Terminalia argentea Mart.

  • 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 argentea Mart.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Bahia; In montosis ad villa do Rio Contos, 1817-1820, Martius 1714 (holotype & isotype, M).

  • Synonyms

    Myrobalanus argentea Kuntze, Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC., Terminalia biscutella Eichler, Myrobalanus biscutella Kuntze, Terminalia modesta Eichler, Terminalia subsericea Eichler, Terminalia festinata S.Moore

  • Description

    Species Description - Deciduous shrub or tree 2-18 (rarely to 35) m. Leaves 6-12(-15.5) × 2.5-5(-6.5) cm, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, lanceolate to ovate or elliptic to narrowly elliptic, acute to acuminate at apex, attenuate-cuneate at base, usually densely sericeous-pubescent when young, remaining pubescent or becoming subglabrous at maturity; domatia absent. Venation eucamptodromous-brochidodromous; midvein moderate, prominent; secondary veins 6-10 pairs, close to moderately spaced, originating at moderately acute angles, curved or curved distally; intersecondary veins often present; tertiary and higher order veins usually randomly reticulate; areolation usually imperfect or incomplete, scarcely prominent. Petiole 1.2-3.7 cm, subglabrous to pubescent, biglandular. Inflorescences 2-6 cm, simple, with all flowers bisexual; peduncle 1-2.5 cm, pubescent to densely so; rhachis 1-3.5 cm, pubescent to densely so. Flowers pentamerous, 4-5 × 3-4 mm; lower hypanthium 1.5-2.5 mm, densely pubescent; upper hypanthium 1.5-2 mm, campanulate, pubescent; calyx lobes 0.5-1 mm, pubescent to sparsely so, patent to revolute; disk glabrous; stamens 3-5 mm; style 2.5-5 mm, pilose proximally. Fruits few crowded on short rhachis, 1.5-3 × 3-6.3 cm, flattened, transversely oblong in side view, usually emarginate at apex, truncate to emarginate at base, densely silvery-sericeous at first, remaining so or becoming sparsely pubescent or rarely subglabrous at maturity; wings 2, rarely with 1 or 2 small extra wings on 1 face, fairly stiff, equal, 1.5-2.6cm wide, to 3.2 cm long at longest point, rounded laterally; body 0.7-1.5 cm wide, bulging on both faces. Reproductive biology. Flowers yellow, yellow-green or cream-colored; strongly protogynous. Flowering July to October, along with new leaves; fruiting August onwards, often until next flowering. We have not been able to confirm the statement and the drawing (see Fig. 86) of Eichler (1867) that this species is andromonoecious; all the inflorescences that we have examined have only bisexual flowers.

  • Discussion

    Uses. None noted.

    Illustrations. Figs. 4b (venation), 83b (If), 84b (fr), 86 (portrait). Eichler (1866), fl. pl. 3; Eichler (1867), pi. 23 & (fr) 33 (as T. argentea, T. subsericea & T. biscutella)', Marquete Ferreira da Silva & Valente (2003), p. 169.

    For distinction see under Terminalia phaeocarpa. T. argentea is very variable, especially in pubescence, the leaves of flowering material varying from subglabrous to densely sericeous, giving rise to several synonyms. Specimens from the eastern and northeastern extremes of the range are less pubescent and poor material can be difficult to distinguish from T. januariensis and T. mameluco (e.g., Folli 496, dos Santos 3371). Heringer et al. 5270, from Distrito Federal, Brazil, has a glabrous upper hypanthium and only sparsely pubescent lower hypanthium and rhachis, producing a very unusual general appearance; however, the young leaves (sericeous), interior of the flowers (style proximally pilose, disk glabrous), and fruits (2 × 4.3 cm) seem normal. Nuñez et al 14950 from Madre de Díos, Peru, is distant from any other localities but seems quite typical in leaves and fruit.

    The type of Terminalia festinata consists of flowering inflorescences but the leaves are only just emerging; it matches undoubted material of T. argentea fairly well.

  • Common Names

    capitao, capitão do campo, capitao da mata, garote, garrote, cachaporra de gentio, cuiarana, grato, jichisojo, ichisogo, chirojo

  • Distribution

    Dry or semi-humid or sometimes wet forests on rocky or clay soils in hilly country, in gallery forests along rivers, persistent in cerrado even where highly grazed or burnt (árvore tipica do cerrado), and disturbed areas, at 90-1000 m. From Para to Parana and central Paraguay, extending west to central Bolivia with an outlier in eastern Peru, very rare near the coast.

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