Melicoccus novogranatensis Acev.-Rodr.
-
Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro. 2003. Meliococceae (Sapindaceae):
-
Family
Sapindaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Type
Type. Ecuador. Napo: Cantón Aguarico. Huaorani Ethnic Reserve, Maxus Oil Pipe road, km 86-89, primary humid forest, 260 m, 0° 51' S, 76° 15' W, 25-30 Mar 1994 (fr), Dik 1179 (holotype, US; isotype, MO).
-
Description
Latin Diagnosis - A M. antioquensi Acevedo-Rodríguez caulibus et foliolis glabris, foliolis apice obtusis differt.
Species Description - Tree 12-30 m tall; trunk reaching 70 cm in diam.; bark dark brown with numerous lenticels. Stems glabrous, slightly angled, lenticellate. Leaves paripinnate; distal process filiform, 5-10 mm long, early deciduous; leaflets 2 or 4, opposite, 7-23.5 (35) × 3-10.5 (12) cm, elliptic to oblanceolate, subcoriaceous, glabrous on both surfaces, the venation brochidodromus, slightly sunken or plane on adaxial surface, prominent on abaxial surface, secondary veins alternate or subopposite, arching toward the margin, sometimes bifurcating, tertiary veins finely reticulate, the margins entire, undulate, the apex obtuse, the base slightly asymmetrical, one side attenuate the other obtuse; petiolules nearly cylindrical, enlarged, wrinkled when dry, 6-10 mm long, glabrous or puberulent; rachis 3-7 cm long, terete, striolate, glabrous or puberulent; petioles 2.7-7 cm long, glabrous or puberulent, striate, lenticellate, adaxially flattened, and enlarged at base. Inflorescence a fasciculate panicle, axillary, ramiflorous or terminal; cataphylls lanceolate, furfuraceous, ca. 4 mm long, clustered at base of inflorescence; axes 2.5-4 cm long, angled, ferruginous-furfuraceous to tomentulose; bracts ovate, persistent, 2-3 mm long, with same indumentum as the axis, bracteoles linear or elliptic, ca. 1 mm long, with same indumentum as the axis; dichasia reduced to a single flower subtended by a bract and two bracteoles; peduncle ca. 0.5 mm long; pedicels ca. 0.5 mm long, articulate at base. Calyx 1.5-1.7 mm long, ferruginous- tomentulose, adaxially puberulous, the sepals free to the base, ovate, obtuse at apex; petals subulate, 1-1.2 mm long, puberulent except for the ciliate margins and the adaxial thickened lower portion, the apex acute, the base truncate-cuneate; appendages wanting; disc annular, unlobed, glabrous, ca. 0.2 mm tall; stamens 8, the filaments glabrous to sparsely woolly, apparently of same length, the anthers ovate, ca. 0.6 mm long, glabrous, apiculate; pistillode woolly. Fruits ovoid, yellow (bluish when immature fide Romoleroux), smooth, ferruginous-sericeous, 2.2-3 cm, apiculate, the pericarp crustose, ca. 0.6 mm thick, the endocarp smooth, glabrous. Seed ovoid, ca. 2 cm long, with cream sarcotesta. Embryo with erect cotyledons of equal size.
-
Discussion
Melicoccus novogranatensis is morphologically similar to M. antioquensis and M. oliviformis. It can be distinguished from M. antioquensis by the glabrous stems and leaflets (vs. ferruginous-furfuraceous), and from M. oliviformis by the single-flowered dichasia (vs. dichasia simple or compound), calyx 1.5-1.7 mm long (vs. 2-2.7 mm), and by its subulate petals with entire margins (vs. petals rhombate with appendage-like margins). The specific epithet refers to the colonial name where the species occurs.
Phenology. Collected in flower in July and November and in fruit during January, April, October, and November.
-
Distribution
Known from Colombia and Ecuador in terra firme forest on loamish soil, humid primary forest, and primary moist forest.
Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Caquetá Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Tolima Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America|