Persea haenkeana Mez
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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 - Shrub to 8 m. (fide Weberbauer) ; branchlets not aromatic, rather slender castaneous to tawny, glabrous and glaucous, or tawny-sericeous or cupreous-strigulose; petioles 5-12 mm., slender, glabrous and glaucous, or tawny-sericeous or cupreous-strigulose; leaf-blades 4.5-6 (-10) cm. long, 1.5-3 (-4.5) cm. wide, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, elliptic to ovate, the tips acute to subacuminate, rarely obtuse, the bases cuneate to obtuse, the upper surface glabrous, nitid to dull, the lower surface glaucous, glabrous, tawny-sericeous, or cupreous-strigulose, the costa plane above, prominent beneath, the 6-7 pairs of primary veins divergent at 40-55°, not impressed above, prominent beneath, the reticulation obscure on both surfaces. Inflorescences somewhat narrow, axillary, paniculate, each equalling or exceeding the length of its subtending leaf; peduncles 4-8.5 cm., very slender, strigulose or glabrous, glaucous: pedicels 2-5 mm., slender, strigulose or glabrous, glaucous; flowers 3 mm. long; outer perianth-segments 1-1.5 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, depressed-ovate, sparsely strigulose and glaucous or sericeous without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 2.2-3 mm. long, 1.5-2 mm. wide, ovate. sparsely strigulose and glaucous or tawny-sericeous without, sparsely strigulose and pilose at the tip within; stamens about 2 mm., the anthers about 0.5 mm., the filaments about 1.5 mm., the filaments of series I and II sparselv or densely pubes cent, the anthers ovate, bilocular; filaments of series III pubescent, the glands subsessile and adnate to the basal 1/9 of the filament, the anthers oblong, bilocular, laterally dehiscent; staminodia of series IV sagittate, lacking terminal bristles; gynoecium glabrous, the ovary subglobose; style 1.3 mm.; stigma triangular but not peltate. Infructescence with slightly thickened pedicels; perianthsegments lignified, patent, persistent in their entirety; fruits 5-6 mm. in diameter, globose.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. In moist shaded places (Metcalf) in the mountains of .southeastern Peru and contiguous western Bolivia, 1000-2300 m. alt.
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Discussion
Persea scoparia Mez, Arb. Kgl. Bot. Gart. Breslau 1: 115. 1892.
Persea durifolia Mez, Rep. Nov. Spec. 3: 65. 1906.
Type collection. Th. Haenke s.n., Peru (holotype M).
Mez described P. haenkeana as having 4-locular anthers, but MacBride reported only two locules from his examination of the material. I have seen the holotype but not the paratype, and the former is bilocular as MacBride indicated. In 1892 Mez described P. scoparia on the basis of the Bang collection and said in his description that the flowers were too young to show many characteristics. Since he believes locule number to be of prime importance, he must have thought the anthers were 4-locular when he related it to 4-locular P mutisii. T h e previously discussed "species" and P durifolia are considered to be conspecific in this treatment. T h e Bang collection differs from the others by the sparse pubescence on the leaves which thus appear more distinctly glaucous. A m o n g the other collections there is also some variation in amount and color of pubescence.
The phylogenetic position of P. haenkeana is near P bilocularis. T h e twocelled condition of the anthers and the distribution of the two taxa indicate a rather close relationship. The smaller, elliptic, glaucous leaves, and smaller flowers of the former species separate it from the latter.