Nectandra cufodontisii (O.C.Schmidt) C.K.Allen

  • Authority

    Rohwer, Jens G. 1993. Lauraceae: . Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 60: 1-332. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Nectandra cufodontisii (O.C.Schmidt) C.K.Allen

  • Type

    Type. Costa Rica. San José: Volcán Irazú, SW slope, pass towards San Isidro, 2000 m, 30 May 1930 (fl), Cufodontis 315 (holotype, B; isotype, F).

  • Synonyms

    Ocotea cufodontisii O.C.Schmidt, Ocotea seibertii C.K.Allen

  • Description

    Species Description - Trees to 20 m tall. Branchlets 5 cm below terminal bud ca. 2-5.5 mm in diam., initially ± distinctly angular, with ± short (rarely reaching up to 0.4 mm), ± appressed, mostly brownish hairs, moderately dense to dense below terminal bud, usually ± quickly becoming ± sparse, rarely persistent for some time, older twigs glabrous, roundish, mostly longitudinally ridged and ± lenticellate; terminal buds elongate, 3.5-11.5 mm long, ca. 1-2.5 mm thick, densely covered with ± short, appressed, hairs. Petioles 8-24 mm long, 1.2-3 mm thick, ± irregularly roundish below, slightly convex to (mostly) ± canaliculate above, indument! as on twigs, usually denser above, sparser below, glabrescent. Leaves alternate, elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, widest ± at the middle, (8-)l 1-24 cm long, (3.5-)5-10 cm wide, 1.7-2.8(-3.2) times longer than wide, tip with a usually short acumen, base broadly attenuate to (mostly) obtuse, margin flat to minutely recurved, midrib above ± convex, mostly in a slight impression, at the base flat or sometimes even concave, broadly convex to prominent below, secondary veins above convex to prominent, often in a slight impression, ± prominent below, (4-)5-7 pairs, diverging at 30-50(-60)°, in mid-lamina running at an angle of (almost 0-)15-35(-45)° to the midrib, tertiary venation mixed, proportion of the percurrent (or sometimes scalariform) part variable, finer reticulation almost equally distinct, usually on both sides distinctly raised to almost prominent, rarely almost level above. Indument consisting of i short (rarely reaching ca. 0.4 mm), appressed hairs, in young leaves sparse to only on midrib above, moderately sparse to very sparse below, ± quickly glabrescent above, becoming sparse to subglabrous below, axils of secondary veins nearly always bearded with long (up to ca. 1.2 mm), ± erect hairs, rarely also along midrib or in higher-order axils. Gland dots in mature leaves scarcely if at all visible, in young leaves sometimes moderately distinct Inflorescences in the axils of foliage leaves as well as in the axils of cataphylls at the base of the new growth or below the terminal bud, ca. 0.9-2.2 mm in diam. at the base, on a twig of 1.3-4 mm diam., 3.520 cm long, reaching ca. 1/3 the length of the closest foliage leaf to ca. 1.5 times its length; peduncle 0.5-8 cm long, i.e., less than 1/10 to ca. half the length of the inflorescence, lateral branches 2-8(-14) below the terminal cyme, branched (l-)2-3(-4) times, indument consisting of short, appressed to ascending hairs, on peduncle moderately sparse to absent, on flowers sparse to moderately dense but still relatively inconspicuous. Pedicels 1-3.5(-5) mm long, 0.30.6 mm thick. Flowers 4.3-5.6(-7) mm in diam., tepals elliptic to elongate, ca. 1.6-2.1(-2.7) mm long and ca. 1-1.4(-1.7) mm wide, with a moderately dense to dense cover of short or long papillae on the inside surface, also with hairs, especially towards the base. Stamens ca. 1-1.4 mm long including a hairy filament of 0.30.5 mm, anthers often slightly papillose at the tip, occasionally with a few hairs on abaxial side, in all three whorls ± roundish-rectangular to roundish-trapeziform, in the two outer ones very broadly obtuse to truncate at the tip, in the third whorl truncate to slightly emarginate. Staminodes reaching ca. 2/5-3/5 the length of the stamens, with a relatively thick, hairy filament and a glandular head. Pistil ca. 1.6-2 mm long, glabrous, ovary subglobose, style reaching ca. half to almost the length of the ovary. Receptacle bowl-shaped, glabrous or with appressed hairs inside (density variable). Berry subglobose to (obovate-)ellipsoid, ca. 20-31 mm long and 17-27 mm in diam., cupule almost disk-like, often ± undulate (shallowly bowl-shaped to funnelshaped when young), ca. 7-12 mm in diam., pedicel slightly to clearly thickened but not swollen.

  • Discussion

    None of these names is species-specific.

    Uses. Nectandra cufodontisii yields a hard, yellow wood.

    Nectandra cufodontisii is recognized by its (for the N. coriacea group) relatively large, nearly glabrous, ± elliptic leaves with a distinctly raised reticulation, by its sparsely or inconspicuously hairy inflorescences, and by its relatively large stamens. The anthers are often Ocotea like, i.e., their pollen sacs are arranged almost in two pairs, one above the other. Based only on the type collection with its immature flowers, I had retained the species in Ocotea in an earlier publication (Rohwer, 1986). At anthesis, however, the whole flower structure, particularly the indument of the tepals and the form of the staminodes, show that this species is a member of the N. coriacea alliance. The inflorescences are quite showy, with red axes, white or cream tepals, and green stamens.

  • Common Names

    quizarrá, quizarrá amarillo, sigua, sigua amarilla, sigua baboso

  • Distribution

    Montane forests and cloud forests in Costa Rica and Panama, between 1350 and 2650 m altitude. Rowers from May to September, with a distinct peak in July. Fruiting material has been collected in January, April, July, and September.

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