Conocarpus

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Combretaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Conocarpus

  • Type

    Type. Conocarpus erectus L.

  • Synonyms

    Conocarpus erectus L.

  • Description

    Genus Description - Mangrove-like shrubs or trees, without pneumatophores but sometimes with stilt-roots, not spiny; combretaceous hairs the only trichomes present. Leaves alternate, with conspicuous bowl-shaped pits (domatia) in the axils of most major lateral veins on the lower surface, with petiolar glands. Inflorescence mainly leafless axillary or terminal racemes or panicles of compact, more or less globose heads; bracts very small, withered by fruiting. Flowers possibly functionally dioecious but with a range of development of male and female organs, 5-merous, actinomorphic, sessile; upper hypanthium campanulate; calyx lobes 5; petals 0; stamens (5-)10, exserted, with versatile anthers; style free, glabrous. Fruit a small, flattened 2-winged nut with the upper hypanthium and calyx persistent upon it, many densely packed into cone-like heads which shatter to release individual fruits. Chromosome Numbers. Four chromosome counts of Conocarpus erectus have been traced, all 2n = 24. Material came from Bahamas (Semple, 1970a), Cuba (Fritsch, 1970), Galápagos Islands (Semple, 1974), and tropical Africa (Mangenot & Mangenot, 1962). The base-number of x = 6 or 12 agrees with that of Terminalia; for details see the discussion under the family.

  • Discussion

    Taxonomic History. Conocarpus L., containing two species, was one of only two combretaceous genera in the first edition of Species Plantarum. Linnaeus considered his genus feminine, as most trees, but the ICBN (Article 62.2, Ex. 3) states that all generic names ending-carpus should be masculine. De Candolle (1828b) amalgamated Linnaeus’ two species as C. erectus L. in section Euconocarpus DC., and described three new ones: C. leiocarpus DC. in section Leiocarpa DC.; C. acuminatus Roxb. ex DC. in section Anogeissus DC.; and C. latifolius Roxb. ex DC. of uncertain affinity. The latter two sections were later separated as the genus Anogeissus (DC.) Wall. This distinction, based on a different fruit morphology, has been maintained ever since; Anogeissus occurs in only Africa and Asia. A second species of Conocarpus sensu stricto, C. lancifolius Engl. & Diels, was described in 1900. A third species, described by Linnaeus in 1759 as C. racemosus L., is now placed in Laguncularia C. F. Gaertn.

    Terminology. Leaf venation terminology follows Hickey (1973); descriptions refer to leaf abaxial surface. All flower measurements are taken from boiled material; dried material is obviously smaller. Flower and upper hypanthium length includes the ovary and calyx lobes, but not style and stamens.

  • Distribution

    Two species: Conocarpus erectus in tropical America and tropical West Africa (Fig. 132, see species for details); and C. lancifolius, a nonmangrove shrub or tree of inland wet sandy ground in northeastern Africa and Arabia.

    Africa|