Chrysophyllum prieurii A.DC.

Authority

Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family

Sapotaceae

Scientific Name

Chrysophyllum prieurii A.DC.

Type

Type. French Guiana, Le Prieur 157 (holotype, G-DC (s.n.); isotypes, F, G, photo MO, P).

Synonyms

Chrysophyllum cyanogenum Ducke, Ecclinusa cyanogena (Ducke) Aubrév., Ecclinusa prieurii (A.DC.) Aubrév., Prieurella prieurii (A.DC.) Aubrév.

Description

Species Description - Tree, young shoots closely rufous-brown appressed puberulous, becoming glabrous, greyish-brown, rough and cracked, lenticels present or absent. Leaves clustered at the shoot apex, spirally arranged, 9.5-20(-30) × 3.9-8(-ll) cm, broadly oblanceolate or obovate, apex rounded or obtusely cuspidate, base narrowly attenuate or acute, thinly coriaceous, glabrous above, closely rufous-brown sericeous below, indumentum usually persisting; venation eucamptodromous, midrib slightly raised on the upper surface, secondary veins 7-14 pairs, slightly convergent or parallel, arcuate, sometimes slightly raised on the upper surface, prominent below; intersecondaries absent; tertiaries usually horizontal, rarely oblique, numerous, close, parallel. Petiole (1-)2-3.7 cm long, not channelled, often slightly decurrent, appressed puberulous. Ramiflorous, fascicles 5-15-flowered. Pedicel 0.5-1 cm long, appressed puberulous. Flowers unisexual (plant dioecious). Sepals five, 2-3 mm long, broadly ovate, elliptic or suborbicular, apex obtuse or rounded, appressed puberulous on both surfaces, inner sepals with fringed ciliate margin. Corolla 2.5-3.25 mm long, tube 0.5-1 mm long, often carnose, lobes five, 2-2.25 mm long, broadly ovate or elliptic, apex obtuse, usually with some hairs inside at the base of the lobes, corolla lobes sometimes persistent in fruit. Stamens five, fixed at or near the top of the corolla tube; filaments 1-1.5 mm long, glabrous; anthers 0.75-1 mm long, lanceolate, glabrous; stamens in female flowers reduced to a small vestige. Staminodes absent. Ovary ovoid, five-locular, densely strigose; style 0.5-0.75 mm long after anthesis, strigose; style-head minutely five-lobed. Fruit 3.5-5 cm long, broadly ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid, usually rounded at apex and base, almost smooth and puberulous to slightly or strongly verrucose or echinate-muricate. Seeds up to five, 1.9-3.1 cm long, ellipsoid, slightly to strongly laterally compressed, testa not shiny, adherent to the pericarp, 0.5-1 mm thick; scar narrowly adaxial, extending most of the length of the seed, 1.5-3 mm wide; embryo with foliaceous or thick flat cotyledons and exserted radicle, endosperm as thick as the cotyledons or thicker. Field characters Tree to 40 m high and 120 cm diam. with a cylindrical bole and steep branched buttresses to 2 m high. The bark is reddish brown, finely vertically cracked or shallowly fissured, the flat ridges profusely scaling in small friable pieces. The slash is pink or cream, and exudes a small amount of yellow or white latex. Flowers yellowish white to greenish, with an agreeble scent, mature fruit yellow to orange. In Amazonia and northern South America most flowering occurs Jul to Nov, with fruit maturing Jan to May. Elsewhere flowering has been recorded in May-Jun (Boyacá and Chocó, Colombia), and fruiting in Jul (Panama). According to Ducke 813 the whole plant smells strongly of almonds (hydrocyanic acid).

Discussion

The very hard wood of this species is used locally for construction and railway sleepers, and in Colombia it provides the gears for horse or mule-operated sugar mills (Lawrance 820, Boyaca). The sweet flesh of the fruit is edible, and is also eaten by peccaries (Gordon 90C, Panama).

Distribution and Ecology: Central Brazilian Amazonia to the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Peru, with a wide ecological range. A component of non-flooded lowland rainforest on sand or clay in Amazonia, but also found in sandy Campina vegetation north of Manaus. In Colombia and Peru it occurs in wet evergreen forest, up to 1200 m altitude.

Common Names

Abiu, Abiurana, balata jaune d’oeuf, Balata poirier, bolaquiro, caimitillo negro, caraña, Castanha Vermelha, coto quinilla, cuyuri, jaune d’oeuf a grandes feuilles, malobi, massaranduba, nuoma, palo de cuyure, pepe boiti, pepe poirier, renaco, takamala, zolive

Distribution

Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Panama Central America| Peru South America| French Guiana South America|