Caraipa costata Spruce ex Benth.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1978. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part X. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 29: 1-288.

  • Family

    Clusiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Caraipa costata Spruce ex Benth.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Tree up to 15 m in height; young branchlets pubescent, later glabrescent. Leaves on lower parts of branches spiral, toward the top rarely remaining so but mostly passing over to distichy, coriaceous, pubescent along the midrib and otherwise glabrous above, villous along the midrib and nerves and otherwise laxly pubescent with irregularly branched to stellate stalked or rarely sessile hairs 0.3-0.6 mm long beneath, lanceolate, widest at the middle, 2-2.8 times longer than wide, 9-24 cm long, 4-10 cm wide, the base rounded, obtuse or cordate, the top obtuse or acute and mostly protracted in an acumen 0.5-1.3 cm long, the midrib depressed above and prominent below, nerves 12-15 pairs, tertiary veins subparallel, elevated beneath, the margin even or revolute, translucent dots not visible; petiole pubescent, 0.7-1.3 cm long. Inflorescences terminal few- to many-flowered panicles, the branches, bracts, and pedicels ferrugineous-villous, bracts and bracteoles oblong, caducous, the former 4-5 mm, the latter 2-3 mm long, pedicels thickened toward the top, 1-1.5 cm long, the bracteoles inserted in the middle or above the middle of the pedicels. Flower buds before anthesis globose to ovoid, 1.3-1.5 cm long, sepals and petals villous outside, the sepals coriaceous, rounded and sometimes apiculate at the top, free lobes 3-4.5 mm wide at the base and 3-4 mm long, petals obovate, 2-2.5 cm long, ovary ferrugineous-villous. Capsule obliquely pyramid-shaped, trigonous, smooth, grayish-brown-tomentellous, with 2 fertile cells, about 4.5 cm long and 3-3.8 cm wide at the base, exo- and endocarp not separable, seeds flattened, lanceolate, winged in the upper half, about 3 cm long.

  • Discussion

    1. Caraipa costata Spruce ex Bentham, Jour. Linn. Soc. Bot. 5:61. 1861; Wawra in Martius, Fl. Bras. 12(1): 319. 1886; Ducke, Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 6: 66. 1939. Caraipa spuria Barb. Rodr., Ternstroem. 5, f C. 1887; Vellosia 2nd ed. 8, t 5C. 1891. Type. Amazonas, Brazil. R. Spruce 2587 (holotype K, isotypes BR, G, P, US, W). Vernacular name, "sanafra" (Rio Uaupes). Variation. The only flowering collection from the Upper Rio Negro-region known to me differs from those from the Manaus area in possessing smaller flowers; moreover, the size of the leaves seems to diminish gradually up the Rio Negro.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. Fig 64. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Uaupes, Panure (=Sao Jeronymo), Spruce 2587 (BR, G, K, P, US, W); Sao Gabriel, Maua, Froes 876 (NY). Tapuruquara, Froes 22098 (U); Manaus, Taruma, Cachoeira grande, Ule 8927 (G, K, US); Manaus, Igarape Mindu, Ducke 1754 (F, NY, R, US); Ibid, Estrada do Aleixo, Ducke 943 (F, K, NY, R, U, US), RB 23454 (G, K, P, PB, S, U, US); ibid, Parque 10, MG21199 (NY); INPA 1423 (INPA); Ibid, Cachoeirinha, Luetzelburg 23976 (M, R); Ibid, Chapada, Luetzelburg 21978 (

    Brazil South America|