Roupala mexicana K.S.Edwards & Prance

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T., et al. 2007. Proteaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 100: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Proteaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Roupala mexicana K.S.Edwards & Prance

  • Type

    Type. Mexico. Veracruz. Estación de Biología Los Tuxtlas, Cerro Lázaro Cardenas, plot 71, 18° 34-36' N, 95° 04-09' W, 550 m, 9 Sep 1985 (fr), Sinaca C. & Chigo S. 254 (holotype, MO; isotype, F).

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree, (6-)18-30m tall. Branch bark gray to beige peeling to dark red-gray or dark brown, the indumentum rufous-velutinous, persistent on new growth unit, patchy at region separating previous growth unit and current one, slowly glabrescent. Lenticels few to numerous, minute to 0.5 mm diam., granular, plane, rufous to brown. Leaves simple, sometimes bilobed, thin-coriaceous, glaucous above, pale green-brown beneath, matte, the indumentum appressed, ferruginous-pilose above, glabrescent, dense rufous-velutinous below, the hairs persistent, especially towards base of lamina and along midrib and lateral veins. Petiole not well defined, (1.5-)2.5-7(-8) cm long × 1.1-1.5 mm broad at midlength, 1/1.6-1/4.5, terete at base, semi-terete towards lamina, flattening out above or at times sulcate, rufous velutinous over entire petiole in leaves of current growth unit, hairs persistent near the base adaxially, fading to gray in mature leaves. Lamina 4.5-12(-14) × 3-7.5(-9) cm, length:breadth 1.2-2(-2.5):1, suborbiculate or wide-elliptic, rarely elliptic; base 90° to obtuse (more rarely, acute or rounded), strongly decurrent onto petiole, usually symmetrical; apex mostly obtuse-acuminate, less frequently rounded, attenuate, or emarginate, often folded, the mid vein not protruding; margin entire to slightly undulate, revolute at the base, less pronounced towards the apex; venation obscure above, the midrib and lateral veins plane to slightly impressed, conspicuous and prominent below, eucamptodromous to craspedodromous, the secondary veins joining to form faint marginal vein, lateral veins (3-)4-5(-7) pairs, diverging from midrib at 30-40° at base to 20-30° apically, at times branching halfway between the midrib and margin, and again near the margin, the midvein reaching the apex. Inflorescences (3.6-)8.5-13.5 × 1.5-2.5 cm, axillary, unbranched, rufous-velutinous, the flower-pairs densely clustered; peduncle 0.4-1.5 cm × 1.5-2 mm, few to many sterile bracts at the base. Common bracts 1-1.3 × 0.7-1.5 mm, dense, rufous, tomentose-strigose to the outside, glabrous within. Flower-pair axis absent. Pedicels 1-2.3 × 0.6-1 mm, the indumentum sparse, straggly, rufous to ferruginous-tomentose to dense velutinous. Buds 1-1.5 mm broad at the apex, ca. 0.5 mm broad at midlength, the indumentum as for pedicels. Flowers 7-10 mm long; filaments 0-1.5 mm long, adnate 4.5-7 mm from base of tepals; anthers 2-2.8 × 0.50.8 mm; nectary lobes 0.4 mm long, separated; ovary 1-2 × 0.7-1.3 mm, the indumentum long, sericeous-villous, the hairs rufous to pale ferruginous, extending 1.3-1.5 mm from base of ovary, covering entire ovary, erect to appressed; ovules 0.4-0.6 × 0.2-0.3 mm. Infructescence 11-14 cm long, short rufous-tomentose; fruit pedicel 4 × 2 mm, sparser than rhachis. Fruit 5-6 × 2 cm, elongate, both sutured and unsutured sides curved equally, base constricted for 0.5-1.2 cm, the apex not constricted or constricted ca. 1 mm, curved strongly, sutured margin commonly thinner, set in, purple to rufous velutinous, glabrescent, persistent at the base, rugulose, mid brown beneath, style not persistent. Seed 4 × 1.7 cm, apical end thicker for 1.2 cm.

  • Discussion

    Roupala mexicana differs from Roupala montana var. montana in its long, narrow fruit and persistent orange-brown to red-brown velutinous to tomentose indumentum which covers the new growth unit, the underside of leaves, and inflorescences. The large size of the fruit is in the same range as that of R. glaberrima and R. psilocarpa, although R. glaberrima has completely glabrous leaf undersides, inflorescences, flower parts, and fruit, while the latter species has glabrous leaves and is restricted to the central and central-east of the Amazon region (the flowers of R. psilocarpa not known).

    The specimens from Oaxaca and Tabasco have slightly shorter petioles than the rest of the specimens and the leaves are glabrous beneath, resembling those of Roupala montana. The inflorescences are like those of R. mexicana, and the fruits, which would be very informative, are absent. Therefore, these specimens have been included here, but morphologically seem to be intermediates between R. mexicana and R. montana.

    Roupala mexicana may be identified by a combination of characters: a large fruit which is densely velutinous (pubescence lost at maturity except at base); long petioles and rounded leaves with a mucronate apex (specimens from Oaxaca and Tabasco have leaves like Roupala montana); and the leaf indumentum, which is rufous or ferruginous on the underside and persists towards the base of the lamina, especially on the venation.

    Tree, (6-)18-30 m tall. Bark smooth, gray-brown to brown, smell reminiscent of garlic. Flowers white, whitish-yellow or greenish, fragrant; fruit yellowish-green when immature, gray-brown or brown at maturity. Seeds yellowish-brown. Juveniles abundant beneath parent trees.

    Phenology. Flowering from Feb to Jun; fruiting in Jan, and Sep to Oct.

  • Common Names

    Palo zorillo, palo, zorro

  • Distribution

    A Mexican species known only from relicts of tall perennial forest in Veracruz, where it is said to be abundant, and Oaxaca and Tabasco, where it is scarce. Recorded between 150-550 m alt.

    Veracruz Mexico North America| Tabasco Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America|