Trichilia areolata T.D. Penn.

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 133-134

71. Trichilia areolata T.D. Penn. , Flora Neotrop. 28: 208 (1981). Type:— BRAZIL. Amazonas, Manaus, fl., Coelho & Mello 3007 (holotype, INPA; isotype, FHO). Plate 16 , Map 80

Illustration: FN 28: 180, fig. 35 (1981).

Young shoots slender, 2–4 mm diam., coarsely pubescent with crisped, spreading and erect pale hairs, becoming glabrous, rough, greyish-brown with numerous pale lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves 1–3-foliolate or imparipinnate, petiole of unifoliolate leaves 1.3–2.3 cm long, petiole of 3–5-foliolate leaves 4–4.5 cm long, semiterete, sparsely and coarsely pubescent; rhachis 4–6 cm long, semiterete, sparsely pubescent; petiolule of lateral leaflets 3–4 mm long. Leaflets alternate to opposite, dimorphic, 1–5, with 1–2 pairs of vestigial, linear-subulate “pseudostipules” at the base of the petiole, these 0.5–0.7 cm long; lateral leaflets 6.8 × 3.5–14.5 × 5.5 cm, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, apex acuminate to obtusely cuspidate, base cuneate to obtuse; terminal leaflets and unifoliolate leaflets 10 × 4.2–19 × 9 cm, elliptic or oblanceolate, apex acuminate to obtusely cuspidate, base cuneate to obtuse, subcoriaceous, glandular-punctate and -striate, upper surface densely pubescent along the midrib, lower surface coarsely pubescent along the midrib and veins; venation eucamptodromous, midrib prominent on the upper surface, secondaries 7–15 pairs, ascending, arcuate or +/-straight, parallel or slightly convergent, intersecondaries obscure or absent; tertiaries forming a conspicuous reticulum. Inflorescence axillary, 10–20 cm long, an irregularly branched slender panicle, sparsely and coarsely pubescent, pedicel 0.5–1.5 mm long. Calyx 1–1.5 mm long, cyathiform, 5-toothed, teeth triangular, 1/3–1/2 the length of the calyx, subglabrous. Petals 5, 3–3.5 mm long, 0.75–1 mm broad, free, valvate, narrowly lanceolate, apex acute, hooded, strigulose outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube 1.5–2 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm broad, cyathiform, filaments completely fused, alternate filaments slightly longer, bearing 2 slender apical appendages about 1/2 the length of the anthers, glabrous outside, crisped pubescent inside; anthers 9–10, 0.6–0.7 mm long, glabrous. Nectary absent. Ovary 0.75–1 mm long, ovoid, 2–3-locular, locules with 2 collateral ovules, densely strigose; style glabrous, style-head capitate, equalling the anthers. Capsule 2.3–2.5 cm long, 1.3–1.5 cm broad, 3-valved, ellipsoid, apex and base obtuse to rounded, smooth, densely tomentose; pericarp ca. 1.5 mm thick. Seed solitary, ca. 2 x 1 cm (including the arillode), obovoid, apex truncate, base obtuse, arillode developed at apex of seed and along the adaxial surface only, leaving the abaxial face exposed. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons, radicle apical. included; endosperm absent.

Distribution & Ecology. Southern Surinam to central and eastern Amazonian Brazil, in lowland rain forest on both periodically flooded and non-flooded land, below 200 m elevation.

Field Characters. Small tree to 17 m high and 10 cm diam., bark pale brown, with shallow horizontal and vertical fissures, forming a reticulum, slash pale brown, with slight orange exudate and spicy Meliaceous scent, flowers whitish and mature fruit greenish to yellowish, with off-white to ferrugineous pubescence. The black seed has an orange-yellow arillode. Flowering in November and December, fruit maturing March to April.

Additional Collections Examined. SURINAM. Sipaliwini, vicinity of Ulemari River, 150 km upstream from confluence with the Litani River (NW0254), Evans & Peckham 2894 (K); vicinity of Ulemari River, 99 km upstream from confluence with the Litani River (NW0254), Hammel & Koemar 21388 (K); 200 km upstream from confluence with the Litani River (NW0254), Hammel & Koemar 21527 (K); 150 km upstream from confluence with the Litani River (NW0254), Hammel et al. 21569 (K).

MAP 80. Distribution of Trichilia areolata T.D.Penn. Solid dots, distribution pre-1981, open dots new records 1981–2010.

BRAZIL Amazonas: Manaus–Itacoatiara km 26, Ducke Reserve (SW0259), Assunção et al. 89 (K), 821 (K).

Pará: BR 163, km 1417, 3 km N of Rio Itapacura (SW0456), Prance et al. 25744 ( US).

Figures

PLATE 16. Trichilia areolata T.D.Penn. A, habit with inflorescence; B, detail of leaf under surface; C, vestigial ‘pseudostipules’ at base of petiole; D, half flower; E, cross-section of ovary. (A–C, Hammel & Koemar 21388; D–E, L.Coelho & Mello 3007).