Eschweilera sessilis A.C.Sm.
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Family
Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)
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Scientific Name
Eschweilera sessilis A.C.Sm.
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Primary Citation
Phytologia 1: 21. 1933
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Type Specimens
Specimen 1: Holotype -- A. E. Lawrance 239
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Description
Type: COLOMBIA. Boyacá . In forest on Mt. Chapón, 17 Jun 1932(fl), Lawrance 239) (HOLOTYPE, NY; ISOTYPES, BM, K, MO)
Description: Understory trees, to 20 m tall. Bark unknown. Leaves: petioles 4-10 mm long; blades 7-15 x 4-7 cm, widely elliptic to elliptic, coriaceous, glabrous, with abundant, conspicuous black punctae abaxially, the base acute to obtuse, the margins entire to minutely crenulate, the apex acuminate; secondary veins in 9-12 pairs of lateral veins, plane to barely salient adaxially. Inflorescence usually from branches below leaves (ramiflorous) or axillary, infrequently termina (suprafoliar)l, often congested, usually once-branched paniculate arrangement of racemes, often scarcely branched or infrequently unbranched racemes, the rachis 3-12 cm long, lenticellate; pedicel/hypanthium 4-7 mm long, tapered to articulation, not sulcate, glabrous to minutely puberulous. Flowers 3 cm diam.; calyx with six lobes, the lobes very widely ovate, 2-4 x 3-4 mm, spreading, convex abaxially, concave adaxially, the bases not imbricate; petals white flushed with pink or pink flushed with white, pink the dominant color; androecial hood triple-coiled, white or yellow. Fruits 2-3.5 x 4-6.5 cm, globose to depressed globose (including operculum), the calycine ring more obvious at point of attachment of calyx-lobes, the supracalycine zone erec, the infracalycine zone rounded to pedicel/hypanthium, the pericarp 2-6 mm thick, with distinct, large, light colored lenticels or spots, the pedicel persisting as woody knob, the operculum convex, usually without, infrequently with umbo. Seeds 1-4 per fruit, 3 x 2.5 cm, globose or hemispherical in cross section; aril spreading, less then 1 mm thick.
Distribution: Vicinity of Cerro Jefé in Panamá, Panama.
Common names: None recorded.
Ecology: This species has been collected from 350 to over 2000 m alt. and can be locally quite common as it is in the cloud forest of Cerro Jefé in central Panama.
Phenology: Throughout its range there does not seem to be distinct flowering or fruiting seasons but in central Panama in the Cerro Jefé region the best time to find flowers is in August.
Pollination: The triple-coiled hood has staminal nectaries and the flowers are presumably pollinated by bees. A population of small statured trees of this species is located at Cerro Jefé a short distance from Panama City so its pollination and dispersal biology could be relatively easily studied.
Dispersal: The seeds of this species are surrounded by a white, spreading aril that may attract animals.
Taxonomic notes: There are two possible problems with this species. In the first place it is difficult to be sure if the collections from Mesoamerica really represent the Colombian Eschweilera sessilis. The type collection has less coriaceous leaves than the Central American collections and the label on the type indicates that the petals are purple and the androecial hood is yellow; in contrast the petals of the central Panamanian collections are white flushed with pink or pink flushed with white and the androecial hood is either yellow or white. There are, however, individuals of this species at Cerro Jefé that have purple petals and a yellow androecial hood (see attached photo by C. Galdames). Additional material needs to be collected from the type locality before a final decision can be made on the application of the name. In the second place, the variation in the Central American material is considerable and may represent more than one species. There is a need for more extensive collection, observation, and photography of all individuals of Eschweilera found at higher elevations in Central America. Photographs of a medial section of the flower to show the nature of the androecial hood, of the sepals, and of the seeds showing the type of aril. The seeds should be shown both in and outside of the fruit. The aril of the Central American population that we consider to be E. sessilis surrounds the seed but we do not know if that is the case for the population from the type locality.
Uses: None known.
Etymology: The epithet refers to an organ that is not stalked and may refer to the short petioles.
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Floras and Monographs
Eschweilera sessilis A.C.Sm.: [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.
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Narratives
