Trichilia hirta L.

Authority

Pennington, Terence D. 1981. Meliaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 28: 1-359, 418-449, 459-470. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family

Meliaceae

Scientific Name

Trichilia hirta L.

Type

Type. Herb. Sloane VII, no. 30, Jamaica, fr (BM).

Synonyms

Euonymus caudice Sloane, Barbylus brownei J.F.Gmel., Barbylus jamaicensis C.DC., Trichilia spondioides Jacq., Trichilia cathartica Mart., Trichilia multiflora Casar., Cupania trachycarpa Griseb., Trichilia oxyphylla C.DC., Trichilia glaziovii C.DC., Trichilia karwinskyana C.DC., Trichilia schiediana C.DC., Trichilia wawrana C.DC., Trichilia wawrana var. antillana C.DC., Trichilia pyramidata Harms, Trichilia multijuga C.DC., Trichilia spondioides var. gibbosifoliola Sw. & C.DC., Trichilia parvifoliola C.DC., Trichilia hirta var. magnifolia L., Trichilia goyazana C.DC., Trichilia schiediana var. purpusii C.DC. & Brandegee, Trichilia cathartica var. glabrior Mart. & C.DC., Trichilia chiapensis Matuda, Trichilia verrucata Suess., Trichilia verrucata var. plurifoliolata Suess., Trichilia microcarpa C.DC.

Description

Species Description - Young branches sparsely and usually rather coarsely pubescent soon becoming glabrous, greyish or rarely dark brown, shining, with conspicuous lenticels. New growth usually subtended by a small cluster of lanceolate, dark brown, pubescent scales, 3-8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad. Leaves imparipinnate, (5-) 10-30(-35) cm long; petiole and rhachis terete to semi terete, coarsely pubescent to glabrous; petiolule 0.5-3(-7) mm long, petiolule of terminal leaflets usually much longer than laterals. Leaflets opposite or subopposite, 13-21 (-25), oblong, elliptic or lanceolate rarely oblanceolate, apex attenuate or acuminate, base slightly to strongly asymmetric, attenuate, acute, cuneate, obtuse, rounded, or truncate, chartaceous, 3-11.5(-14)[6.5] cm long, 1-3.5(-4.5)[2.3] cm broad, usually glabrous above or less frequently sparsely pubescent, lower surface usually glabrous, less frequently pubescent especially on midrib and veins, sometimes with granular red papillae, often glandular-punctate and -striate; venation eucamptodromous or rarely brochidodromous, midrib slightly prominent; secondaries (6-) 8-12(-16) on either side of midrib, arcuate ascending or less frequently ± straight, usually convergent; intersecondaries and tertiary reticulum usually rather prominent below. Flowers unisexual, plants dioecious; inflorescence axillary or rarely in axils of bud scales, 2-15(-24) cm long, a slender or corymbose thyrse with short lateral branches 1-4 cm long, pubescent to glabrous; pedicel 0.5-2 (-6) mm long. Calyx rotate to patelliform, 0.5-1 (-2) mm long, with (4-)5 ovate, triangular or attenuate, acute lobes, 1/2-1/3 length of calyx, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent and very rarely with a ciliate margin. Petals 5, free, imbricate, (2-)3-5(-6) mm long, 1-1.5(-2) mm broad, oblong or lanceolate, apex rounded to acute, usually glabrous, less frequently pubescent or with scattered rather coarse hairs outside, and sometimes papillose inside. Staminal tube cyathiform, 1-3 (-3.5) mm long, 1-3(-4) mm broad; filaments fused 1/4-3/4 their length, truncate or terminated by 2 short acute lobes, outside glabrous or sparsely hairy above, inside usually glabrous in lower half and sparsely to densely barbate in upper half; anthers (8-) 10, (0.5-)0.7-1(-1.5) mm long, often prolonged slightly at apex with a short acute connective appendage, sparsely to densely hirsute; antherodes much narrower, not dehiscing, without pollen. Nectary in 8 flowers a fleshy annulus surrounding and sometimes submerging the much reduced pistillode, in 9 flowers reduced to a minute ring around base of swollen ovary, 0.25-0.5 mm high, glabrous. Ovary 3-locular, loculi with 1-2 collateral ovules, densely pubescent to villose, very rarely glabrous; style pubescent, sometimes glabrous at the apex, very rarely glabrous; style-head capitate or rarely slightly discoid; pistillode very slender, immersed in nectary; rudimentary ovules minute or absent. Capsule globose to broadly ovoid when fresh, often trigonous on drying, usually smooth, less frequently verruculose, densely granular papillose, sometimes with a few scattered hairs, 0.7-1.5 cm diam., (2-)3-valved, valves strongly reflexed and wrinkling; pericarp 0.5-1 mm thick, leathery; endocarp thin, cartilaginous. Seed 1-2 collateral in each valve, 0.5-1 cm long, 0.5-0.8 cm broad, almost completely surrounded by a thin fleshy arillode, sometimes a small area at base of seed remaining exposed; arillode free except for attachment along raphe to micropyle; seed coat rather thin, slightly thickened at base and apex, soft and oily. Embryo with thick, plano-convex, collateral cotyledons; radicle apical extending to surface or slightly exserted; endosperm absent.

