Gustavia acuminata S.A.Mori

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Gustavia acuminata S.A.Mori

  • Primary Citation

    Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(1): 185. 1979

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- N. T. da Silva 60944

    Specimen 2: Holotype -- N. T. da Silva 60944

  • Description

    Author: Scott A. Mori and Edgardo Rivera.

    Type: Silva & Brazdo 60944 ((holotype, NY). Brazil. Roraima: Serra Pirapucu, 1250-1300 m alt, 29 Jan 1966 (fl).

    Description: Pachicaul, understory trees, to 10 m high x 10 cm diameter, leaves aggregated at ends of stems, petiole scars present on the stem below the leaves; stem to 14 mm in diameter. Leaves present at anthesis, sessile, oblanceolate, apex long acuminate, 40-70 x 7.5-14 cm, margins serrulate, glabrous, chartaceous, venation brochidodromous, midrib salient abaxially, prominulous at base to slightly prominulous at apex adaxially; 29-40 pairs of lateral veins, 9-15 mm apart in middle of leaf blade, prominulous adaxially, prominent abaxially, occasional intersecondary veins present, the teriatry veins percurrent, arched tertiaries present, the higher order venation reticulate. Inflorescences cauline, racemose, glabrous or minutely puberulous, flowers 5-7, rhachises 15 mm, pedicels 40 mm, bracts broadly triangular, 2 x 4 mm and 2 bracteoles narrowly ovate, 2.5 x 2 mm, inserted a little below the middle, subtended by a bract. Flowers about 8 cm in diameter, calyx lobes 4, broadly triangular, 2 x 11 mm, puberulous, rose colored, petals 8, 40 x 17 mm, buds pubescent, becoming puberulous during flowering, cream, androecii connate at the base 12 mm high, 10 mm external filaments, pale yellow, anthers 2.5 mm, yellow, ovary 4-locular, externally puberulous, white-pubescent at the apex; style 1 mm, stigma 4-lobed.

    Common names: Venezuela: Cachimbo (Liesner 3302).

    Distribution: Gustavia acuminata has been collected in Amazonas, Venezuela, Amazonas, Brazil and Roraima, Brazil.

    Ecology: This species has been collected in areas of high forest and caatinga.

    Phenology: In Amazonas, Venezuela, seeds were collected in Apr Sep, & Nov and flowers in Jan.

    Pollination: No observations recorded.

    Dispersal: No observations recorded.

    Predation: No observations recorded.

    Taxonomic notes: No other species of Gustavia in section Gustavia with cauline inflorescences has sessile leaves.

    Conservation: IUC Red List: Vulnerable D2 ver 2.3 (Pires O'Brien, J. 1998. Gustavia acuminata. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 17 March 2014.).

    Uses: No observations recorded.

    Etymology: This new species has leaves with a longer acuminate apex than any other species of Gustavia, a feature alluded to in the specific epithet.

    Source: Based on Mori in Prance & Mori, 1979.

    Acknowledgements: We are grateful to P. Fiaschi for allowing us to use his images to illustrate the characters of this species.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Gustavia acuminata S.A.Mori: [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.