Lecythis pisonis, Cambessedes, 1829

Huang, Ya-Yi, Mori, Scott A. & Kelly, Lawrence M., 2015, Toward a phylogenetic-based Generic Classification of Neotropical Lecythidaceae- I. Status of Bertholletia, Corythophora, Eschweilera and Lecythis, Phytotaxa 203 (2), pp. 85-121 : 95

Lecythis pisonis clade (100% BS; Figs. 2A , 4 )

This clade comprises all four species of Lecythis section Pisonis recognized by Mori & Prance (1981) and Mori (1990b) and several other species that were included in synonymy by these authors but represent distinct species that have not yet been resurrected (Mori, unpubl. data). The species of this clade are found throughout lowland rainforests in Central and South America but at low densities. Morphological synapomorphies include the presence of a bluishgreen color caused by the oxidation of wounded tissue (character 2), an annular expansion below the apex of the style (character 38; Fig. 4C ), and sulcate seeds (character 43; Fig. 4G ). The sulcate seeds are unique to this clade. In addition to these features, the bark is deeply fissured and laminated and the fruits ( Fig. 4F ) are larger than found in any group of Lecythidaceae . The monophyly of Section Pisonis found in this study is congruent with previous studies ( Mori, 1990b; Mori et al., 2007; Huang et al., 2011). Although the monophyly of the Lecythis pisonis clade is strongly supported, species circumscriptions within the clade are problematic, especially for L. pisonis as circumscribed by Mori (1990b).

Figures

FIGURE 2A. Strict consensus of 66 most parsimonious (MP) trees based on total evidence. Bootstrap values (>50%) are given above the branches.All clades in this figure are part of the Bertholletia clade. The Lecythis pisonis, L. ollaria, Bertholletia excelsa, L. poiteaui, and Corythophora clades of the Bertholletia clade are shown.

FIGURE 4. The Lecythis pisonis clade (see Fig. 101 in Mori & Prance, 1990 for vouchers). A. Flower with an open androecial hood. B. Medial longitudinal section of flower with flat androecial hood. The androecial hood possesses a proximal group of staminodes for about one-quarter of its length (not distinguishable in this image) and vestigial stamens for the rest of the length. C. Medial longitudinal section of ovary. Note the stylar collar located just under the stigma. D. Cross-section of 4-locular ovary. E. Operculum with a woody columella that projects into the fruit. F. Fruit base. The fruits of this clade are the largest of all Lecythidaceae. G. Sulcate seed with a long basal aril. Note the funicle projecting from the bottom of the aril. Drawing by B. Angell.