Grias neuberthii J.F.Macbr.
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Family
Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)
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Scientific Name
Grias neuberthii J.F.Macbr.
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Primary Citation
Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser. 11: 30. 1931
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Description
Author: Xavier Cornejo & Scott A. Mori
Type: Peru. Loreto: Caballo-Cocha on the Amazon River, Aug 1929 (fl), Ll. Williams 2337, (lectotype, F-608216, designated by Mori in Prance & Mori, Fl. Neotrop. 21: 204 (1979).; isolectotypes, F-608217, US-1515830).
Description: Pachycaulous, understory to canopy, many branched trees, to 30 m x 60 cm, the trunk cylindrical, not buttressed. Bark smooth. Stems glabrous, the leaf bearing stems to 25 mm diam. Leaves: petioles lacking to 75 x 4-7 mm, semicircular in cross section, somewhat canaliculate, glabrous; blades oblanceolate, slightly concave toward base, 32-120 x 12-22 cm, coriaceous, glabrous, with inconspicuous reddish papillae or punctae abaxially, the base attenuate, the margins entire, slightly revolute, the apex acuminate; venation brochidodromous, the secondary veins in 23-42 pairs, the tertiary veins weakly percurrent, the higher order venation plane and difficult to see. Inflorescences cauline, of 1 to many racemes arising from warty outgrowths, with 10 to many flowers, the rachises 50-350 mm long, glabrous; pedicels 6-27 mm long, buff-pubescent, subtended by a single, oblong bract, 7-13 x 4-9 mm and bearing directly below hypanthium 2 keeled, lanceolate or widely ovate bracteoles, 3-11 x 3-7 mm. Flower buds globose; mature flowers 5-8 cm diam.; hypanthium pubescent, the trichomes short; calyx of 4 distinct lobes in bud, the lobes at anthesis ovate to very widely ovate, 6-11 x 5-10 mm; petals widely oblong to suborbiculate, 20-30 x 15-20 mm, to 5 mm thick, usually yellow, infrequently cream, with various tinges of pink and red, spreading and flat at anthesis; androecium obloid, the staminal tube 2-4 mm high, arching from base to apex, divided into 2 chambers, the lower chamber slanted inward at apex, the upper chamber slanting outward, with ca. 210 stamens, the filaments angular in cross section, curving inward, abruptly constricted at apex, the outermost 10-15 mm long, the anthers suborbicular, 0.8-1 mm long, with lateral dehiscence, connectives absent; ovary 4-locular, with 1-4 ovules per locule, glabrous and umbonate at summit, a nectary disk absent, the style nearly absent. Fruits narrowly to broadly fusiform, brown, 7-18 x 50-100 mm, with 8(-10) longitudinal ribs (dry), the mesocarp yellow to orange, 8-14 mm thick. Seeds 60-140 x 40-70 mm.
Common names: Colombia: cocora, cocorro, kokora (Prance & Mori, 1979), pelotillo (Spanish), pepe-guara, té-té-ku-chu (Cofan). Ecuador: binahue (Huaorani), cansui soquëñë (Siona), co'cora (Secoya), huegacahue (Huaorani), Huevos de burro (Spanish), jahuiyo, pitón (Quichua; Prance & Mori, 1979), pitón panga (Quichua), t'cucho, ttettecchuchó (cofan), wegaka (Huaorani), wenaca (Huaorani), wenaka (Huaorani), wenawe (Huaorani), wengakawe (Huaorani). Peru: apái (Mayna Jívaro), mangua (Prance & Mori, 1979), sacha mango (Quichua/Spanish; because the fruits when peeled resemble those of Mangifera indica L.), sacha mangua (Prance & Mori, 1979; Smith et al., 2007).
Distribution: In Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Ecology: Usually understory or sometimes canopy trees in flood plain forests that sometimes form dense stands with up to 248 mature trees per hectare as in forests in the vicinity of Jenaro Herrera along the Ucayali River (Smith et al., 2007).
Phenology: Flowers and fruits have been collected throghout the year.
