Lecythis gracieana S.A.Mori

Description

Author: Scott A. Mori & Nathan P. Smith

Type: Type. Brazil. Amazonas: Distrito Agropecuáio, Reserve 1501 (Km 41) of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, 2°24'26"-2°25'31"S, 59°43'40"59°45'50"W. ca. 50-125 In alt., nonflooded moist forest, tree 1991, 9 Jan 1991 (fl), M. A. de Freitas et al. 577 (holotype, INPA; isotypes, K, NY).

Description: Trees, to 30 m tall, the trunk not buttressed. Bark very shallowly fissured, the fissures sometimes appearing as vertically oriented lenticels, the outer bark 1-2 mm thick, the middle bark a thin, dark red layer, the inner bark 5-7 mm thick, yellow, often with conspicuous streaks of red extending from middle bark into inner bark. Stems 2-3 mm diam., often puberulent (on younger growth). Leaves: petioles 10–15 mm long, slightly canaliculate, glabrous; blades elliptic, 8–16 x 3.5–7.5 cm, chartaceous, glabrous, sometimes with conspicuous white deposits in the tissue (silica?), the base acute to obtuse, the margins entire, the apex attenuate to acuminate; venation eucamptodromous to brochidodromous, the midrib prominent adaxially, salient, glabrous, and sometimes square abaxially, the secondary veins in 10-14 pairs, usually prominent, intersecondary veins present, sometimes inconspicuous, the tertiary veins reticulate. Inflorescences usually terminal, racemose, unbranched or with 1 order of branching, the rachis 1.5-8 cm long, puberulous to pubescent; pedicel/hypanthium less than 1 mm long below articulation, 2–5 mm long above articulation, the bract and bracteoles not known. Flowers when leaves present, diurnal, ca. 3 cm diam.; hypanthium tapered, finely rugulose and sulcate, puberulous, longitudinally oriented mucilage-bearing ducts absent (?); calyx-lobes 6, ovate, imbricate, 6-11 x 4-10 mm, glabrous (?); petals 6, 22-27 x 19-22 mm, cream-colored; androecium zygomorphic, a staminal lip present, the staminal ring with 135–265 stamens, the filaments of variable length, ca. 3.5 mm long near opening of androecium, longest on outside of ring on ligule side, the filaments bent inward at apex, slightly clavate, the anthers not known, the hood curved, yellow, hood size and outer surface texture not known, vestigial stamans present, yellow, proximal vestigial stamens swept inward, staminodes absent, anterior hood extension present (Freitas et al. 511) or appearing absent (e.g., Freitas et al. 577); ovary 4-locular, the summit convex (?), sometimes with vertical striations around the margin (e.g., Freitas et al. 577), the ovules ca. 8 per locule, inserted on basal septum, oblique, the style tapered, oblique, 5-7 mm long, stylar collar absent. Fruits indehiscent, falling to ground at maturity, turbinate to nearly globose, asymmetric at base, 2.5-3 (including operculum) x 2.5-3 cm, the calyx-lobes persistent, inserted above middle of fruit, woody, not reflexed, the infracalycalycine zone 3–3.5 cm long, rounded to pedicel, the supracalycine zone 0.5–1.0 cm long, slanted inward, sometimes with vertical striations (e.g,. Freitas et al. 745), the pericarp 1–2 mm thick, sometimes covered in lenticels, brown. Seeds 1-2 per fruit, ca. 3.0-3.5 x 2.5-3.0 cm (based on Freitas 745), the testa thickness less than 1 mm, reddish brown, the veins salient; aril absent.

Common names: Brazil: Jarana da folha miuda.

Distribution: Known only from the vicinity of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

Ecology: This species is found on terra firme.

Phenology: Flowers have been been collected in Jan, Feb, and Mar. Fruits have been collected in Feb, Apr, May, and Jul.

Pollination: No reports of pollination have been recorded but the diurnal flowers and flower color suggest bees as pollinators.

Dispersal: No reports of dispersal have been recorded. The fruits are indehiscent and fall to the ground with the seeds inside.

Predation: No observations recorded.

