Persea nivea 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 - Tree to 20 m., low butressed, bark with odor of pine resin, (fide Fanshawe); branchlets angular, densely tawny-strigulose; petioles 2-3 cm., striate, densely tawny-strigulose; leaf-blades 12-19 cm. long, 5-7 cm. wide, subchartaceous, elliptic, the tips acute to acuminate, the bases acute, the margins showing in some cases a slight tendency toward undulation, the upper surface nitid, areolate adjacent to the costa, the lower surface glaucescent, sparseh tawny-strigulose, the costa impressed above, prominent beneath, 6—10 pairs of primary nerves divergent at 45-50°. Inflorescences subsessile, narrow, axillary, multiflorous, paniculate, each almost equaling or surpassing its subtending leaf in length; peduncle 0.5-2.5 cm., densely tawny-strigulose; pedicels 2 mm., densely tawny-strigulose; flowers 6-6.5 mm.; outer perianth-segments 1.3-1.5 mm. long, 1.3—1.5 mm. wide, broadly ovate, tawny-sericeous without, glabrous within; inner perianth-segments 5-5.5 mm., elliptic, tawny-sericeous without, pilose within; stamens about 3 mm., the anthers about 1 mm., the filaments about 2 mm., the filaments of series I and II sparsely to densely pilose, the anthers oblong-obovate, retuse, quadrilocular, filaments of series III sparsely to densely pilose, the glands subsessile, their stalks adnate to the basal 1/5 of the filament, the anthers oblong, laterally extrorse; staminodia of series IV broadly sagittate, with a weak terminal tuft of hairs; gynoecium sparsely to denseh pilose, the ovary 1 mm. long, subglobose; style 2.4-2.8 mm. long; stigma triangular-peltate. Infructescence having slightly thickened branches and pedicels: perianth-segments patent or slightly reflexed and persistent in their entirety; fruits 6 mm. long, depressed-globose, sparsely pubescent, apiculate due to persistence of the style.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. In wet forest 12 miles up the Kaituma River in British Guiana; in the savanna of Zanderij I, Surinam; and in French Guiana.
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Discussion
Type collection. (Not seen) G. S. Jenman 3906 "Hab. in Guyana anglica ad flumen Demara" (fide Mez) (K, P). Mez also consulted another specimen from French Guiana which was in the Paris Herbarium and bore no further data.
This species, described by Mez, was later considered by Kostermans in Flora Surinam to be the same as P. benthamiana Meissn. There appears, however, to be sufficient evidence that it is a distinct species. The flowers of P nivea are larger than those of P benthamiana, and the relative length of the outer to the inner perianth-segments is less, the under surface of the leaves is glaucescent rather than albo-sericeous, and the distribution also differs.
The following species do not appear in phylogenetic sequence.