Zygia rhytidocarpa

  • Title

    Zygia rhytidocarpa

  • Authors

    Rupert C. Barneby

  • Scientific Name

    Zygia rhytidocarpa L.Rico

  • Description

    38. Zygia rhytidocarpa L. Rico, Kew Bull. 49: 549, fig. 2A-E. 1994. — "HONDURAS, Departamento Atlantida, about 15 m E of La Ceiba, Yuncker et al 8553." — Holotypus, K n.v.; isotypi, NY!, BM, MO, not available in 1994; paratypi, J. Saunders 361, Lundell 16169, both NY!.

    Macrophyllidious arborescent shrubs attaining 9 m but early fertile, glabrous except for sometimes sordidly puberulent branches and some lf-axes or dorsal venation of lfts, the papery lvs dull olivaceous, paler beneath, the shortly pedunculate or subsessile capitula of whitish fls arising from the main trunk or from lately defoliate pallid branchlets, the whitish perianth thinly puberulent. Stipules (few seen) firm, ovate ±4-7 mm, persistent. Lf-formula i/2½-4½ the lfts 5-9 per pinna, sometimes of even number; petioles stout, 2.5-5 x 2-3.5 mm, shallowly sulcate; nectary at apex of petioles depressed-cupular ±1.5 mm diam, that at tip of each pinna-rachis (and sometimes between lft-pairs) similar but smaller; rachis of pinnae (5-)6.5-17 cm, the longer interfoliolar segments 3.5-6 cm; lft-pulvinules stout 2-3.5 mm; lfts strongly accrescent distally, the blade (ob)ovate- or oblong-elliptic from inequilateral, antically cuneate, postically narrow-cordate base, shortly obtusely acuminate, the furthest pair ±13-17 x 3.5-7 cm, 2.4-4 times as long as wide, the margin weakly undulate when dry; venation pinnate, the nearly straight, subcentric midrib giving rise on each side to ±5-8 in- curved-ascending secondary nerves, the first on proximal side hardly stronger than the rest, the tertiary venules very finely prominulous. Peduncles 2-5 mm; capitula (Lundell 16169) ±7—15-fld, the receptacle 1-1.5 mm diam; bracts obtusely deltate <1 mm, persistent; calyx sessile campanulate, externally nerveless 2.3-3 x 1 mm, the obtuse teeth ±0.2 mm; corolla 6.5-7 mm, the tube cylindric, the ovate lobes ±0.7 mm; androecium (in one bud) 24-merous, becoming ±17.5 mm, the tube 10 mm, the intrastaminal disc 0.5 mm; ovary glabrous. Pods pendulous from the trunk, sessile, in profile when fully fertile ±7-seeded (by abortion of ovules sometimes pseudostipitate), massively linear-oblong, straight or slightly recurved and attaining 27 x 3.5 cm, at apex abruptly decurved-apiculate, nearly 3 cm thick, the valves ligneous, not seen when fresh, when ripe and dry biconvex, coarsely deeply alveolate-reticulate overall, the ridges between areolae acute, randomly anastomosing; dehiscence valvate, through the ventral suture, the valves only narrowly gaping; seeds uniseriate or narrowly imbricate, obese, oblong compressed or variably distorted by mutual pressure, the papery testa dark brown, fragile, pleurogram 0.

    In forest, 180-450 m, apparently localized in Honduras (Colón, Atlantida) and Guatemala (Petén). — Not mapped. — Fl. in VII; fr. ripe VI-VII, but full cycle not known.