Persea sericea Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth
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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 - Small tree to 3 m.; branchlets angular, coarse, sparsely or densely tawnysericeous; petioles 1.2-1.4 cm. long, dilated, with sparse to dense appressed pubescence, leaf-blades 4.5-9 cm. long, 3.5-5 cm. wide, coriaceous, broadly elliptic to ovate, the tips mostly acute to occasionall) obtuse, the bases acute to obtuse to rounded, the upper surface glabrescent, except the sparsely strigose costa, the lower surface tawny-sericeous, the costa broad, impressed above, prominent beneath, the 5-7 pairs of primary veins divergent at 45-60°, slightly impressed above, prominent beneath, the reticulation obscure on both surfaces. Inflorescences fairly compact, axillary, paniculate, each equal to, shorter than, or longer than its smaller subtending inflorescence leaf; the branchlet-tip appearing as one large loose terminal inflorescence; peduncles somewhat coarse, shorter toward branchlet-tip, with dense appressed pubescence; pedicels 3-5 mm., coarse; flowers 7 mm. long; outer perianth-segments 3 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, sericeous without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 4.2-5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, ovate, sericeous without and within; stamens 3 mm . long, the anthers abom 1 mm., the filaments about 2 mm., the filaments of series I and II strigulose, the anthers ovate, sparsely dorsally strigulose; filaments of series 111 strigulose the glands sessile and adnate to the basal 1/2 of the filament, the anthers oblong; staminodia of series IV broadly sagittate, lacking terminal bristles; gynoecium glabrous, the ovary elliptic; style 2.5-3 mm. long; stigma discoid-peltate. Infructescence with lignescent pedicels; perianth-segments lignescent; fruit ellipsoid 7.5 mm. long, glaucous.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Mountains of southern Ecuador, 3000 to 3500 m. alt., and the Cordillera Central, Cauca, Colombia.
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Discussion
Type collection. A. von Humboldt & A. Bonpland 3360, Loja, Ecuador. (holotype P, isotypes B, F).
The height of the trees of this species has been described by Camp as being 3 m . H e also says that the area had been cut and was regenerating. It is therefore possible that these represent large forest trees.
The sericeous less coarse leaves, the looser panicles, and the ellipsoid fruits are among the more obvious characters separating P. sericea from P mutisii.