Persea brevipes Meisn.
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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 (fide Mez) ; branchlets fuscous, almost glabrous, the bark not aromatic; petioles 6-12 mm. long, dilated, canaliculate, sparsely tawny-puberulous; leafblades 5-8 cm. long, 2.5-4 cm. wide, coriaceous, elliptic to ovate, the tips acute. the bases acute to obtuse, the upper surface dull, the lower surface tawnypuberulous, the costa slightly impressed above, prominent beneath, the 7-8 pairs of primary nerves divergent at 40-50°, obscure above, prominulous beneath, the reticulation obscure on both surfaces. Inflorescences compact axillary panicles each slightly longer than its subtending leaf, the inflorescences of a branchlet appearing as a dense corymbiform panicle; peduncles slender, tawny-puberulous; pedicels 2-3 mm., slender, cupreous-puberulous; flowers 5 mm. long; outer perianth- segments 3 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, ovate, ferrugineous-strigose without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 5 mm. long, ovate, ferrugineous-strigose without, puberulous within; stamens about 3 mm., the anthers about 1 mm. long, the filaments 2 mm. long, the filaments of series I and II dorsally strigose, the anthers oblong-ovate, dorsally strigose, quadrilocular; filaments of series III strigulose, the glands sessile and adnate to the basal 14 of the filament, the anthers oblong, quadrilocular, with laterally extrorse dehiscence; staminodia of series IV broadly sagittate, lacking terminal bristles; gynoecium glabrous, the ovary ellipsoid; style 1 mm.; stigma peltate. Infructescence not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. In the area around Loja, Ecuador, at 2000-3000 m. alt.
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Discussion
Type collection. B. C. Seemann 922, Loja, Ecuador (holotype presumably at K, fragment at NY).
Part of the above description is based on the observations of Meissner and of Mez of the type collection in their respective treatments. The floral and leaf descriptions were based upon the two leaves and the inflorescence, fragments of the type, from the Meissner Herbarium in NY.
From the previous descriptions and the material observed, it seems that this species is most closely allied to P. sericea. The flowers, however, are smaller and the pubescence puberulous.