nicaraguarensis differs from C. guianensis in the narrow oblanceolate leaves which are broadest near the apex, in the large and conspicuous series of leaf scars on the swollen stems, and the presence of stamens all over the interior surface of the androecial ligule. Couroupita nicaraguarensis is of a restricted geographical range, and differs consistently from C. guianensis, despite the large amount of morphological variation that occurs within C. guianensis.

    Couroupita darienensis was described from flowers preserved in alcohol at the Smithsonian Institution which are now missing. The only material still preserved is of some moldy flowers on a herbarium sheet, together with photographs of the bole of the type tree. Couroupita darienensis was said to differ from other Panamanian species in the inflorescences that are borne on branches of the crown rather than on the bole. The description mentions that the stamens are all over the interior of the ligule and so C. darienensis is almost certainly part of C. nicaraguarensis.

    Couroupita nicaraguarensis was described by de Candolle from a Moçiño and Sesse painting which, until recently, was believed to be preserved only in the form of a tracing in the “Caiques” (de Candolle, 1874). The tracing is quite detailed although de Candolle’s description is extremely brief. With the tracing it was possible to conclude that C. nicaraguarensis matches the other material placed with it here, including the names reduced to synonomy and discussed above. This was recently confirmed by the rediscovery of the original painting which is now deposited at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.

  • Common Names

    zapote de mico, coco, palo paraiso, zapote de mono

  • Distribution

    Collected in forests of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, but apparently very rare. Flowering throughout the year.

    El Salvador Central America| La Libertad El Salvador Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Carazo Nicaragua Central America| Chontales Nicaragua Central America| Rivas Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Bocas del Toro Panamá Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America|