Pradosia beardii (Monach.) T.D.Penn.

Authority

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

Family

Sapotaceae

Scientific Name

Pradosia beardii (Monach.) T.D.Penn.

Synonyms

Chrysophyllum beardii Monach., Ecclinusa beardii (Monach.) Aubrév., Chrysophyllum monachinoanum Steyerm., Glycoxylon rubrum Aubrév.

Description

Species Description - Tree; young shoots densely golden-ferruginous pubescent, becoming glabrous, greyish-white to brown, rough, usually without lenticels. Leaves loosely clustered, opposite or verticillate, 5-14 × 2.9-7.7 cm, broadly oblanceolate obovate or elliptic, apex obtuse, rounded, truncate or emarginate, base acute to rounded, margin revolute, coriaceous, upper surface glabrous, except for residual pubescence on midrib, lower surface densely short golden-brown pubescent, indumentum turning greyish with age; venation eucamptodromous, marginal vein sometimes present, midrib sunken on the upper surface, secondary veins 11-13 pairs, parallel, straight or slightly arcuate; intersecondaries absent; tertiaries oblique to horizontal, obscure. Petiole 4-7 mm long, slightly channelled, pubescent, stipels absent. Fascicles 3-20-flowered, below the leaves. Pedicel 1-2 mm long, densely pubescent. Sepals five, ca. 2 mm long, ovate to lanceolate, apex acute to rounded, densely pubescent outside, glabrous inside, sometimes ciliate. Corolla 2.5-3 mm long, tube 0.5-1.25 mm long, lobes five, 1.75-2 mm long, ovate, lanceolate or oblong, apex acute to rounded, appressed pubescent outside, with broad glabrous margin, glabrous inside. Stamens five, fixed at the base of the corolla lobes; filaments 1-2.5 mm long, glabrous; anthers 0.5-1 mm long, lanceolate or ovate, glabrous. Ovary ovoid, five-locular, densely pubescent; 0.9-1.25 mm long after anthesis, glabrous; style-head simple. Fruit 1.5-1.6 cm long, ellipsoid, apex rounded, apiculate, base obtuse, smooth, ferruginous-puberulous. Seed solitary, 1.2-1.4 cm long, broadly ellipsoid, rounded at base and apex, not laterally compressed, testa smooth, shining, ca. 0.75 mm thick; scar adaxial, three-quarters of the length of the seed, 3.5-4 mm wide; embryo with thick flat or thinly planoconvex, free cotyledons, radicle exserted ca. 2 mm; endosperm absent. Field characters. Tree to 25 m high and 60 cm diam. with small buttresses, bark reddish, scaling and leaving conspicuous dapple marks, slash giving white latex, tasting of licorice. Flowers with bright green corolla, fruit ferruginous brown. Flowering Sep to Mar (Venezuela and Guyana), May and Aug (Trinidad), fruiting May-Jun (Venezuela and Guyana).

Discussion

The ripe fruit is edible, and in Guyana the bark is used by locals as a cough remedy (FDBG 937).

Distribution and Ecology: Trinidad, Venezuela and Guyana, occurring at low elevations on swampy land and in marsh forest in Trinidad and near the coast of Guyana, but also a common indicator species in wallaba (Eperua) forest and less frequently in savanna forest in the Pakaraima mountains, Guyana. In Bolivar, Venezuela, it is a component of humid, mossy forest up to 1800 m altitude.

Common Names

Cakak-orai-yek, kakarura, swamp kukarua, wild kaimit

Distribution

Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Guyana South America|