Corythophora rimosa W.A.Rodrigues

  • Authority

    Leuenberger, Beat E. 1986. Pereskia (Cactaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 41: 1-140.

  • Family

    Lecythidaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Corythophora rimosa W.A.Rodrigues

  • Description

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    Latin Diagnosis - Ab C rimosa subsp. rimosa petalis rubris differt.

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Common, but of scattered occurrence in non-inundated forests of French Guiana and Amapá, Brazil. It is a relatively frequent species of ridge tops at La Fumée Mountain (Fig. X-l).

  • Discussion

    Type. French Guiana. Saül, Monts La Fumée, 3°37'N, 53°12'W, 19 Aug 1982 (fl), Mori & Boom 14746 (holotype, NY; isotypes, CAY, INPA, K, M, MG, MO, P). These two taxa differ in geographical distribution and in their petals. The red or maroon petals of subsp. rubra contrast with the green, yellow, or white ones of subsp. rimosa. Moreover, the petals of the latter are inrolled at the margins whereas those of the former are flat. These differences suggest differences in pollination. Our data indicate that subsp. rubra is pollinated by robust trigonid bees (Chapter XII). The pollinators of subsp. rimosa are unknown. Petals similar to, albeit larger than, those of subsp. rimosa are found in the night-flowering, bat-pollinated Lecythis poiteaui (Mori et al., 1978). Perhaps the petals of subsp. rimosa are also adaptations to nocturnal pollination. If the latter is shown to be true, subsp. rubra most certainly will have to be recognized as a species. The two subspecies are allopatric. Subspecies rimosa is central Amazonian while subsp. rubra is found in French Guiana and in Amapá, Brazil.