Guarea venenata Penn.

  • Authority

    Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Meliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Guarea venenata Penn.

  • Type

    Type. Duque-Jaramillo 2375, Colombia, Amazonas, Trapecio Amazonico, fl (holotype, COL).

  • Description

    Latin Diagnosis - Rami novelli dense et grosse pubescentes vel tomentosi, dein glabri, brunnei, lenticellis longitudinalibus conspersi. Folia pinnata, usque ad 70 cm longa, gemmula terminali incremento intermittente; petiolus semiteres; rhachis ± teres, primo grosse pubescens usque tomentosa, dein glabra; petiolulus 1-5 mm longus. Foliola 3-9-juga, oblonga vel anguste elliptica, rarius anguste oblanceolata, apice anguste acuminata vel rarius cuspidata, basi acuta vel anguste cuneata, chartacea, 19-32[26] cm longa, 5.4-7.7[6.7] cm lata; pagina supera glabra, costa infera nervique sparse grosse pubescentes, pagina infera saepe papillis rubris granularibus conspersa, nec glandulosa-punctata necstriata; venatio brochidodroma, costa impressa; nervi secundarii 25-30 utroque costae latere, in praeceps adscendentes, ± recti, paralleli, intersecundarii nulli vel brevissimi, tertiarii obliqui, paralleli. Inflorescentia in trunco infra folia enata, in racemulum bracteolatum disposita, 1-3 cm longa, pubescens; pedicellus 1-2.5 mm longus. Calyx late cyathiformis, 2.5-4 mm longus, puberula, 4-lobatus, lobis vadosis, obtusis, vel margine ± integer. Petala 4, valvata, ca. 12.5 mm longa, 2-2.5 mm lata, ligulata, apice acuta, extus dense adpresso-pubescentia, intus glabra. Tubus stamineus ca. 8.5 mm longus, ca. 2 mm latus, margine vadose lobatus, glaber; antherae 8, ca. 1.6 mm longae. Nectarium stipitatum, infra ovarium in annulum ampliatum, ca. 1.5 mm longum, glabrum. Ovarium anguste ovoideum, dense longo-strigosum, 4-loculare, loculis 2 ovula superposita continentibus; stylus sparse strigosus. Fructus ignotus.

    Species Description - Field characters A small unbranched treelet 2-3 m high with a large cluster of spirally arranged leaves at the stem apex. The bark is brown, soft, smooth at first but scaling in thin patches later. The young leaflets are coloured pink when they first develop. The small inflorescence is borne on the old wood of the trunk and the flowers have a reddish calyx and pinkish-white corolla. Flowering is from November to December.

  • Discussion

    Uses. The bark is used as a component of arrow poison by the Jamamadi Indians west of Labrea on the R. Purus (Campbell et al. 21260).

    Relationships

    In the absence of the fruit the relationships of this species are still unclear. It is, however, very distinct and differs from all other known species on account of the slender leaflets with brochidodromous venation, very numerous parallel secondary veins (25-30), and small racemose inflorescences borne on the trunk. The floral formula, K4, C4, A8, G4, suggests a relationship with the small-flowered species such as G. macrophylla and G. glabra but the older ovaries are slightly costate and therefore possibly develop into a costate or winged fruit, such as is found in G. velutina.

  • Distribution

    This species is known from a few collections in western and southwestern Amazonia, where it is a treelet in lowland non-flooded rain forest. It is a frequent component of the forest understorey along the Javarí River (Brazilian-Peruvian frontier).

    Colombia South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|