Corythophora labriculata (Eyma) S.A.Mori & Prance
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Family
Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)
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Scientific Name
Corythophora labriculata (Eyma) S.A.Mori & Prance
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Primary Citation
Brittonia 33: 365. 1981
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Basionym
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Description
Author: Scott A. Mori & Ghillean T. Prance
Type: Type. Surinam. Sara River, near Abontjoeman, 15 May 1910 (fl), BW 287 (holotype, U, photo NY).
Description: Small to medium sized trees, to 30 m. Bark with vertical fissures, peeling in rectangular plates. Twigs reddish brown, 2.5-4 mm diam., with round, slightly raised lenticels. Leaves not deciduous just before anthesis; petioles 6-20 mm long, glabrous; blades elliptic, 8-34 x 4-11 cm, glabrous, chartaceous, the base obtuse, the margins entire to crenulate, the apex acuminate; secondary veins in 11-16 pairs, impressed adaxially. Inflorescences terminal or in axils of uppermost leaves, racemose, unbranched, the rachis to 15 cm long, with elevated vertically oriented lenticels and horizontally oriented scales; pedicels 2 mm long, with caducous, lanceolate to oblong bract, 4 mm long inserted at base, bracteoles not seen. Flowers ca. 4.5 cm diam.; calyx with 6 ovate lobes, the lobes 6-10 x 5-7 mm, different in color from color of hypanthium; petals 6, 11-27 x 14-20 mm, red, pink, or purple; androecium: staminal ring with 200-350 stamens, the filaments 1.5-2 mm long, not clavate, the anthers 0.3-0.5 mm long; hood flat, dorsiventrally expanded, ca. 21 x 21 mm, red, pink, or purple at anthesis, fading white, the appendages almost entirely fused, antherless or with a few vestigial anthers; hypanthium reddish-brown, cuneate at base; ovary 4-locular, each locule with 6-21 ovules attached on lower part of septum, the summit umbonate, the style not well differentiated from summit. Fruits cylindric to turbinate, 4-7 x 3.5-6 cm, the unaltered calyx lobes persistent, the pericarp 5-10 mm thick. Seeds oblong, 3.5 x 1 cm, light brown with four white, longitudinally oriented veins; aril white, basal, 15 x 5 mm.
Common names: Surinam: dwarf oemanbaklak, dwerg-oemenbaklak.
Distribution: Known only from Surinam.
Ecology: An understory tree of non-flooded forest.
Phenology: This species flowers most frequently from Mar to Oct. Fruit with mature seed has been collected in Sep.
Pollination: No observations recorded but bees are most likely the pollinators.
Dispersal: No observations recorded but the aril my attract bats which in turn disperse the seeds.
Predation: No observations recorded.
Field characters: Corythophora labriculata is a small tree with vertically fissured bark; secondary leaf veins slightly impressed adaxially; pink to red or purple flowers; a flat androecial hood; and cylindric fruits.
Taxonomic notes: This species is morphologically similar to Corythophora amapaensis from which it differs in its deeply versus shallowly fissured bark, unbranched versus branched inflorescence, 4- versus 2-locular ovary, and cylindric to turbinate versus campanulate fruits.
Conservation: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable D2 ver 2.3 (World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Corythophora labriculata. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 11 March 2014.).
Uses: Seeds eaten by humans and animals (fide specimen Bhikhi et al. 04).
Etymology: The meaning of this epithet is not mentioned in the protologue and is not known to me.
Source: This species page is based on Mori & Prance, 1990.
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Floras and Monographs
Corythophora labriculata (Eyma) S.A.Mori & Prance: [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
Inflorescence and flower morphology and anatomy of Corythophora labriculata.
