Eschweilera coriacea (DC.) S.A.Mori

  • 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

    Eschweilera coriacea (DC.) S.A.Mori

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Amazonas: Ega, 26 Nov 1819 (fl), Martius 2905 (lectotype, M, photo NY, here designated; isolectotypes, BM frag., K, photo NY-K neg. 16389, M 2 sheets, P, photos P at A & NY).

  • Synonyms

    Lecythis coriacea DC., Jugastrum coriaceum (DC.) Miers, Eschweilera grandifolia Mart. ex DC., Lecythis grandifolia O.Berg, Chytroma grandifolia (Mart. ex DC.) Miers, Lecythis odora Poepp. ex O.Berg, Eschweilera odora (Poepp. ex O.Berg) Miers, Lecythis acuminatissima O.Berg, Eschweilera acuminatissima (O.Berg) Miers, Chytroma cincturata Miers, Eschweilera pallida Miers, Eschweilera matamata Huber, Neohuberia matamata Ledoux, Lecythis retroflexa Benoist, Eschweilera retroflexa (Benoist) R.Knuth, Eschweilera truncata A.C.Sm., Eschweilera vageleri R.Knuth, Eschweilera eymaana R.Knuth, Eschweilera fractiflexa R.Knuth, Lecythis peruviana L.O.Williams

  • Description

    Description - Canopy trees, to 37 m tall, often with buttresses. Bark brown to very dark brown, nearly black, more or less smooth, not noticeably fissured, peeling in irregular plates, with vertically oriented lenticels, thin, the outer 0.5-1 mm thick, the inner 5-7 mm thick, the slash yellowish-white. Leaf blades elliptic to narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, 9-26 x 4.5-12.5 cm, glabrous, chartaceous, with 9-16 pairs of lateral veins; apex acuminate; base acute to rounded; margins entire; petiole 5-14 mm long. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, usually paniculate, with two orders of racemose branches, the second order often poorly developed or sometimes absent, the principal rachis puberulous, infrequently glabrous, often zigzag, with pedicel bases persisting as short knobs, the pedicels jointed, puberulous, 10-20 mm long above joint, 1-2 mm long below. Flowers 3.5-5 cm diam.; calyx with six lobes, the lobes very widely ovate to ovate, 3-9 x 3-7 mm, nearly horizontally oriented, scarcely imbricate, convex to slightly carinate abaxially, slightly gibbous at base, flat to concave adaxially, often tinged with red; petals six, unequal, widely obovate, white or pale yellow, 15-35 x 15-22 mm; hood of androecium yellow, 15-21 x 13-25 mm, doubly coiled, the second coil short, the appendages intense yellow; staminal ring with 170-280 stamens, the filaments not markedly clavate, white, 1.5-2.3 mm long, the anthers yellow, 0.4-0.6 mm long; hypanthium pubescent; ovary 2-locular, with 2-10 basally attached ovules, the summit of ovary umbonate, 2.5-4.5 mm high, the style not well differentiated from summit, ca. 1-2 mm long. Fruits depressed globose, often abruptly contracted directly below calycine ring, 3-4 (excluding operculum) x 3.5-8 cm, the pericarp 3-10 mm thick; operculum convex, umbonate, 2-3 cm high, often as high as the length of the fruit base. Seeds circular in cross section, 25-30 x 15-20 mm, with well developed, lateral funicle-aril.

  • Discussion

    The M sheet of Eschweilera coriacea (=type of Lecythis coriacea), herein designated as the lectotype, is marked “Rio Negro ad Ega.” This is an error since Ega (=Tefé) is located on the Rio Solimões, not the Rio Negro. The isolectotypes of K and P are marked “Rio Negro” and therefore it is possible that the lectotype and isolectotypes are from separate gatherings. Nevertheless, they represent the same species.

    De Candolle’s description of Lecythis coriacea is based upon the leaves and inflorescence of Martius 2905. He adds that the fruits are unknown to him. Subsequently Berg emended the description to include the fruits of Eschweilera tenuifolia thereby including two taxa in the concept of Lecythis coriacea. His plate 72 is an accurate and detailed representation of the fruits of E. tenuifolia and therefore subsequent botanists have misapplied Eschweilera coriacea to this taxon. The true E. coriacea has generally been identified as E. odora, which is the synonym of E. coriacea.

    Eschweilera grandifolia was described by de Candolle (1828) in the same publication in which he described Lecythis coriacea (=E. coriacea). Although either epithet could be used for this species, we have chosen coriacea because it has been more widely applied in the literature and in our previous determinations. Moreover, E. grandifolia is easily confused with E. grandiflora, a valid name for a completely different species.

    Chytroma cincturata is placed here with some hesitation. The type, Spruce 67, is a perfect match for our concept of this species. However, the description and illustration provided by Miers may refer to another species. Even the common name given by Miers, macacarecuya, usually refers to varzea species of Eschweilera, especially E. tenuifolia.

    We have not yet located a duplicate of the type of E. vageleri. This, along with the scanty description provided by Knuth (1939) casts some doubt on the placement of this name in synonymy here.

    Field recognition of E. coriacea is facilitated by its dark brown or even black bark. The slash is yellowish-white to yellowish-brown. Most individuals are buttressed and in some cases the buttresses are very high and steep. The flowers are characterized by medium size (3.5-5 cm diam.); Calyx-lobes with slightly gibbous bases; white petals; and a yellow androecial hood with a double coil. The second coil is poorly developed. Fruits provide the surest way to recognize this species. They have an erect supracalycine zone and are often truncate directly below the calycine ring. The pedicel is persistent and the seeds bear a well-developed lateral aril.

  • Common Names

    coco, coco majagua, pocay-yek, bergi manbarklak, hoogland manbarklak, bai-kaaki, mahot blanc, mahot jaune, mahot noir, Matamatá, matamata branco, cashnum, machimango bianco, machimango colorado

  • Distribution

    A medium-sized tree which is common in non-flooded and periodically flooded forests in eastern Panama and northwestern Colombia and throughout the Guianas and the Amazon Basin. In the Guianas (Mori & Boom, 1987) and eastern Amazonia (Cain et al., 1956), it is often among the most common Lecythidaceae in non-flooded forests. It flowers most profusely from Aug to Dec in the Guianas and Amazonia. West of the Andes, flowers have been collected from Jan to Sep.

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