Sideroxylon altamiranoi (Rose & Standl.) T.D.Penn.
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Authority
Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Sapotaceae
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Scientific Name
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Synonyms
Bumelia altamiranoi Rose & Standl.
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Description
Species Description - Tree; young branches tomentose-villose with pale buff hairs, becoming glabrous, grey, fissured, without lenticels. Spines usually present, axillary and sometimes terminating lateral branches. Leaves spirally arranged, spaced or loosely clustered, sometimes becoming fascicled, 2.2-6 × 1.2-2.8 cm, broadly oblong-elliptic, elliptic or lanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded, base usually obtuse to rounded or truncate, chartaceous, upper surface pubescent with crisped hairs, lower surface villose-tomentose; venation eucamptodromous or occasionally slightly brochidodromous, with a narrow marginal vein, midrib not raised; secondary veins 6-10 pairs, ascending, arcuate, slightly convergent; intersecondaries small or absent; tertiaries reticulate. Petiole 310 mm long, not channelled, villose. Flowers bisexual, fascicles axillary and in the axils of fallen leaves, 3-10-flowered. Pedicel ca. 2.5 mm long, villose. Sepals five, ca. 3 mm long, ovate, apex acute or obtuse, villose-tomentose outside, crisped pubescent towards the apex inside. Corolla ca. 4 mm long, tube ca. 1 mm long, glabrous; lobes five; median segment broadly elliptic, rounded; lateral segments narrowly acute, ca. 1 mm long. Stamens five, glabrous; filaments ca. 3 mm long, anthers 0.75-1 mm long, lanceolate. Staminodes five, ca. 2.25 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, margin erose, incurved and infolded, glabrous. Ovary ovoid, 5-locular, pubescent; style ca. 2.5 mm long after anthesis, pubescent to the apex; style-head simple. Fruit 1.2-2 cm long, ellipsoid, apex and base rounded, smooth, glabrous; pericarp 0.5-3 mm thick, fleshy. Seed one(two), 1.3-1.4 cm long, broadly ellipsoid; testa hard, smooth, shining, 0.3-0.5 mm thick; scar basi-ventral, 7-9 × 4-7 mm, ellipsoid; embryo vertical to oblique, with plano-convex cotyledons and slightly exserted radicle, surrounded by a thin skin of endosperm. Field characters. A tree to 10 m high with cream-coloured flowers. Flowering Apr, fruiting Aug.
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Discussion
According to Standley (1924:1117) the edible fruit has a sweet and agreeable flavor.
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Common Names
capulín
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Distribution
Known only from a few collections in Hidalgo and Queretaro, Mexico, where it is found at the lower limit of the piñon-juniper belt around 2700 m altitude, and in matorral with Flourensia resinosa (Compositae).
Mexico North America| Hidalgo Mexico North America| Querétaro Mexico North America|