Pollination: Grias neuberthii possess floral aromas with fatty acid derivatives suggestive of beetle pollination (Knudsen & Mori, 1996). Pollination observations from G. neuberthii are needed.
Dispersal: Based on our observation of fruits of other species in the genus we conclude that mammals may be involved in the dispersal of this species. As in all species of Grias, it is most likely that the seeds of Grias neuberthii, once fallen to the ground, are dispersed by rodents that carry away the fruits to consume the pericarp.
Predation: The filaments of flowers are eaten by black Trigona bees (Cornejo 8044). The inflorescences and infructescences are visited by (Polichoderus sp.) ants (Cornejo 8062). The fruits of this species are eaten by moneys and rodents such pacas (Agouti paca) and agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.).
Field characters: This species can be recognized in the field by its pachycaul, many branched growth form; cauline inflorescences with long rachises; usually yellow petals; buds with 6 free calyx-lobes (in contrast to buds enclosed by the calyx or with an apical pore); and pedicels bearing two conspicuous, persistent bracteoles subtending the hypanthium (all other species appear to lack or have very small bracteoles).
Taxonomic notes: This species differs from all other species of the genus by having separate calyx-lobes in bud whereas all other species possess buds that are either completely enclosed by the calyx or enclosed except for an apical pore. The persistent and conspicuous bracteoles are also not found in any other species of the genus. In these features, G. neuberthii differs from Barringtonia and other Old World species of Lecythidaceae.
Conservation: Because this species has been oberved to have healthy populations with abundant productivity of flowers and fruits, even in disturbed, open areas, it is regarded as of Least Concern (LC).
Uses: Commonly cultivated in home gardens along rivers in the Ucayali and Marañon watersheds for its edible mesocarp. People either gnaw or cut off the mesocarp which has a nutty flavor tasting like almonds or walnuts and is rich in vitamin A (1.2 mg of carotene per 100 gr of pulp). The pulp is also boiled to extract the oil which is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids said to be good for lowering "bad" cholesterol . According to some informants, the leaves are used to cover pots containing fermenting "chicha". (Lewis 10004). The macerated fruit is mixed with plantains to prepare a meal named "chucula" (Reyes 820), and to produce "chicha" (Naranjo 249). In addition, the ripe fruits is also mixed with manihot flower to make a kind of dessert. The trunk bark is boiled and one liter is drunk (only once) by women after childbirth to induce vomiting to cleanse their bodies(Cerón et al. 11963, Neill 8683). The bark is boiled in water and the extract is drunk to provoke vomiting, to cure tumors (Baslev 2852), and to cure intermittent fever, called "terciana" (Lewis 10004). The seed is used to treat malaria (Neill 7790, Kohn 1002) and to heal tumors (Reyes 751). An infusion prepared from macerated seed scraps in half of a liter of water is drunk once to prevent malaria (Cerón et al. 11963). The fruits appear in the markets of Iquitos and Nauta all year round but are most common in the rainy season (Smith et al., 2007). In their book, Amazon River Fruits, Smith et al. (2007) suggest that the fruit of G. neuberthii has potential as a crop because the mesocarp is nutritious, the oil has medicinal uses, the tree is in fruit for much of the year, and the fruits are not easily damaged in transit. Peters et al. (1990), noted that this species can produce up to 2.3 tons of fruit per hectare annually (they identified the species as G. peruviana but Fig. 2 of the species they studied is Grias neuberthii because it is the only species with large persistent bracteoles and separate calyx-lobes from bud to anthesis). The calyx of all other species splits open irregularly and the bracteoles are minute.
Etymology: This species was named to honor Carl Neuberth, a custodian in the herbarium of the Field Museum for 22 years.
Source: Prance, G.T. & S. A. Mori. 1979. Fl. Neotrop. 21, Lecythidaceae-Part I: 204-206.
Acknowledgements: We are grateful to N. Smith for allowing us to use his image to illustrate this species.
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Floras and Monographs
Grias neuberthii J.F.Macbr.: [Article] 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.
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Narratives
SEM of pollen grains of Grias neuberthii.
