Trichilia lecointei Ducke

  • 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 lecointei Ducke

  • Type

    Type. Le Cointe 16799 Brazil, Pará, Óbidos, fl (lectotype, G, here designated; isolectotypes, BM, P, US).

  • Description

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    Species Description - Young branches puberulous to densely short pubescent (trichomes basifixed) becoming glabrous, greyish, rough and fissured. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one leaflet of ultimate pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet, 11-16 cm long, petiole semiterete, rhachis usually ± terete sometimes canaliculate, puberulous; petiolule 2-3(-6) mm long. Leaflets alternate to opposite, sometimes dimorphic or more often with a gradual transition between normal leaflets and the basal much-reduced "pseudostipules," 8-11 (excluding basal 2-3 pairs of reduced leaflets), oblong or elliptic, apex acuminate, base usually asymmetric and acute to obtuse or truncate (base of lower leaflets becoming progressively more oblique), subcoriaceous, 8.5-12.5[10.8] cm long, (3-)3.3-4.5[4.0] cm broad, upper surface glabrous or with midrib sparsely puberulous, lower glabrous or rarely midrib puberulous, sometimes glandular-punctate and -striate; basal reduced leaflets ovate to reniform with a strongly oblique base, petiolulate, 0.3-1.5(-l.7) cm long, usually persistent; venation eucamptodromous, midrib flat or slightly prominent; secondaries 12-13 on either side of midrib, ascending, slightly arcuate or straight, parallel or slightly convergent; intersecondaries obscure. Inflorescence axillary, 10-20 cm long, a rather densely-flowered, broadly pyramidal panicle, puberulous; pedicel 1-1.5 mm long. Calyx patelliform, 0.5-1 mm long, with 4-5 ovate or broadly triangular, acute to obtuse lobes, ca. 1/2 length of calyx, sparsely puberulous. Petals 4-5, free or fused at base, valvate, reflexing, (2-)2.5-3.5 mm long, (0.75-) 1-1.5 mm broad, lanceolate, apex acute, outside sparsely appressed puberulous, inside glabrous. Staminal tube urceolate or cyathiform; filaments completely fused, 1-2 mm long, (1-) 1.5-2 mm broad, margin with 7-10 triangular, acute or subulate lobes alternating with anthers and 1/3-1/2 their length, glabrous or occasionally with scattered long hairs inside throat; anthers 7-10, 0.7-0.8 mm long, glabrous. Nectary absent. Ovary conical, 3-locular, loculi with 2 collateral ovules, densely pubescent; style glabrous at least at apex; style-head capitate, level with base of anthers. Capsule oblong to ovoid, smooth, minutely sericeous, 1.2-1.4 cm long, 3-valved; pericarp ca. 0.5 mm thick; endocarp thin-cartilaginous. Seed solitary, ca. 0.8 cm long, 0.4 cm broad, completely surrounded by a thin fleshy arillode which also develops around aborted ovules, arillode free except for thin line of attachment from micropyle to raphe; seed coat thin. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons; radicle apical, included. Endosperm absent.

  • Discussion

    Ducke 15696 from Oriximina, Para is placed in this species with reservations. It differs from T. lecointei in several characters. The leaflets are longer, the petals are fused for 2/3 their length and the capsule is somewhat larger and narrower. It may represent a distinct species, but on the basis of the present incomplete collections from this region of Brazil, the evidence is not great enough to warrant its recognition.

    Relationships

    Closely related to T. schomburgkii subsp, schomburgkii and sharing part of its range. The differences are here enumerated.

    Leaflets 8.5-12.5[10.8] × (3-)3.3-4.5[4.0] cm, base usually asymmetric (leaflets 11-22[16.9] × (3.5-)5-8.5(-9.5)[6.2] cm, base nearly always regular in T. schomburgkii); petals (2-)2.5-3.5 mm, staminal tube 1-2 mm long (petals 3.5-4.5(-5) mm, staminal tube 2-3(-4) mm in T. schomburgkii); seed completely surrounded by thin arillode (arillode strongly developed only at seed apex in T. schomburgkii); capsule 1.2-1.4 cm long (2-3.5 cm in T. schomburgkii).

    The leaflet shape, shallow calyx, shorter petals, small sericeous capsule and lack of dibrachiate hairs distinguish T. lecointei from T. pleeana.

    Field Characters: Tree to 30 m with whitish flowers. Seed bright red (A. C. Smith, field data). Flowering August to October, fruiting in January.

  • Common Names

    Pracuuba da terra firme

  • Distribution

    A tree of non-flooded forest known only from a few collections from the Guyana-Brazilian frontier, Jari River region and central Pará. It is recorded from sea level to 600-800 m altitude.

    Guyana South America| Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America|