Eschweilera ovalifolia (DC.) Nied.

  • 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 ovalifolia (DC.) Nied.

  • Type

    Brazil. Amazonas: At mouth of Rio Negro, no date (fl), Martius s.n. (lectotype, M, photo NY, here designated; isolectotypes, G, photos of G at A, K, M, NY-F neg. 23206).

  • Synonyms

    Lecythis ovalifolia DC., Chytroma ovalifolia (DC.) Miers, Eschweilera ucayalensis R.Knuth

  • Description

    Description - Medium to large tree, to 30 m tall, usually without buttresses. Bark gray, peeling in irregular sized plates, the slash white to buff-colored, the outer bark laminated. Leaf blades usually oblong to narrowly oblong, less frequently elliptic or narrowly obovate, 14-30 x 5-12 cm, glabrous, chartaceous, with 12-19 pairs of lateral veins; apex short acuminate to acuminate; base usually obtuse to rounded, less frequently acute to cuneate; margins entire to crenulate; petiole 10-22 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, in axils of uppermost leaves, or cauline, of racemes or once-branched paniculate arrangements of racemes; rachises puberulous, gray, with numerous raised lenticels, with persistent knobby pedicel bases to 4 mm long, the principal rachis 5-21 cm long; pedicels jointed above attachment with rachis, 3-4 mm long. Flowers 4-5 cm diam.; calyx with six lobes, the lobes very widely to widely ovate, 3.5-6 x 4-6.5 mm, horizontally oriented, imbricate at bases; petals six, widely obovate, usually light yellow, sometimes white, 20-39 x 12-24 mm; hood of androecium yellow, ca. 18-20 x 16-19 mm, doubly or triply coiled inwards, with distinct notch on outer anterior surface, echinate on outside margins; staminal ring with 350-500 stamens, the stamens inserted to very margin of staminal ring, the inner filaments clavate, yellow, 1.5-2.5 mm long, their anthers 0.40.5 mm long, the outer filaments angular, their anthers vestigial; ovary 2-locular, each locule with 4-10 basally attached ovules, the style not well differentiated from summit of ovary, 2.5-3.5 mm long. Fruits depressed globose, 3.5-5.0 x 6-8 cm, always wider than long, the exocarp markedly lenticellate, the pericarp 2-3 mm thick; operculum convex, without umbo. Seeds triangular or hemispherical in cross section, ca. 3.5 x 3 cm, completely surrounded by white aril 1 mm thick.

  • Discussion

    Eschweilera ovalifolia is one of the most distinct species in the genus. Its combination of markedly lenticellate inflorescences, light yellow flowers, notched androecial hood, stamens to the margin of the staminal ring, and depressed globose, thin-walled fruits with large seeds completely surrounded by an aril is found in no other species of Lecythidaceae.

    The protologue and photograph of the type of E. ucayalensis match E. ovalifolia in all features except for the smaller leaves (9.5 x 5.5 cm vs. 14-30 x 5-12 cm).

    We observed many individuals of this handsome plant in bloom on a trip between Manaus and Iquitos in Feb and early Mar of 1977. Seeds fall into the water in June (J. Rankin, pers. comm.).

  • Distribution

    A medium to large-sized tree found in periodically flooded riverine forests of central and western Amazonia. It blooms from Oct to Mar.

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