Meliosma allenii Standl. & L.O.Williams

  • Family

    Sabiaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Meliosma allenii Standl. & L.O.Williams

  • Primary Citation

    Ceiba 3: 213. 1953

  • Description

    Author: Xavier Cornejo

    Description: Trees to 15 m tall. Branches fistulose; branchlets sparsely appressed puberulous when young, glabrate. Leaves spiral; petioles 4.5-15 cm long; blades oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, 20-60 x 5-20 cm, chartaceous when dry, glabrous or with inconspicuous suberect to subappressed trichomes on midvein abaxially, the base cuneate, the margins entire, the apex shortly acuminate to acute; lateral veins in 13-22 pairs. Inflorescences axillary, pyramidal-paniculate, ca. 20-30 cm long, puberulous, the flowers clustered on short-axised fascicles along subspicate lateral branches. Flowers sessile; sepals 5, suborbicular, ca. 1 mm long, sparsely appressed-puberulous abaxially, the margin ciliate; outer petals 3, broadly ovate, 1.5-1.8 x 1.5-1.8 mm, orange, creamish-orange or greenish-yellow; inner petals 2, oblong, smaller; stamens 2; ovary ovoid, ca. 0.8 mm long, glabrous; style ca. 1 mm long. Fruits 1.5-2 cm diam., black at maturity.

    Common names: None recorded.

    Distribution: Costa Rica and Panama from sea level to 600(-1000) m.

    Ecology: In moist and wet forests. In valley bottoms with open understory on steep slopes and ridges and areas of secondary vegetation, often along water courses.

    Phenology: Meliosma allenii has been observed with flowers from Mar to Jun; and in fruit from Mar to Dec (Morales, 2003).

    Pollination: No observations recorded.

    Dispersal: No observations recorded.

    Taxonomic notes: Meliosma allenii is similar to the recently described M. depressiva J. F. Morales, endemic to Costa Rica between 1300 to 1500 m, in the cordillera Volcanica Central, cordillera de Talamanca, Zona Protectora Cerro de Turrubares and Fila Aguabuena. Meliosma allenii can be distinguished from the latter by the flowers usually orange to creamish-orange or yellow and the lowland distribution (Morales, 2003).

    Conservation: Because the restricted geographical distribution and habitat loss this species is categorized as Near Threatened (NT).

    Uses: None recorded.

    Etymology: This species was named after Paul H. Allen, a North American botanist who collected the type in the vicinity of Palmar Norte de Osa.

  • Sorry, no descriptions available for this record.