Eschweilera chartaceifolia S.A.Mori

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Eschweilera chartaceifolia S.A.Mori

  • Primary Citation

    Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2): 228. 1990

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- E. Lleras P17422

  • Description

    Author: Scott A. Mori and Ghillean T. Prance

    Type: Brazil. Amazonas: Behind Fonte Boa, 21 Aug 1973 (fl), Lleras P.17422 (holotype, INPA, photo at NY; isotype, NY).

    Description: Understory trees, ca. 20 m tall. Leaves: petioles 4-5 mm long; blades elliptic, 7-13.5 x 4-5.5 cm, glabrous, without punctae, chartaceous, the base obtuse to slightly rounded, the margins crenate, the apex acuminate; secondary veins in 6-10 pairs. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, unbranched, racemose, the rachis short, 1.5-3 cm long, glabrous; pedicels glabrous, 5-6 mm long. Flowers ca. 3 cm diam.; calyx with 6 lobes, the lobes very widely ovate, 2-2.3 x 2.5-3 mm, horizontally oriented, not or only slightly imbricate, thick, carinate abaxially, slightly concave adaxially; petals light yellow; hood of androecium 10 x 14 mm, with triple coil, yellow; staminal ring asymmetric, the stamens 189, ascending ½ way up ligule, the filaments clavate; ovary 2-locular, each locule with six basally attached ovules, the style obconical, not differentiated from summit of ovary, 2.5 mm long. Fruits turbinate, 2.5-4 x 3.5-4 cm (excluding operculum), the calycine ring inserted near apex, the infracalycine zone attenuate, the supracalycine zone very narrow, the pericarp ca. 2 mm thick, the exocarp smooth, the operculum convex. Seeds with lateral aril.

    Common names: Peru: machimango hoja menuda.

    Distribution: Known from western Amazonia and French Guiana.

    Ecology: An understory tree of non-flooded forest.

    Phenology: The type collection was gathered in August and a flowering collection has been collected in Peru in Oct. In French Guiana, flowers have been collected in Sep, immature fruits in Nov, and empty fruits in Oct, Nov., and Jan.

    Pollination: No observations recorded but other species of Eschweilera with coiled androecial hoods are pollinated by bees.

    Dispersal: No observations recorded.

    Predation: No observations recorded.

    Field characters: Eschweilera chartaceifolia is distinguished from other species of Eschweilera by its combination of chartaceous leaf blades, crenate leaf blade margins, tubinate fruits with an attenuate infracalycine zone and very narrow supracalycine zone, and smooth pericarp.

    Taxonomic notes: The leaves resemble those of Lecythis chartacea and L. serrata but the 2-locular ovaries and coiled androecium place this species in Eschweilera. This species has been collected in French Guiana, western Amazonian Brazil, and Peru and further collections and molecular study are need to confirm the hypothesis that these populations belong tothe same species.

    Conservation: IUCN Red List: Not on list (Feb, 2014).

    Uses: None recorded.

    Etymology: The specific epithet alludes to the chartaceous leaf blades.

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

    Acknowledgements: We are grateful to C. Gracie for allowing us to use her images to illustrate the characters of this species.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Eschweilera chartaceifolia S.A.Mori: [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.