Burdachia sphaerocarpa A.Juss.
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett. 1978. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part XI. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 32: 1-391.
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Family
Malpighiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
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Species Description - Small trees 3-8 m tall, the younger vegetative stems strongly flattened and glabrous, becoming terete in age. Lamina ofthe larger leaves (8-) 10-23 cm long, 5-10(-11.5) cm wide, ovate, elliptical, or obovate, cuneate, rounded, or slightly cordate at the base, thickened and revolute at the margin, acute or short-acuminate to rounded and often apiculate at the apex, glabrous, usually bearing 2 large glands below at base by midrib and many scattered tiny impressed glands distally, the lateral veins and often a coarse reticulum prominent below, prominulous or obscure above; petiole 9-25 mm long, thick, glabrous, eglandular (except for the pair of glands at juncture of lamina and petiole); stipule-pair 5-9(-11) mm long, ovate, auriculate at the base, acuminate at the apex, coriaceous, abaxially glabrous, adaxially densely orange-hirsute. Inflorescence tomentose-sericeous to glabrate, erect or pendent in fruit, single or double, simple or divided at the base into 3(-5) axes, each cincinnus of 1-2(-6) flowers, the bract and bracteoles 1-2.5 mm long, broadly ovate or triangular, concave, abaxially glabrous, adaxially hirsute at the base; peduncle of the cincinnus glabrous or with a few hairs in a line. Pedicel 5-11(-13) mm long, glabrous, thickened in fruit. Sepals 1.5-2 mm long beyond the glands, 1.7-2.5 mm wide, broadly obtuse or rounded, membranous at the margin, glabrous, the glands 2-3 mm long. Lateral petals with the claw 4-6 mm long, the limb 6.5-9.5 mm long, 7-11 mm wide, deeply concave (outermost) to nearly flat, orbicular, deeply cordate at the base, entire or slightly erose; posterior petal with the claw 4 mm long, the limb 4-5 mm long, 3 mm wide, flat or distally reflexed, ovate or oblong, bearing 2-4 large stalked pendent glands on each side at the base and several sessHe glands distally, these continuous over the apex or not. Filaments 1.5-2.2 mm long; anthers 2-4 mm long, variable in the same flower but generally longer opposite the sepals, the connective equalling the locules at the apex or extended up to 1 mm in an obtuse or rounded, erect or reflexed projection. Ovary depressed-globose, 1-1.5 mm high, glabrous; styles 4-6 mm long, glabrous. Fruit 15-28 mm long, 11-17 (-19) mm in diameter, spheroid to conoid, rounded at the base, smooth-sided and round in cross section, usually ± rostrate at the apex, "green" drying brown, glabrous, with a thick fibrous husk, 1-seeded.
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Discussion
Type. Martius, Barra do Rio Negro [Manaus], Amazonas, Brazil (P, M). This species has populations in two disjunct areas, in both of which occur similar variations in size and shape of leaves and fruits. However, plants of the two areas do seem to differ consistently in the color of their petals, insofar as it has been noted by collectors, and that may represent a significant adaptation to different pollinators. I am recognizing two varieties on the basis of that difference, with the special purpose of emphasizing the peculiar distribution of the species. More complete collection may eventually erode the bases for recognizing these varieties. The collections cited by Cuatrecasas (1958, p 636) as Burdachia sphaerocarpa are treated here as B. prismatocarpa var loretoensis. Collected in flower and fruit in diverse months, especially from March to June and September to December.