Licania divaricata Benth.

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Chrysobalanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Licania divaricata Benth.

  • Type

    Type. Schomburgk 463, Guyana, fl (holotype, K; isotypes, BM, CGE, G, L, NY, OXF, P).

  • Synonyms

    Licania heteromorpha var. divaricata (Benth.) Fritsch

  • Description

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    Description - Small to medium-sized tree to 18.0 m tall, the trunk often with stilt roots; the young branches puberulous, soon becoming glabrous and lenticellate. Leaves elliptic to oblong-elliptic, thick-coriaceous, 9.0-27.0 cm long, 4.5-10.0 cm broad, abruptly short-acuminate at apex, with acumen 2.0-10.0 mm long, subcuneate at base, glabrous on both surfaces; palisade glands present; midrib plane to slightly impressed above, glabrous; primary veins 6-7 pairs, extremely prominent beneath, inconspicuous above; petioles 5.0-9.0 mm long, glabrous, terete, with two sessile glands near lamina base. Stipules lanceolate, coriaceous, to 4.0 mm long, adnate to petiole base, subpersistent. Inflorescences predominantly axillary panicles, the rachis and branches sparsely appressed-hirsutulous. Flowers ca 1.5 mm long, solitary but densely crowded on primary and secondary branches of inflorescence. Bracts and bracteoles 0.5-2.o mm long, oblong to lanceolate, hirsutulous, persistent. Receptacle campanulate, almost sessile, sparsely hirsutulous on exterior, sparsely pubescent within. Petals 5, pubescent, not clawed. Stamens 7, inserted in a complete circle; filaments slightly shorter than calyx lobes, connate for one third of length, glabrous. Ovary inserted at base of receptacle, villous. Style equalling filaments, hirsute throughout. Fruit ovoid; epicarp smooth, glabrous, drying black; mesocarp thin, fleshy; endocarp thin, granular, fragile, glabrous within.

  • Discussion

    I agree with those authors who have maintained this as a species separate from L. heteromorpha, rather than with Fritsch who regarded it as a variety, because L. divaricata differs from the variable L. heteromorpha, in the leaf venation and in the pubescence of the inflorescence and flowers.

  • Common Names

    Buruburuli, Boroborelli, Itoeloetano japopalli, Anaura, Sabaneanaura

  • Distribution

    Forest and savanna margins of the Guianas and adjacent Brazil, on sandy soil.

    Guyana South America| Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Suriname South America|