Field characters: Lecychis gracieana is a canopy tree with a trunk that is straight at the base, bark that is shallowly fissured, flowers with vestigial stamens that are swept inward but do not form a coil, and small indehiscent fruits that fall to the ground with the seeds inside. From the ground, this species is sometimes confused with L. parvifructa; however, L. gracieana has inner bark with conspicuous streaks of red extending from the middle bark, which are easily visible after making a bark slash. A more detailed discussion of the differences between these two species can be found in the taxonomic notes below. Other species with similar flowers, which occur in the same region as L. gracieana, are L. prancei and Bertholletia excelsa. The fruits of these species are much larger than those of L. gracieana. In addition, the flowers of Bertholletia excelsa have two calyx lobes and those of L. prancei have mucilage ducts in the hypanthia.

Taxonomic notes: Lecychis gracieana belongs to a group of central Amazonian species referred to in the vernacular as jarana. Trees representing this species were originally determined as Lecythis poiteaui because of their bright yellow inner bark. However, the lack of papillae on the abaxial leaf surface, flowers that are smaller, diurnal, with different colored petals and fewer stamens, and fruits that are much smaller that fall to the ground with the seeds inside, are among the characters that distinguish L. gracieana from L. poiteaui. Recent molecular data places L. gracieana next to L. parvifructa, in a subclade, with L. retusa that is within the larger Chartacea Clade (see Huang, 2010). Lecythis gracieana and L. parvifructa have morphologically identical fruits. In addition, these species are endemic to the same non-flooded forest in the vicinity of Manaus, in Amazonas, Brazil. Vegetatively, L. gracieana differs from L. parvifructa in the following ways: inner bark with conspicuous streaks of red extending from middle bark (L. gracieana ) vs. no red streaks (L. parvifructa); petioles that are generally longer and always glabrous (L. gracieana) vs. shorter and puberulent (L. parvifructa); a midrib that is glabrous (L. gracieana) vs. puberulent (L. parvifructa); and leaf blades that are larger, elliptic, non-papillate (abaxially), with a much longer acumen at the apex (L. gracieana) vs. smaller, obovate, papillate (abaxially) blades, with a shorter acumen (L. parvifructa). The flowers of L. gracieana are similar to those of L. parvifructa. Both species have a tapered hypanthium, whitish petals, a staminal lip, stamens that become longer towards the back of the staminal ring, and a curved, yellow hood with proximal vestigial stamens that are swept inward but do not form a complete coil. It is also thought that both species lack mucilage-bearing ducts; however, fresh material is needed to confirm this. The fruit and seed morphology of L. gracieana appears to overlap with L. parvifructa. Both species have fruits that are very small compared to all fruits in the Bertholletia Clade (see Huang et al., 2010). In addition, fruits of these species often have persistent, oblique, woody umbos and the supracalycine zone in both species is sometimes vertically striated (e.g., L. gracieana: Freitas 745; L. parvifructa: Oliveira 344). Additional collections are needed to confirm if these characters are unique to these species.

Uses: No observations recorded.

Etymology: This species is dedicated to Carol Gracie. Carol's keen eye for discovering interesting Lecythidaceae and her fine photographs of them have made important contributions towards understanding the taxonomy of the family.

Conservation: IUCN Red List: Not on list.

Source: Mori S. A. & N. Lepsch-Cunha 1995. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 75: 47-49. Recent review (2012) of specimens at NY.

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to B. Angell for preparing the botanical line drawing.

Floras and Monographs

Lecythis gracieana S.A.Mori: [Article] Mori, S. A. & Lepsch da Cunha, Nadia M. 1995. The Lecythidaceae of a central Amazonian moist forest. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 75: 1-55.

Narratives

Leaf morphology and anatomy of Lecythis gracieana.

Inflorescence and flower morphology and anatomy of Lecythis gracieana.

Map Distribution

View all records of Lecythis gracieana S.A.Mori

Objects

Images

Bark of Lecythis gracieana. Photo by S. A. Mori. (image/jpeg)

SEM of an abaxial leaf blade surface of Lecythis gracieana. Photo by N. P. Smith. (image/jpeg)

SEM of an abaxial leaf blade surface of Lecythis gracieana. Photo by N. P. Smith. (image/jpeg)

Longitudinal section of an ovary Lecythis gracieana.Photo by N. P. Smith. (image/jpeg)

Hypanthium and calyx-lobes of Lecythis gracieana. Photo by N. P. Smith. (image/jpeg)

Androecial hood Lecythis gracieana. Photo by N. P. Smith.on of hood. (image/jpeg)

Summit of an ovary of Lecythis gracieana . Photo by N. P. Smith. ovary and style. (image/jpeg)