Gustavia excelsa R.Knuth

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Gustavia excelsa R.Knuth

  • Primary Citation

    Pflanzenr. (Engler) IV, 219a: 25. 1939

  • Description

    Author: Scott A. Mori & Nathan P. Smith

    Type: Colombia. Santander: Vicinity of Puerto Berrio, between Carare and Magdalena Rivers, alt 100-700 m, 12 Apr 1935 (fl), Haught 1636 (lectotype, US 1592098, here designated; isolectotype, US 1592099).

    Description: Trees, 3.5 to 11 m tall, slender, unbranched or sparsely branched, the leaves in 1 or more verticels grouped at the branch ends. Leaf blades oblanceolate, possibly sessile, to 115 x 25 cm wide, lower 1/3 tapered to a retuse base (fide Knuth), the margins entire to minutely serrulate, the apices short acute (fide Knuth); secondary veins in 60 pairs. Inflorescences cauline, racemose, rusty tomentose, with 2-5 flowers, the rachis 100-200 x 5 mm; pedicels 50-55 mm; bract caducous, the bracteoles 2, inserted near middle of pedicel, broadly ovate, obtuse, caducous (fide Knuth). Flowers 12 cm in diam.; hypanthium without costae, rusty tomentose; calyx an entire somewhat irregular rim, 3.5-6.5 mm wide; petals 8, oblong, obovate, or narrowly obovate, to 70 x 30 mm, puberulous at anthesis, rose or lilac; androecium actinomorphic, the outermost filaments 15-20 mm, the anthers 2-3 mm; gynoecium with white-tomentose summit, style 1 mm, the stigma with 4(5) lobes. Fruits and seeds unknown.

    Common names: None known.

    Distribution: This species is known only from the Magdalena Valley of Colombia.

    Ecology: Within its restricted range G. excelsa is a relatively common understory tree in forests on well drained sites.

    Phenology: Flowers have been collected in Apr and Aug.

    Pollination: No reports of pollination have been recorded.

    Dispersal: No reports of dispersal have been recorded.

    Predation: No observations recorded.

    Field characters: -

    Taxonomic notes: This is a poorly known species which has its closest affinity with G. longifolia of western Amazonia. Saplings may possess as many as 10 verticels of leaves.

    Conservation: IUCN Red List: Endangered B1+2c ver 2.3 (Calderon, E. 1998. Gustavia excelsa. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 03 March 2014.).

    Uses: None known.

    Etymology: The name "excelsa" means tall and refers to the height of this species.

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

  • Floras and Monographs

    Gustavia excelsa R.Knuth: [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.