Trichilia solitudinis Harms, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 119-120

60. Trichilia solitudinis Harms, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 10: 247 (1928); T. D.Penn., Fl. Neotrop. 28: 187 (1981). Type:— PERU. Loreto, Lower Itaya , Soledad, fl., Tessmann 5160 (holotype, B, destroyed; isotypes, NY, S, US). Map 68

For synonymy see FN 28: 187 (1981). Illustration: FN 28: 188, fig. 39 (1981).

Abbreviated Description. Indumentum pubescent to villose with ferrugineous simple hairs, petiole narrowly winged, wings infolded, leaflets 8–10, alternate or subopposite, 18 × 6.8–31 × 11 cm, decreasing in size towards base of leaf, oblanceolate, elliptic, obovate or oblong, secondary veins 20–25 pairs, inflorescence 20–35 cm long, a laxly-branched panicle with dense clusters of flowers, petals 5, 5–5.5 cm, long, fused near the base and becoming free as they reflex, valvate, filaments completely fused in a staminal tube, margin with (9–)10 short lobes, anthers (9–)10, nectary absent, ovary densely pubescent, 3-locular, locules with 2 collateral ovules.

MAP 68. Distribution of Trichilia solitudinis Harms. Solid dots, distribution pre-1981, open dots new records 1981–2010.

Emended Description of fruit: capsule 2.5–3.2 cm long, 1.4–2 cm broad, 3-valved, broadly ellipsoid, apex and base acute to obtuse, smooth, densely ferrugineous-tomentose, pericarp ca. 2 mm thick; seeds 2, ca. 2.5 × 1 cm (including the apical arillode), plano-convex; arillode developed along the adaxial surface and prolonged into a beak at the apex, abaxial surface of seed fully exposed, seed coat very thin and membraneous. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons, radicle apical, extending to the surface; endosperm absent.

Distribution & Ecology. Transamazonian, from Pará, Brazil to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, where it is a component of non-flooded rain forest on infertile red soils and also dark fertile soils, and in lower montane forest in the Andes where it reaches 1400 m elevation.

Field Characters. Tree to 30 m high and 30 cm diam. with dark brown scaling bark, slash pink; the cut twigs produce white exudate; flowers greenish cream. Most flowering occurs from September to November with a few records from December, January and February, the only semi-mature fruit so far collected was in March.

Representative Additional Collections. COLOMBIA. Without exact locality (SW0170), Sanchez et al. 1458 (COAH).

ECUADOR. Morona-Santiago: Cordillera de Cutucu, Asociación Shuar Sevilla (SW0278), Suin et al. 1892 (K). Napo: Cantón Aguarico, Huaorani Reserve (SW0076), M. Aulestia et al. 1097 (K, MO). Orellana: Rio Huashito, 30 km NNW of Coca (SW0077), Pennington 10594 (K, QCNE). Pastaza: Cantón Pastaza, 35 km SSE of Curaray (SW0176), Gudiño 733 (K).

PERU. Madre de Dios: Province Tambopata, Collpa de Guacamayos, Rio Tambopata (SW1369), Gentry et al. 76589 (MO). Pasco: 6 km N of Puente Lorencilo (SW0975), Gentry & Diaz 58636 (MO).

BRAZIL. Acre: Municipio Cruzeiro do Sul, Seringal Iracema (SW0872), Cid Ferreira et al. 10792 (K, NY). Maranhão: Municipio Altamira, Igarape Ipixuna (SW0452), Balee & Ribeiro 1885 (K). Mato Grosso: Aripuaná, near Humboldt Centre (SW1059), Berg et al. 18585 (MO). Pará: Rio Tocantins, Tucurui to Breu Branco (SW0349), Rodrígues et al. 10275 (NY). Rondonia: Municipio Ji-Paraná, Linha 56 (SW0862), Cid Ferreira 9038 (K).

Note. Leaflets generally decrease in size from apex of leaf to the base, but occasionally a reduced caducous leaflet (1–3 cm long) occurs at the top of the winged petiole.