Abarema ricoae Barneby & J.W.Grimes
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Authors
Rupert C. Barneby
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Authority
Barneby, Rupert C. & Grimes, James W. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74: 1-292.
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Family
Mimosaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
NICARAGUA. Zelaya: mun. Rama, camino desde "Santa Julia" hasta "La Palmera." 12°08'-09'N, 84°14'-15'W, 60-95 m, 24 mayo 1984 (fr.), Walter Robleto 678 (BM).
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Description
Species Description - Macrophyllidious unarmed trees 17 m tall, 1.5 dm dbh, the lf-axes and lf-buds densely puberulent with incurved sordid hairs to ±0.1 mm, the lvs moderately bicolored, the lfts lustrous above, paler beneath, glabrous except for microciliolate midrib and margin, the fls (as adduced from fr specimens) borne in dense corymbiform capitula on long axillary peduncles. Stipules early deciduous from small pallid scar, the blade not seen. Lf-formula (from 2 lvs) iv-v/6; lf-stk ±18 cm, the petiole ±6 cm, the interpinnal segments scarcely shorter; a sessile round, almost plane nectary 2-2.5 mm diam near midpetiole and one between each pair of pinnae, smaller elliptic, more deeply concave ones on pinna-rachises close below furthest 2-3 pairs of lfts; pinnae distally accrescent, the rachis of longer ones 11-12 cm, the longer interfoliolar segments 18-23 mm; lft-pulvinules 2-2.5 x 1.2 mm; lfts accrescent distally, rhombic-ovate around an incurved subcentric diagonal midrib, at inequilateral base cuneate postically, subtruncate antically, at apex bluntly deltate, the penultimate pairs ±3.5-4.5 x 1.7-2.3 mm and about twice as long as wide; the dorsally prominent midrib giving rise to ±10-14 pairs of ascending major primary nerves brochicocrome close within the subrevolute margin and to a reticulum of sinuous venules finely prominulous on both faces. Peduncles (1 seen) in fruit ±11 cm; fruiting receptacle together with small terminal pedestal ±5x4 mm, the pedicel-scars densely crowded; bracts deciduous, not seen; fls unknown, but the pedestal indicating a terminal fl, and the peripheral ones certainly pedicellate. Pods solitary, undulately broad-linear, evenly recurved through more than 1 circle, in profile ±12 x 1.6-1.8 cm and ±12-seeded, the stiffly leathery valves nearly black externally, faintly venulose, framed by sutures ±1.5 mm wide, glabrous, biconvex over each seed, the endocarp smooth and lustrous red-brown in seed locule but this girdled with a band of fuscous papilli, the interseminal segments tan; dehiscence of Abarema, the valves elastically separating, coiling and twisting; funicle compressed, sigmoid; seeds not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - In disturbed forest at 60-90 m, known only from the one collection, bearing dehisced fruit in May.
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Discussion
In foliage the described specimen closely resembles Balizia acreana, and was so identified in 1988 by L. Rico (BM). The fruit, however, borne on a stout peduncle 11 cm long, a woody pedicel nearly 12 mm long, and a densely flowered claviform receptacle, seems incompatible with Amazonian B. acreana, the inflorescence of which is a terminal effuse, leafless corymbiform panicle composed of very numerous little corymbiform flower-spikes, with individual peduncle at most 2.5 cm and peripheral pedicels less than 4 mm long. Since the peduncles and pedicels of other abaremas do not elongate appreciably after anthesis, the contrasts in length between those of Balizia acreana and "Abarema ricoae" are most probably valid, even though made between plants at very different stages of maturity. The position of the peduncle of "A. ricoae" cannot certainly be made out from this unique specimen, but it seems to have been borne in the axil of a coeval leaf or immediately below the foliage of the current year. It could not possibly arise as part of a terminal panicle.
The incomplete material precludes full description, but this striking plant cannot go unnoticed. For the present the name "Abarema ricoae" is only provisionally proposed, in honor of Lourdes Rico Arce.
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Distribution
Zelaya Nicaragua Central America|