Eschweilera sessilis A.C.Sm.
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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)
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Family
Lecythidaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Colombia. Boyacá: In forest on Mt. Chapón, 17 Jun 1932 (fl), Lawrence 239 (holotype, NY; isotypes, BM, K, MO).
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Synonyms
Eschweilera ciroana R.Knuth
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Description
Description - Trees, to 20 m tall. Leaf blades widely elliptic to elliptic, 7-15 x 4-7 cm, glabrous, with conspicuous black punctae abaxially, with 9-12 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base acute to obtuse; margins entire to minutely crenulate; petiole 4-10 mm long. Inflorescences usually from twigs below leaves or in axils of uppermost leaves, infrequently terminal, often congested, usually once-branched paniculate arrangement of racemes, often scarcely branched or infrequently of simple racemes, the rachis 3-12 cm long, lenticellate, the pedicels 4-7 mm long, glabrous to minutely puberulous. Flowers 3 cm diam.; calyx with six lobes, the lobes very widely ovate, 2-4 x 3-4 mm, spreading, not imbricate at anthesis, convex abaxially, concave adaxially; petals six, widely obovate, 15-24 x 11-19 mm, white flushed with pink or pink flushed with white; hood of androecium 12-16 x 12-20 mm, forming triple coil, white or yellow, the appendages yellow; staminal ring with 112-200 stamens, the filaments 1-1.8 mm long, markedly clavate, the anthers 0.4-0.5 mm long, yellow; hypanthium truncate at base, glabrous to puberulous, lenticellate; ovary 2-locular, each with 2-6 ovules attached on floor of locule, the style erect or slightly oblique, 2-3.5 mm long. Fruits depressed globose (including operculum), the base 2-3.5 x 4-6.5 cm, the pericarp 2-6 mm thick, the pedicel persisting as woody knob; operculum convex, usually without, infrequently with umbo 1.5-2.5 cm high. Seeds 1-4 per fruit, 3 x 2.5 cm, completely surrounded by white aril less then 1 mm thick.
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Discussion
This species is disjunct between eastern Panama and Andean Colombia. The major differences between the two populations are the more coriaceous leaves and more developed inflorescences of the Panamanian collections. However, floral structure, fruit morphology, and especially seed morphology correspond. This is the only species from west of the Andes we know to have seeds completely surrounded by a white tissue, herein interpreted as an aril. Both populations have this feature and this, along with floral structure, speaks for the common ancestry of the populations and supports our decision to treat them as the same species.
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Distribution
Tree of non-flooded habitats in tropical wet and premontaine rain forests from 350 to 1000 m altitude. This species ranges from southern Colombia to Chiriquí, Panama. No distinct flowering season is apparent as flowering collections come from all months but Jan, Mar, Apr and Nov.
Panama Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| San Blás Panama Central America| Chocó Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Huila Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America|