Trichilia stipitata T.D. Penn.

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 75-76

26. Trichilia stipitata T.D. Penn. , Flora Neotropica 28: 117 (1981). Type :— PERU. Loreto, R. Javarí, about 20 miles below the R. Curuca, fl., Pennington, Prance, Hall & Ramos 10099 (holotype, FHO; isotypes INPA, NY). Map 32

Illustration: FN 28: 118, fig. 17 (1981). MAP 32. Distribution of Trichilia stipitata T.D.Penn. Solid dots, distribution pre-1981, open dots new records 1981–2010.

Young branches slender, 2–4 mm diam., sparsely pubescent, soon becoming glabrous, smooth, pale greyish to brown, with a few raised lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one of the terminal pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet, petiole 2.7–7.5 cm long, semiterete, glabrous; rhachis 2.2–10 cm long, terete, glabrous; petiolule 5–10 mm long, leaflets subopposite to alternate, 5(–7), 6 × 2.8–13.5 × 6 cm, broadly elliptic to oblong, apex abruptly long acuminate, base strongly asymmetrical, acute one side, obtuse to truncate the other, base of terminal leaflet regular, narrowly attenuate; chartaceous; glabrous apart from sparse pubescence along the upper midrib; not glandular-punctate or -striate; venation eucamptodromous to brochidodromous in the upper half of the leaflet, midrib flat or slightly raised in the upper surface, secondaries 8–9 pairs, ascending, arcuate, parallel to slightly convergent; intersecondaries absent; tertiaries obscure. Inflorescence axillary, 8–35 cm long, a lax, few-flowered panicle, peduncle 2–10 cm long, lateral branches spreading widely, the lower ones up to 17 cm long; glabrous; pedicel 1–1.5 mm long (above the articulation). Flowers unisexual (plant dioecous). Calyx 0.5–1 mm long, patelliform, margin truncate or very shallowly 5-lobed, sparsely ciliate to glabrous. Petals (4–)5, male ca. 5.5 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm broad, female 3.5– 4 mm long, 1–1.5 mm broad, free, imbricate, becoming strongly reflexed, lanceolate, apex acute, glabrous. Staminal tube 2.5–4 mm long, 2–2.5 mm broad, long-urceolate, filaments fused for 1/2–3/4 their length, apex truncate, glabrous on both faces but usually pubescent, sometimes densely so, along the margins; anthers 9–10, ca. 1 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, glabrous; antherodes in female ca. 0.75 mm long, shrunken, without pollen. Nectary a broad stipe (broader than the ovary) below the ovary, finely appressed puberulous. Ovary ca. 1 mm long, ovoid, 3-locular, locules with 2 collateral ovules, finely appressed puberulous; style ca. 1 mm long, gradually tapered from the ovary, finely appressed puberulous; style-head small, capitate; ovary in male flowers with slightly reduced ovules. Capsule 1.8–2 cm long, ca. 2 cm broad, 3-valved, subglobose to broadly, ovoid, apex rounded, base truncate, sometimes slightly trigonous on drying, usually a short stipe ca. 2 mm long, smooth, finely granular-puberulous, drying dark brown; pericarp ca. 1 mm thick. Seeds 3, ca. 1.3 × 0.7 cm, shaped like the segment of an orange, rounded at base and apex, arillode absent. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons, radicle apical, extending to the surface; endosperm absent.

Field Characters. Small treelet or tree to 14 m high, with smooth brown bark, the plant is subglabrous. Flowers white or cream-coloured, without scent, fruit maturing dark red. Flowering has been recorded from September to November, and mature fruit from April to August.

Distribution & Ecology. Western Amazonian Brazil and Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. A species of non-flooded lowland rain forest, occasionally in secondary forest, below 500 m elevation.

Collections Examined. COLOMBIA. Caqueta: Araracuara, track to Yari (SW0072), Gentry & Sanchez 64835 (K), 64959 (MO).

ECUADOR. Pastaza: R. Curaray, Laguna Garzayacu (SW0176), Palacios & Neill 686 (K, MO).

PERU. Loreto: Jenaro Herrera (SW0473), Daly et al. 5751 (K),? collector 6-1/37 (K); Maynas, Rio Momon, caserio de San Francisco (SW0373), Diaz & Jaramillo 113 (NY); Maynas, Rio Gueppi, tributary of Rio Putumayo (SW0075), Gentry et al. 21943 (K); Maynas, Distrito Iquitos, 5 km from Quistacocha (SW0373), Rimachi 7636 ( US); Maynas, Mishana (SW0373), Vásquez & Criollo 1787 (K); Alto Amazonas, Andoas (SW0276), Vásquez & Jaramillo 1889 (K); Ramón Castillo, Pevas (SW0371), Vásquez & Jaramillo 9759 (K); Maynas, Estación Callicebus-Mishana- Rio Nanay (SW0373), Vásquez et al. 694 (K, MO); Maynas, Mishana, Rio Nanay (SW0373), Vásquez et al. 7506 (NY).

BRAZIL. Amazonas: Municipio de Atalaia de Norte, 5 km from Atalaia (SW0470), Cid Ferreira et al. 9872 (K, US); near mouth of Rio Embira, tributary of Rio Tarauaca (SW0770), Krukoff 4909 (K).

Relationships. The distinctness of the flowers of this species from other species of sect. Trichilia is described in Flora Neotropica (1981). The fruit is typical of the section, but the seed is unusual in lacking an arillode. It is not clear from the dried material available whether the seed coat has developed a fleshy sarcotesta (as in T. euneura ).