Sarcaulus

  • Authority

    Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Sapotaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Sarcaulus

  • Type

    Type. Sarcaulus macrophyllus (Martius) Radlkofer (Chrysophyllum macrophyllum Martius.

  • Synonyms

    Sarcaulus macrophyllus (Mart.) Radlk., Chrysophyllum macrophyllum Mart.

  • Description

    Genus Description - Leaves spaced, alternate and distichous or less frequently weakly spirally arranged, venation eucamptodromous or brochidodromous. Flowers unisexual (plant dioecious). Calyx a single whorl of usually five sepals. Corolla globose, broadly cyathiform or subrotate, tube weakly to strongly carnose, equalling or slightly exceeding the lobes; lobe usually five, slightly imbricate or subvalvate. Stamens usually five, fixed at the top of the corolla tube, exserted; filaments short, swollen; anthers strongly inflexed. Staminodes usually five, thick, carnose, erect or incurved against the style. Disk absent. Ovary 2-5-locular. Fruit a berry. Seeds 1-several, laterally compressed, testa smooth or wrinkled, shining; scar adaxial, full-length, rather narrow; embryo with plano-convex, free cotyledons, radicle extending to the surface; endosperm absent.

  • Discussion

    Pollen (Fig. 165A-H) (number of specimens examined: 3, number of spp.: 3). Grains spheroidal or prolate-spheroidal. Tricolporate. Average polar length 18.0-18.7 µm. Colpi vestigial. Endo-apertures circular. Tectum protrudent. Total wall thickness 1-1.5 µm. Tectum approximately one-third thickness of foot-layer. Interstitium approximately same thickness as tectum, more or less granular or with very short columellae. Endexine very thin or absent in apocolpial and mesocolpial areas, very thick around apertures. Surface patterning of tectum irregular with pointed, supratectal spinulae.

  • Distribution

    Five species in tropical South America.

    South America|