Terminalia oblonga (Ruiz & Pav.) Steud.

  • Authority

    Stace, C. A. & Alwan, A.-R A. 2010. Combretaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 107: 1-369. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Combretaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Terminalia oblonga (Ruiz & Pav.) Steud.

  • Type

    Type. Peru. Huánuco: in Pozuzo nemoribus, 1780-1788, Ex herb. Pavón (holotype & 2 isotypes, MA; isotypes, F, FI, OXF).

  • Synonyms

    Gimbernatia oblonga Ruiz & Pav., Chuncoa oblonga Pers., Chuncoa diptera F.Dietr., Myrobalanus oblonga Kuntze, Terminalia tarapotensis Van Heurck ex Müll.Arg., Terminalia chiriquensis Pittier, Terminalia obidensis Ducke

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree to 50 m, probably briefly deciduous, with simple often large buttresses to 5 m high and 1.5 m wide. Leaves 4-17(-25) × 2-9(-10) cm, chartaceous, elliptic or elliptic-oblong to obovate or narrowly so. cuneate (usually narrowly so) at base, acute or obtuse to shortly abruptly or gradually acuminate at apex, sparsely pubescent adaxially and densely so abaxially when young, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on main veins at maturity; domatia absent, venation brochidodromous to eucamptodromous-brochididromous; midvein stout to moderate, prominent; secondary veins 5-8 pairs, close to distant, originating at widely acute angles, curved, prominent; inter-secondary veins usually present; tertiary veins randomly reticulate or sometimes weakly percurrent; higher order veins distinct or not; areolation well developed to imperfect, prominent or not. Petiole 0.2-2 cm, glabrous to pubescent, eglandular or rarely biglandular. Inflorescences 9-17 cm, simple, with flowers small, numerous, crowded and all bisexual; peduncle 1-3 cm, densely pubescent; rhachis 8-14 cm, densely pubescent. Flowers pentamerous, 2.5-6.5 × 3-4.3 mm; lower hypanthium 1.5-3.5 mm, pubescent to densely so; upper hypanthium 1.3-2 mm, campanulate, pubescent; calyx lobes 0.7-1.6 mm, revolute, pubescent; disk pubescent; stamens 3-5 mm; style 2-4 mm, densely villous for at least proximal half, sometimes almost so to apex. Fruits often disposed along whole length of rhachis, (1-)1.4-2.7(-3) × (2-)2.3-4(-5.4) cm, flattened, transversely elliptic in side view, rounded to emarginate at apex, truncate or very obtuse to rounded or retuse at base, with pseudostipe 0.5-3 mm, subglabrous at maturity; wings 2, fairly stiff, equal, 0.8-2 cm wide, rounded to narrowly rounded or rarely pointed laterally; body 0.4-0.8cm wide, ridged on one face, flat or depressed on other. Reproductive biology. Flowers white, cream-colored, yellow, yellowish green, sweetly scented, clearly protogynous. Flowering and fruiting recorded in most months. The immature fruit is eaten by parrots and other birds (Flores, 1994b). Germination is epigeal, with two obcordate cotyledons (Flores, 1994b).

  • Discussion

    See also under Terminalia bucidoides.

    Uses. An important timber, known as Sura in the international trade, used in general construction and carpentry. Also said to have medicinal use.

    Illustrations. Figs. 74j, k (fr), 79f (lf). Bautista & Abreu (1978), p. 435 (as T. obidensis)', Eichler (1867), pl. 33 (fr); Exell (1958), p. 154 (as T. chiriquensis); Flores (1994b), p. 94 (portrait), pp. 97 & 99 (fr), pp. 102-104 (seedlings); Standley & Williams (1962), p. 280; Williams (1962), p. 385.

    The very long inflorescences with many crowded small flowers are diagnostic, but poor material can apparently mimic several other taxa of various relationships, particularly in section Diptera. In Terminalia oblonga the inflorescences elongate considerably before the flowers open, and by the time of full anthesis the new leaves are more or less fully formed. Hence flowering does not occur on bare twigs or with very young developing leaves as in section Diptera. The variability of this very widespread species has given rise to several synonyms which we consider do not represent recognisable taxa.

    In Central America, especially Costa Rica, Terminalia oblonga is sympatric with T. bucidoides and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the two. The latter differs in its narrower leaves, with longer petioles, crowded on swollen branchlet tips, larger fruits without pseudostipes, absence or relative rarity of buttresses, and according to Flores (1994c) a different darker-colored bark. Indigens and foresters apparently recognize the two as distinct species and this is followed here, although it might prove impossible to maintain them.

    Distribution and Ecology: (Fig. 81 A). Primarily a tree of tall dense humid primary forests, both inundated and on terra firme, on clays, limestones and alluvium, on low hills, slopes and ridges and in flood-plains, also in secondary forests, commonly 10-500 m, less often to 1500 m but to 2550 m in Amazonas, Peru. Widespread from S Mexico to Bolivia and Bahia, Brazil; in continental South America much commoner in the west. Ants and termites live in the hollow stems (Flores, 1994b).

  • Common Names

    volador, wild guava, salamo, canelo, guayabillo, guayabo negro, guayabo de monte, guayabo de montaña, Guayabo, huesillo, surá, quiura, guayabo negro, escobo, escobo negro, escobillo, guayabilla, guayaba de montaña, guayabo de monte, mountain guava, criollo, fiddlewood, guayabón, guayabón surá, pata de danta amarillo, pelaom, guabillo, yuyun, guyung, guayabillo, yacushapana, yacushapana amarilla, naánum, itauba, mátsájcahe, roble, verdolaga azubí, verdelago amarillo, verdolago, berdolago, cotilson, cutison, imbirindiba amarello, andiroba-rana

  • Distribution

    Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Acre Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Colón Panamá Central America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Loreto Peru South America| La Libertad El Salvador Central America| Carazo Nicaragua Central America| Chontales Nicaragua Central America| Rivas Nicaragua Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Bocas del Toro Panamá Central America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Los Santos Panama Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| San Blás Panama Central America| Stann Creek Belize Central America| Alajuela Costa Rica Central America| Guanacaste Costa Rica Central America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| San José Costa Rica Central America| Ahuachapán El Salvador Central America| San Salvador El Salvador Central America| Sonsonate El Salvador Central America| Escuintla Guatemala Central America| Izabal Guatemala Central America| Quezaltenango Guatemala Central America| Retalhuleu Guatemala Central America| San Marcos Guatemala Central America| Santa Rosa Guatemala Central America| Suchitepéquez Guatemala Central America| Atlantida Honduras Central America| Colón Honduras Central America| Yoro Honduras Central America| Chinandega Nicaragua Central America| Granada Nicaragua Central America| Managua Nicaragua Central America| Río San Juan Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| Beni Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America| Morona-Santiago Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Orellana Ecuador South America| Sucumbíos Ecuador South America| Zamora-Chinchipe Ecuador South America| Inini French Guiana South America| Essequibo Guyana South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Junín Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Ucayali Peru South America| Nickerie Suriname South America| Apure Venezuela South America| Barinas Venezuela South America| Cojedes Venezuela South America| Distrito Federal Venezuela South America| Falcón Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Portuguesa Venezuela South America| Yaracuy Venezuela South America| Zulia Venezuela South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Boyacá Colombia South America| Caquetá Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| La Guajira Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Valle del Cauca Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Toledo Belize Central America| Darién Panamá Central America|