Trichilia pittieri C.DC., Bull. Herb. Boissier, Ser.

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 80-81

31. Trichilia pittieri C.DC., Bull. Herb. Boissier, Ser. 3, 5: 425 (1905); T. D.Penn., Fl. Neotrop. 28: 131 (1981). Type:— COSTA RICA. Prov. Cartago, Tuis, fl., Tonduz & Pittier 11235 (holotype, BR; isotypes, CR, G, GH, K, M, NY, US, W). Map 36

Illustration: FN28: 124, fig. 20 (1981).

Young branches 5–8 mm diam., crisped puberulous with simple basifixed hairs, becoming glabrous, smooth, without lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one of the terminal pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet, petiole and rhachis 14–30 cm long, semiterete, minutely crisped-puberulous; petiolule 2–5 mm long. Leaflets opposite to alternate, heteromorphic, with 3–5 pairs of greatly reduced leaflets clasping the base of the petiole, normal leaflets 7–11, 15 × 5–23 × 9 cm, decreasing in size towards the base of the leaf, elliptic, oblong or oblanceolate, apex attenuate to shortly acuminate, base acute, rounded or truncate, sometimes asymmetrical, chartaceous; upper midrib sparsely puberulous, lower lamina sparsely puberulous, sometimes glandular-punctate or -striate, venation eucamptodromous, midrib flat or slightly raised on the upper surface, secondary veins 18–22 pairs, ascending, straight or slightly arcuate, parallel, intersecondaries short, tertiaries oblique, obscure; reduced basal leaflets unfolding before the normal leaflets, 0.5–5 cm long, ovate to orbicular, often with a cordate base, or 2-foliolate, persistent. Inflorescence axillary, 15–33 cm long, a slender to broad, much-branched, densely-flowered panicle, peduncle 4–10 cm long, lowest lateral branches to 10 cm long, crisped-puberulous, pedicel 1–2 mm long. Calyx 1.5–2 mm long, cyathiform, with 5 triangular to ovate, acute lobes 1/3 to 2/3 the length of the calyx. Petals 5, free, strongly imbricate, reflexing, 3.5–4.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm broad, lanceolate, apex acute, minutely appressed puberulous and papillose outside. Staminal tube 1.5–2 mm long, ca. 3 mm broad, cyathiform, filaments completely fused, margin with 10 subulate lobes alternating with the anthers and 1/3 to 1/2 their length, with scattered hairs outside and moderately barbate inside, or glabrous, anthers 10, 0.75 to 1 mm long, glabrous. Nectary absent. Ovary broadly conical, 3-locular, locules with 2 collateral ovules, crisped-puberulous, style subglabrous with a capitate style-head equalling the anthers. Capsule 1.5–2 cm long, 0.9–1.1 cm broad, 3-valved, valves reflexing, ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid, apex rounded, base rounded to truncate, sometimes slightly trigonous on drying, smooth, finely puberulous, pericarp 0.5–0.75 mm thick. Seed solitary, ca. 1.5 x 0.9 cm, broadly ellipsoid, rounded at base and apex, completely surrounded by a thin 3-partite arillode, arillode free, except for attachment at apex of seed, seed coat membraneous. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons, radicle apical, included, endosperm absent.

MAP 36. Distribution of Trichilia pittieri C.DC. Solid dots, distribution pre-1981, open dots new records 1981–010.

Field Characters. Tree to 35 m high and 1 m diam., lower part of the trunk usually deeply fluted, bark scaling in large irregular plates and with pinkish slash, the flowers are greenish cream and the fruit matures orange-yellow, the seed is completely surrounded by a bright red fleshy arillode. Flowering in Costa Rica February to May, in Ecuador September to December, fruiting in Costa Rica November to December, in Ecuador February to June.

Distribution & Ecology. Lowland and montane rain forest on the Atlantic slopes of Costa Rica, Amazonian Ecuador and Peru, elevational range 250 m to 1200 m. Although I have seen no specimens from Panama, it has recently been recorded from the Caribbean drainage in the Changuinola Valley (N. Zamora, pers. comm.)

Collections Examined. COSTA RICA. Cartago: Turrialba, Tayutic, below Chirripo (NW0983), Herrera 8339 (K, MO); CATIE-Turrrialba (NW0983), Poveda et al. 4047 (F, MO). Puntarenas: Palmar Norte de Osa (NW0883), Allen 5862 (F, MO); Cantón Buenos Aires, RI Ujarras, Cordillera de Salamanca (NW0983), Jiménez et al. 1910 (CR). San José: Perez Zelendón, Fila Tinamaste (NW00983), Valverde 998 (F).

ECUADOR. Napo: Hollin-Loreto road km 40 (SW0077), Hurtado 825 (NY, QCNE); Cantón Archidona, Hollin-Loreto km 17, near R. Hollin (SW0077), Hurtado & Shiguango 1756 (NY, QCNE); southern slopes of Volcán Sumaco near R. Hollin bridge, Neill & Asanza 8888 (K, NY, QCNE); Hollin-Loreto road, between Huamani and Rio Pucuno (SW0077), Palacios & Iguago 4634 (K, QCNE), 4648 (K, NY, QCNE). Orellana: Yasuní National Park, Maxus road km 46–52 (SW0076), Aulestia et al. 430 (NY, QCNE); Maxus road km 38–45 (SW0076), Dik 819 (F, NY, QCNE); La Joya de los Sachas, Cantón Pompeya (SW0076), Gudiño et al. 2152 (NY, QCNE); Yasuní National Park, Primate Research area, Bogi sector (SW0076), Neill et al. 13661 (K). Sucumbios: Sacha Lodge, 3 km N of Añangu (SW0076), J.L.Clark et al. 1099 (K, NY, QCNE, US); Yasuní National Park, Añangu (SW0076), SEF 10259 (QCA).

PERU. Huánuco: Yuyapichis, Puerto Inca, DANTAS (SW0975), Flores & Tello 1480 (K, MOL). Madre de Dios: Manu National Park, Rio Cumerjali (SW1171), Foster & d’Achille 11993 (K).

Trichilia sect. Moschoxylum (A.Juss.) C.DC. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 11(1): 209 (1878) (spp. 32–81). Type:— Moschoxylum swartzii A.Juss (= Trichilia moschata Sw. ). Leaflets mostly alternate, petals valvate, free or united, filaments completely united in a staminal tube, nectary absent or rarely represented by an obscure swelling around the base of the ovary.