Discussion

Uses. The seeds are rich in oil (see Magana, 1918; Bustamente Estevez, 1947) which is commonly used as a hair cream by women in southern Mexico and Guatemala. It may also destroy lice. The tree which never reaches a large size, provides timber for furniture and small implements.

Flowers: The flowers are greenish-yellow and are produced at least twice a year. In Central America, including Mexico, the first flowering is at the end of the dry season from March to May and is simultaneous with the production of new leaves. A second and possibly third flowering takes place during the wet season from July to September. It is not clear whether flowering follows the same pattern in southeastern Brazil.

Fruits: The mature capsule is greenish-brown or maroon with a thin leathery pericarp which contains a small amount of white exudate. The seed is almost completely surrounded by a fleshy, oily, orange or red arillode.

Field Characters: Trichilia hirta is usually a small tree 5-10 m tall, but in wet forest situations it occasionally reaches 25 m. Its bark is dark grey and finely, longitudinally fissured. In dry forest conditions with a seasonal climate it is deciduous.

Distribution and Ecology: From Sonora and Tamaulipas, Mexico southwards to Chiapas, and Yucatan, through Central America, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, northern South America to southeastern Brazil and Paraguay. Typically a species of dry deciduous forest. In Mexico it occurs in tropical deciduous forest characterized by mean annual temperatures above 20°C, with a 7-8 month severe dry season and rainfall around 800 mm. Throughout its West Indian and South American range it appears to favour similarly dry habitats, e.g. limestone scrub in Cuba, Caribbean dry forest in northern Colombia and Venezuela, caatingas of Bahia in Brazil. However throughout its range it is also found in situations with a more plentiful water supply, such as along stream beds and rivers, and in Panama and western South America it occurs sporadically in wet evergreen forest. It is also frequently recorded from disturbed and secondary vegetation. In climates with a more abundant and uniform rainfall T. hirta develops much longer leaves with larger leaflets, and under these conditions it is probably not deciduous.

Common Names

Red Cedar, trompillo, cedrillo, Cedro Colorado, Alamo, Matapiojo, Mapahuite Cimarrón, coyol, Tepesjoco, Congo, Tovote, Cola de Pavo, Jocotillo, cabo de hacha, Jobobán, Wild Mahogany, cabo de hacha, guaita, jobillo, molinillo, retamo, Maretiro, Mantequilla, Huanahuano, trompillo, Canalete, Casupo, Mombien Batard, Gommier Sauvage, Bresillet Batard, Raisin des Perroquets

Distribution

Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Belize Central America| Honduras Central America| El Salvador Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| Panama Central America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America|