Persea corymbosa 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 or small tree, branchlets angular, coarse, castaneous, becoming fuscous, the bark non aromatic; petioles 6-8 mm., dilated, canaliculate, densely cupreoustomentose; leaf-blades 6.5-12 cm. long, 4-7.5 cm. wide, coriaceous, oblong-obovate to elliptic, subrugose, the tips acute to rounded, the bases truncate, the upper surface glabrous, dull, the lower surface glaucous, densely cupreous- or tawny-tomentose, the costa impressed above, prominent beneath, the 7-9 pairs of primary veins divergent at an angle of 35-60°, slightly impressed above, prominent beneath, the reticulation obscure above, obscure to prominulous beneath. Inflorescence a somewhat compact axillary panicle equal to or longer than the length of the smaller subtending leaf, the inflorescences of a branchlet appearing as one large flat structure; peduncles slightly flattened, cupreous-tomentose; pedicels 2 mm., coarse, densely cupreous-tomentose; flowers 5 mm. long; outer perianth-segments 2.3 mm. long, 2.3 mm. wide, ovate, densely cupreous-tomentose without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 4.2 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, ovate, densely cupreous-tomentose without, pilose within; stamens about 3.5 mm., the anthers about 1.5 mm., the filaments about 2 mm. long, the filaments of series I and II glabrous except at base, the anthers ovate, glabrous, quadrilocular; filaments of series III glabrous except at the base, the glands subsessile and adnate to the basal 1/4 of the filament, the anthers oblong, quadrilocular, laterally dehiscent; staminodia of series IV sagittate, lacking terminal bristles; gynoecium glabrous, the ovary subellipsoid; style 1.7 mm.; stigma triangular-peltate. Infructescences having slightly thickened, short, pedicels; perianth-segments patent, persistent in their entirety; fruits 13 mm. long, glaucous, ellipsoid.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Cordillera in northwestern Peru at 2500 m. alt.
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Discussion
Type collection. A'. Jelski 177, Cutervo (lectotype B).
The total appearance of a branchlet and its inflorescences in this species is that of a large corymbiform structure, as in P. mutisii. T h e more slender peduncles are similar to those of P ferruginea, but the leaf-shape and the more obscure reticulation is more characteristic of P. mutisii. Persea corymbosa can be readily distinguished from P. mutisii by the tomentose pubescence, smallish flowers, more slender peduncles, slightly ellipsoid fruits, and to some degree by the distribution in the Western Cordillera of the former. Weberbauer 4159 differs from the type in pubescence-color and prominence of the reticulation: the former has cupreous pubescence and obscure reticulation and the type has tawu) pubscence and prominulous reticulation. The structure of the branchlet-tip of the type is difficult to determine because of its depauperate condition. Mez usually indicated the herbaria in which the materials he cited were deposited, but he neglected to do so in this species. His detailed dscription implies more abundant type material than has been studied in the preparation of this paper. According to Platits and Platit Scientists in Latin America, there are representatives of Jelski collections deposited in the Berlin, Krakow, and New York herbaria. Perhaps in Poland there is additional, more complete type material.
A further complication in his species ensued when Mez cited two Jelski numbers, 173 and 177, as types for P. corymbosa. These two numbers do not represent the same species; in fact, number 173 is sterile and no recognized species of Persea.