Terminalia macrostachya (Standl.) Stace

  • 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 macrostachya (Standl.) Stace

  • Type

    Type. Guatemala. Jalapa: El Rancho, Dec 1907, Kellerman 7744 (holotype, F; isotype, G).

  • Synonyms

    Bucida macrostachya Standl., Bucida megaphylla Exell, Bucida wigginsiana Miranda

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree to 20 m, deciduous in dry season, sometimes with spines on juvenile branches. Leaves often crowded on greatly swollen branchlet tips, (2.5-)5-25 × (1.3-)3-13cm, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, elliptic or elliptic-obovate to elliptic-oblong, rounded to obtuse or subacute or sometimes acute or apiculate at apex, broadly cuneate at base, subglabrous or sparsely pubescent except pubescent on midvein adaxially, sparsely to densely pubescent abaxially; domatia absent. Venation brochidodromous to eucamptodromous-brochidodromous; midvein stout, prominent; secondary veins (8-)10-16(-20) pairs, close, originating at moderately acute angles, decurrent on to midvein, slightly curved, prominent; intersecondary veins usually absent; tertiary veins weakly to strongly percurrent; higher order venation often distinct; areolation very to slightly imperfect, prominent. Petiole 0.5-4.5 cm, densely pubescent, biglandular. Inflorescences 5-22 cm, elongate, simple, with many crowded flowers all bisexual; peduncle (1.5-)2-6 cm, densely pubescent; rhachis 3-16 cm, densely pubescent; bracts 2-5 mm, filiform, densely pubescent. Flowers pentamerous, 3.5-6 × 4-5 mm; lower hypanthium 1.5-3.5 mm, often asymmetrical and very wide at base, tomentose; upper hypanthium 2-3 mm, widely cupuliform, pubescent to tomentose; calyx lobes 0.3-1 mm, suberect, pubescent to tomentose; disk densely pilose; stamens 3-6 mm; style 4-5 mm, pilose proximally. Fruits many along whole length of rhachis, 0.4-0.7 × 0.3-0.4 cm (excl, upper hypanthium), terete, ovate (often asymmetrically curved) in side view, woody and achene-like, abruptly narrowed to beak 0.1-0.15 cm at apex, rounded at base, densely pubescent, the upper hypanthium persistent on the beak. Reproductive biology. Flowers white, greenish yellow or green with white filaments, clearly protogynous, said to be not fragrant. Flowering February to October; fruiting June to January.

  • Discussion

    Uses. The timber is “valued.”

    Illustrations. Figs. 92n (fr), 101g (lf). Miranda (1955) habit and flowering shoot; Standley & Williams (1962), p. 270 (as Bucida macrostachya); Pagaza Calderon & Fernández Nava (2005), p. 124 (as B. wigginsiana).

    Typical Terminalia macrostachya has much larger and more pubescent leaves than T. buceras, with more, closer and more prominent secondary veins and more prominent higher order venation, and a longer rhachis, but T buceras is often a much larger tree. In those specimens with rather short inflorecences (within the normal range of T. buceras) the flowers or fruits form a much thicker and denser mass on the rhachis than is found in T. buceras. This gives a distinctive appearance to T. macrostachya which is, however, difficult to put into words. Relatively small-leaved plants in Mexico are often labeled Bucida wigginsiana; these have dense woolly often very pale pubescence on the ovaries and fruit, but neither character can separate this taxon consistently from T. macrostachya. I have not seen the type of B. wigginsiana, but there is a good figure in the protologue. The bracts of T. macrostachya are apparently consistently longer and narrower than those of T. buceras, but more detailed observations need to be made before it is wise to use this as a key character.

  • Common Names

    Roble de Bajio, Cacho de toro, Pie de gallo

  • Distribution

    Deciduous and semideciduous forests and open scrub, at 20-1300 m. Southern Mexico to northern Nicaragua, extending less than 600 km. In Mexico, Pagaza Calderón & Fernández Nava (2005) recorded it (as B. wigginsiana) in the states of Guerrero and Puebla in addition to those listed below.

    Chiapas Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Belize Belize Central America| Cayo Belize Central America| El Progreso Guatemala Central America| Zacapa Guatemala Central America| Choluteca Honduras Central America| Comayagua Honduras Central America| Madriz Nicaragua Central America| Nueva Segovia Nicaragua Central America|