Licania Aubl.

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T. 1972. Chrysobalanaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 9: 1-410. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Chrysobalanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Licania Aubl.

  • Type

    Type species. Licania incana Aublet. The name Licania is derived from the vernacular name "Calignia", intended to be an anagram.

  • Synonyms

    Moquilea Aubl., Dahuronia Scop., Hedycrea Schreb., Hirtella, Angelesia, Trichocarya Miq., Chrysobalanus, Geobalanus Small, Coccomelia Reinw., Licania incana Aubl.

  • Description

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    Description - Small to large trees or shrubs, rarely suffrutices. Flowers hermaphrodite. Leaves entire, glabrous above at maturity, lanate or pulverulent or strigose or glabrous or with stomatal cavities on lower surface. Petioles with two or more sessile glands, or eglandular. Bracts and bracteoles usually eglandular, usually small, very rarely large and enclosing small groups of flower buds. Inflorescences most frequently sparsely branched racemose panicles, less frequently a panicle of cymules or a spike. Receptacle 1.0-8.0 mm long, varying from subglobose or campanulate to urceolate, the interior always pubescent. Calyx lobes 5, acute. Petals (4-) 5 or absent. Stamens 3-40, unilateral or inserted in a complete circle; filaments usually free to base, rarely connate, usually glabrous, long-exserted beyond the calyx lobes to short and included. Ovary inserted at or near the base of the receptacle, rarely slightly laterally inserted, usually pilose; carpel unilocular, ovules 2. Style filiform, of varied length. Fruit a small to large, dry or flesy drupe, exterior varying from densely tomentose to pulverulent or glabrous, the surface smooth or verrucose; pericarp sometimes in one layer, more often divided into a fleshy mesocarp and a hard woody or bony endocarp which has no special mechanism for seedling escape. Seed large, erect, filling the loculus. Germination hypogeal, first leaves alternate.

  • Distribution

    Largely New World from Mexico, Florida, West Indies to Southern Brazil, with one widespread species in the Asiatic tropics. Most abundant in the lowland forests and savannas of the Guianas and the Amazon Basin.

    Mexico North America| United States of America North America| West Indies| Asia| Central America| Suriname South America| Guyana South America| French Guiana South America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Brazil South America|