Eschweilera antioquensis Dugand & Daniel

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Eschweilera antioquensis Dugand & Daniel

  • Primary Citation

    Contr. Hist. Nat. Colomb. 2: 1-2. 1938

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- H. Daniel 1201, verif. S. A. Mori, 24/10/2005

  • Description

    Author: Scott A. Mori

    Type: COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Laguna de Guarne, 2285 m, 26 Jun 1937 (fl), Daniel 1201 (holotype, Herbario del Colegio de San José de Medellín; isotypes, COL, US).

    Description: Understory to canopy trees. Bark grayish-brown, fissured, peeling in irregular plates. Leaves: petioles 7-20 mm long; blades 20-30(50) x 5-13 cm, elliptic to widely elliptic, coriaceous, black punctations abaxially, the base obtuse to rounded, the margins entire, the apex short acuminate to acuminate; secondary veins in 8-13 pairs. Inflorescences from below leaves (ramiflorous) or axillary, infrequently terminal (suprafoliar), unbranched or once-branched paniculate arrangement of racemes, the principal rachis 3-30 cm long, glabrous, lenticellate; pedicel/hypanthium ca. 10 mm long, tapered to articulation, much shorter below articulation, not sulcate, glabrous, drying black. Flowers 4-5 cm diam.; calyx with six lobes, the lobes ovate to very widely ovate, 6-9 x 5-8 mm, obliquely oriented at anthesis, convex to slightly carinate abaxially, the bases imbricate for 1/2 length; petals 6, red or reddish pink to purple; androecial hood with double coil, white or white tinged with pink. Fruits depressed globose, 6-11 x 9-12 cm, the calycine ring visible but not conspicuous, the infracalycine zone rounded from calycine ring to pedicel, the supracalycine zone short, angled inward, the pericarp 2.5 mm thick, the operculum convex to umbonate. Seeds to 7-9 per fruit, 4 x 3.5 cm, triangular in cross ection; aril lateral but spreading at apex, sharply angled, indurate at least when dry.

    Common names: None recorded

    Distribution: NW Colombia in the departments of Antioquia, Chocó, and Cundinamarca and NW Venezuela in the state of Mérida. The collections identified as this species from Panama need to be confirmed with better material.

    Ecology: In non-flooded forests usually at elevations over 1000 m in the Andes but a collection identified as this specis was gathered from near sea level Panama (Herrera 1503). As indicated below, collections from Panama identified as this species need to be viewed with caution

    Phenology: This species flowers in Mar and Jun in Antioquia and mature fruits have been collected in Apr in the same state.

    Pollination: The flowers are similar in size and color to Eschweilera bogotensis, a species documented to be pollinated by bees.

    Dispersal: This species has a lateral aril that probably attracts animals and serves as a reward in exchange for dispersal.

    Predation: No observations recorded.

    Taxonomic notes: The limits of this species are poorly understood so this description is based on collections and observations from collections of the species from Antioquia and Cundinamarca, Colombia. This species is characterized by ubranched or once-branched infloresences, red or pink to purple petals, depressed globose fruits, an operculum with a small umbo, and seeds with an angular lateral aril that becomes indurate when dried. All of the material identified as this species from Panama may represent a different or even several different species and needs to be carefully rexamined.

    Conservation: IUCN Red List: Not on list (March 2014)

    Uses: None recorded

    Etymology: The specific epithet alludes to the Department of Antioquia, Colombia where the type was collected.

    Source: This species page is based on Mori in Mori & Prance, 1990.

    Acknowledgements: We are grateful to J. D. Garcia for allowing us to use the images below to illustrate the characters of this species.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Eschweilera antioquensis Dugand & Daniel: [Article] 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.

  • Narratives

    Inflorescence and flower anatomy and morphology of Eschweilera antioquensis.