Lecythis ollaria Loefl.
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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)
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Family
Lecythidaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Venezuela. Miranda: Road from Ocumare del Tuy to San Fernando de Yare, 27 Jul 1952 (fl), Aristeguieta 839 (neotype [Prance & Mori, 1977], VEN).
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Synonyms
Lecythis cordata O.Berg, Eschweilera cordata (O.Berg) Miers
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Description
Description - Small to medium-sized trees, to 20 m tall. Twigs pubescent when young. Bark with deep vertical fissures. Leaf blades ovate to widely ovate, subsessile, 6-14.5 x 4-8 cm, glabrous, coriaceous, with 8-12 pairs of lateral veins; apex acute to obtuse; base rounded to cordate, decurrent; margins entire to minutely crenulate; petiole poorly developed, 2-5 mm long, the abaxial side pubescent. Inflorescences racemose, usually unbranched or once-branched, infrequently with 34 orders of branches but then the ultimate branches poorly developed, the branches paniculately arranged, terminal or arising in axils of uppermost leaves, the principal rachis 10-20 cm long, with 15-25 flowers, all rachises pubescent; pedicels jointed, 1.5-3 mm long below articulation, subtended by cucullate ovate bract 4-5 x 2-4 mm and with two cucullate ovate bracteoles 3-3.5 x 1.2-2.8 mm inserted just below articulation. Flowers 5-8 cm diam.; calyx with six widely to very widely ovate lobes, 5-9 x 5-9 mm; petals six, widely obovate to suborbiculate, 22-37 x 18-22 mm, white to yellowish white or pale yellow; hood of androecium dorsiventrally expanded, 18-22 x 17-25 mm, with well developed but antherless appendages, the appendages curved inwards, white or pale yellow; staminal ring with 242-372 stamens, the filaments 1.5-2.5 mm long, dilated at apex, the anthers 0.7-0.8 mm long; hypanthium ferrugineous-tomentose; ovary (3-)4(-5)-locular, with 5-15 ovules in each locule, the summit of ovary more or less truncate, the style 2 mm long. Fruits cupshaped, 3.5-6 x 5.5-8.5 cm, the pericarp ca. 12 mm thick, the calyx lobes persisting as a woody rim. Seeds brown, with ca. 4 longitudinally oriented, lighter colored, impressed veins, the aril basal.
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Discussion
The seeds of L. ollaria are toxic when they come from plants growing in soils high in selenium (Kerdel-Vegas, 1966; Prance & Mori, 1979). The fruits are sold by venders of herbal medicine in Caracas, presumably because water placed in them produces a depilatory extract.
Loefling’s type material of L. ollaria has never been located. However, Prance and Mori (1977) have demonstrated that Loefling’s protologue matches the species under consideration. In addition, they have named a neotype for this important taxon, which is the first of the family formally described.Although L. cordata Berg was described as 2-locular and later transferred to Eschweilera because of this by Miers, I am placing it in synonymy with L. ollaria because it is morphologically similar to it in all other respects. Berg’s interpretation of locule number was probably a mistake, a supposition which is supported by the absence of modem collections of an Eschweilera with cordate, subsessile leaves from the area where the types of L. ollaria and L. cordata were collected.Lecythis ollaria is morphologically similar to L. minor. The more cordate leaves of the former aids in their separation. For the most part, the two species are geographically separated by the Andes. However, in the state of Lara, near Carora, both species are present which may be the result of human introduction of L. ollaria. -
Common Names
coco de mono
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Distribution
Lecythis ollaria is restricted to north-central Venezuela where it is a tree of dry forests and savanna. It flowers from Apr to Nov.
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