Persea major (Meisn.) L.E.Kopp
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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.
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Family
Lauraceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Tree; branchlets solid at internodes. sparsely to densely tawny- to cinnamoneous-lanate, the bark not aromatic; petioles 1.5-4 cm. long, densely tawnydnnamoneous-lanate; leaf-blades 12-28 cm. long. 3.5-11.5 cm. wide, chartaceous, obovate to elliptic, the tips acute to obtuse, the upper surface glabrescent, the lower surface moderately to densely tawny- to cinnamoneous-lanate, the costa plane above, prominent beneath, the 14-20 pairs of primary nerves divergent at 45-55°, plane above, prominent beneath, the reticulation obscure on both surfaces. Inflorescences axillary, panicidate. each 1/2-3/4 the length of the subtenchng leaf: peduncles 4—7 cm, long, slender, sparsely to densely tawny- to cinnamoneous-lanate; rachises 2.5-6 cm. long; pedicels 1-1.5 mm. long, tawny- to cinnamoneous-lanate; flowers (5-) 7-8 mm. long: outer perianth-segments 1.8-2.7 mm. long. 1.6—2.2 mm. wide, tawny- to dnnamoneous-lanate without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments (4.5-) 5.5-7.5 mm. long, 2-2.5 mm, wide. oblong-ellipuc. tawny- to dnnamoneous-lanate without and within; stamens about 4.5 mm. long. the anthers about 1 mm, long, the filaments about 3.5 mm., the filaments of series I and II lanate, the anthers oblong to oblong-ovate, quadrilocular; filaments of series III lanate, the glands subsessile, adnate to the basal 1/3 of the filament, the anthers oblong, quadrilocular, mostly laterally dehiscent, occasionally having the upper cells lateral and the lower extrorse; staminodia of series IV sagittate, lanate, with terminal bristles; gynoecium glabrous, the ovary subglobose; style 2.2-3 mm. long; stigma peltate, decurrent. Infructescence with pedicels somewhat thickened; perianth-segments spreading, persistent in their entirety; fruit 8 mm. in diameter, globose.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. East-central Brazil, about 800 m. alt.
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Discussion
Persea pyrifolia var. p Nees, Syst. Laurin. 144. 1856.
Persea pyrifolia var. p major Meissner in DC. Prodr. 15 (1): 49. 18&4.
Persea cordata var. major (Meissner) Mez, Jahrb, Bot. Gart. Berlin 5: 166. 1889.
Persea cordata var. pubescens Glaz. nom. nud. BulL Soc Bot. Mem. Fr. III. 59: 593. 1911.
Persea futuninensis Glaz. nom. nud. (Ibid.)
Vernacular names. Abacate do mato (Duarte de Barros 972); abacate do mato ou bravo (Duarte de Barros 252); canella rosa (Glaziou 14208); canela sants (Tato and Barb 15); massaranduba (Arauju and Barb 39 and Vecchi 206).
Type collection. J. E. Pohl 438a, Formiga, Brazil (lectotype NY, isolectotype F).
Though described originally as a variety of P. pyrifolia, the evidence obtained from the more extensive collection of this taxon suggests that it should be raised to specific rank. T h e type differs from P. pyrifolia mainly in kind of vesture; but the remaining collections show this taxon to have larger leaves, which are often obovate, a greater width to length ratio, and larger flowers in addition to the previously mentioned pubescence difference.
Nees in his original description of variety ß of P. pyrifolia cited Sellow s.n. and Bredemeyer (in Herb. Willdenow 7777) as types, but in his monograph he cited only the Sellow number. Meissner later supplied a name for the taxon, and cited Pohl 438a with the Sellow specimen which makes them syntypes of the name P. pyrifolia var. major. The former collection has been designated as lectotype because it has been studied in the preparation of this paper and the latter has not. T h e Bredemeyer specimen, which I did not see, was considered by Mez to be P. caerulea, an Andean species. This is probably the proper disposition of the collection which was presumably found in the Andean region where Bredemeyer worked.
See also P. pedunculosa.