Persea fuliginosa Nees

  • Authority

    Kopp, Lucille E. 1966. A tasonomic revision of the genus Persea in the Western Hemisphere (Perseae-Lauraceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 14: 1-117.

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Persea fuliginosa Nees

  • Description

    Species Description - Woody plant; branchlets solid at internodes, densely tawny-lanate. the bark aromatic; petioles 0.7-1.2 cm. long, densely tawny-lanate; leaf-blades 4-5 cm. long. 1.8-2.3 cm. wide, chartaceous, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, the tips obtuse to rounded, the bases acute, the upper surface glabrescent, the lower surface moderately tawny-lanate. the 6-8 primary nerves divergent from the costa at a n angle of 30-40°, plane above, prominent beneath, the reticulations obscure on both surfaces. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate, each 1/2-3/4 length of its subtending leaf; peduncles 1-3 cm., densely tawny-lanate, the radiises 0.5-1.5 cm. long; flowers 5 mm. long, subsessile; oiuer perianth-segments 1.8 mm. long. 2 mm. wide. ovate, tawny-lanate without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 5 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, slightly obovate, tawny-lanate without and within; stamens about 4.5 mm. long, the anthers 1 mm., the filaments 3 mm. long, the filaments of series I and II densely lanate, the anthers oblong-ovate, quadrilocular; filaments of series III densely lanate, the glands subsessile adnate to the basal 1/3 of the filament, the anthers oblong, quadrilocular, laterally dehiscent; staminodia of series IV sagittate, possessing terminal bristles; gynoecium glabrous, the ovary subobovoid; style 1.5 mm. long; stigma triangular-peltate.

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

  • Discussion

    Persea fuliginosa vav. a Noes & Mart, ex Noes, Linnaea 8: 51. 1833. and Xccs, Syst. Laurin. 156. 1836.

    Persea lanata Mc/, Jahrb. Bot. Cart. Berlin 5: 164. 1889.

    Type collection. F. Sellow 4313, Brazil (holotype B, fragment of type F ).

    Though closely related to P. fulva, the taxon under discussion can easily be distinguished by its short fewer-flowered inflorescences, longer pubescence, and more narrowly divergent primary nerves.

    Nees described P. fuliginosa, composed of two varieties, and cited Sellow s.n. as type. Later, in his monograph, he elaborated on the original description and cited two Sellow numbers, 4313 presumably referring to variety a, 1364 to variety p. Meissner in DeCandolle's Prodromus recognized no varieties and cited only Sellow 4313, but he did not cite Sellow 1364 under any other species of Persea. Mez, however, considered P. fuliginosa to be represented by variety ß, and cited Sellow 1364; he described P. lanata based on Sellow 4313. Because Meissner was the first worker to establish the type, he must be followed.