Swartzia leiogyne (Sandwith) R.S.Cowan
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Authority
Cowan, Richard S. 1967. Swartzia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae Swartzieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 1: 3-228. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type collection. T. A. W. Davis 469 (For. Dept. 2464; holotype K), ca 110 mi S of Georgetown, Guyana, along the Demerara R., Oct. 1935.
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Synonyms
Swartzia grandifolia var. leiogyne Sandwith
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Description
Description - Tree 13-22 m tall, the trunk 15-30 cm diameter, the branchlets velutinous, the hairs black-brown, shiny; stipules deciduous to caducous, coriaceous, 3-4.5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate to ovate, acute, densely strigose externally, glabrous within; petioles terete, 12-40 mm long, velutinous, the rachis 6.5-11 cm long, marginate to narrowly alate, the wing linear, stipellate at each pair of leaflets, the axis velutinous above, pilose beneath; leaf blade obviously obovate in outline, the leaflets 2- or 3-jugate, the petiolules 1-2(-4) mm long, pilose-velutinous, the blades of the lowermost pair 7-11 cm long, 3.5-6 cm wide, those of the other pairs 13-21 cm long, 4.5-10.5 cm wide, the blades of all the jugae elliptic or oblong to oblanceolate-elliptic, the base attenuate but finally obtuse or subobtuse, the apex abruptly short-acute, the upper surface glabrous except for the velutinous costa, pilose and somewhat glaucous beneath, the hairs dark-brown and shiny, the venation conspicuous, impressed on the upper surface, salient beneath; inflorescence cauligerous, racemose, 8-20 cm long, the axis densely strigulose, the bracts persistent, broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, 1-2 mm long, 0.7-1.5 mm wide, densely strigulose externally, glabrous within, the bracteoles persistent arising ? to ¾ the distance from the base of the pedicel, 0.7-2 mm long, lanceolate to ovate, strigulose externally, glabrous within; pedicels (13-)20-32 mm long, strongly compressed laterally, densely dark-brown strigulose; buds globose, sometimes apiculate, 10-15 mm diameter, densely strigulose; calyx segments (3 or) 4 (or 5), coriaceous, strigulose externally, glabrous within; petal cream-colored to yellow, the veins purple, villose-sericeous externally, densely so at the base but only sparingly or sparsely so on the blade, especially on the veins, glabrous on the inner surface, the claw 2.5-4.5 mm long, the blade rounded to oblate-ovate, 20-35 mm long, 25-38 mm wide; larger stamens 14-20, glabrous, the filaments 14-25 mm long, the anthers oblong, ca 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, the smaller stamens glabrous, the filaments (9-) 15 mm long; gynoecium glabrous, the stigma capitellate, the style 4.5-6.5 mm long, the ovary arcuate-linear, 13-17 mm long, 1 mm wide, the gynophore 5-6.5 mm long; fruit not seen.
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Discussion
Although originally described as a variety of S. grandifolia, S. leiogyne is much more nearly related to S. picta by virtue of its glabrous gynoecium. From the latter, S. leiogyne differs in the number of pairs of leaflets per leaf, the rather different shape of the leaflets, the position of the bracteoles, as well as in a different geographic range. It is similar, geographically as well as morphologically, to another species -S. xanthopetala; the two differ in the shape of the leaflets, the presence of a margin or wing on the leaf-rachis of S. leiogyne, and the size of the bracts.
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Common Names
Itikibouroballi, kerunite
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Distribution
(Fig. 5). Rare to occasional in the western interior of Guyana, especially in the vicinity of the Kaieteur Plateau, occurring in the rain forest on white sand or brown sandy loam at 60-425 m alt.
Guyana South America|