Eschweilera calyculata Pittier

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Eschweilera calyculata Pittier

  • Primary Citation

    Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 12: 97-98, Fig. 1, Pl. III. 1908

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Holotype -- H. F. Pittier 16018

  • Description

    Author: Scott A. Mori

    Type: COSTA RICA. Limón: Forests between Port Limón and Moin, Sep 1899 (fl), Pittier 16008 (HOLOTYPE: US-herb. no. 578009)

    Description: Understory trees, to 20 m tall. Bark unknown. Leaves: petioles 15-20 mm long; blades 10-35 x 4-12 cm, elliptic-narrowly elliptic to oblong to narrowly oblong, chartaceous to coriaceous, the base obtuse to rounded, the margins entire, the apex acuminate; secondary veins in 11-14 pairs, not impressed adaxially. Inflorescences axillary or terminal (suprafoliar), unbranched, the rachis to 15 cm long, glabrous, lenticellate but not markedly so; pedicel/hypanthium 3 mm long, truncate at articulation, not sulcate, glabrous to puberulous, not lenticellate to sparsely lenticellate. Flowers "rather large" (fide protologue), 3.5 cm diam. (see attached image); calyx with lobes widely ovate, 8-10 x 8-10 mm, convex abaxially, the bases imbricate for much of length; petals pale yellow (fide protologue and Thomsen 1007) in Costa Rica, pink in Panama (see attached image); androecial hood 3-coiled, pale yellow. Fruits 7 cm x 6 cm, depressed globose, the calycine ring with calyx-lobes accrescent and persistent but not woody, the supracalycine zone erect, the infracalycine ring rounded from calycine ring to pedicel, the pericarp thin (fide protologue), the operculum convex, not umbonate. Seeds 3-6 per fruit; aril spreading (see plate II in protogue)

    Common names: Panama: Ollito, coco solo

    Distribution: Eschweilera calyculata occurs along the Caribbean coast of southern Central America from a short distance N of Limón, Costa Rica to near Portobelo, Panama

    Ecology: Lowland forests on terra firme and in swamp forest.

    Phenology: Eschweilera calyculata has been collected in bud or flower in Feb, Jun, and Sep.

    Pollination: The androecium forms a triple coil and the flowers are most likely pollinated by bees.

    Dispersal: The seeds are surrounded by a spreading aril and this may attract animals for dispersal

    Predation: No observations recorded.

    Field characters: The long, relatively narrow leaves, relatively large and wide calyx lobes, and sessile ovaries characterize this species.

    Taxonomic notes: The flowers are described as pale yellow in the protologue but the petals and androecial hood are tinged with pink as shown in the attached image by N. Toribio (SCZ). The calyx-lobes of the type are also more strongly developed in the type collection than they are in the Panamanian population. Additional flowering material is needed from the Costa Rican population and fruiting material, especially showing the type of aril, is needed from the Panamanian population.

    Conservation: IUCN Red List: Not on list.

    Uses: None recorded.

    Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the calyx-lobes which are described and illustrated (Pl. II) in the protologue as being twice as large in the fruit as they are in the flower.

    Source: This species page is based on Mori in Mori & Prance, 1990.

    Acknowledgements: We are grateful to C. Galdames (SCZ) and M. Stapf for allowing us to use their images to illustrate the characters of this species.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Eschweilera calyculata Pittier: [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.