Trichilia inaequilatera T.D.Penn.

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 135-137

72. Trichilia inaequilatera T.D.Penn. , Flora Neotrop. 28: 209 (1981). Type :— VENEZUELA. Amazonas, R. Orinoco below Santa Barbara, fl., Wurdack & Adderley 43002 (holotype, FHO; isotype, K). Map 81

Illustration: FN28: 210, fig. 44 (1981).

Young shoots slender, often channelled at first, 3–5 mm diam., coarsely pubescent with a mixture of short and long hairs (the latter sometimes dibrachiate), indumentum rather persistent, eventually becoming glabrous, smooth, greyish white, with small lenticels. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one of the ultimate pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet; petiole 2–3 cm long, semiterete, pubescent, rhachis 4–12 cm long, semiterete, pubescent; petiolule 0–2 mm long. Leaflets alternate to opposite, +/- dimorphic, 6–12, with 1–2 pairs of greatly reduced basal leaflets at the base of the petiole, largest leaflets 7 × 2.5–15.5 × 5.7 cm, decreasing in size towards the leaf base, oblong, elliptic, oblanceolate or lanceolate, apex short- to long-acuminate, base symmetric or asymmetric, acute to rounded or truncate; chartaceous to subcoriaceous, sometimes obscurely glandular-punctate or -striate, upper surface with pubescent midrib and veins, lower surface pubescent with a mixture of long and short hairs or subglabrous; reduced basal leaflets develop before the normal leaflets, 0.7–2(–3) cm long, usually ovate or elliptic, base asymmetric; venation eucamptodromous, midrib sunken on the upper surface, secondaries 11–15 pairs, ascending, straight or slightly arcuate, parallel or slightly convergent; intersecondaries short, tertiaries reticulate, often prominent below. Flowers unisexual (plant dioecious). Inflorescence axillary or clustered in the axils of undeveloped leaves, male 9–22 cm long, a laxly-branched slender or pyramidal thyrse, female 4–6 cm long, a slender few-flowered panicle, coarsely pubescent, pedicel 0.25–1.25 mm long. Calyx 0.75–2 mm long, rotate or patelliform, (4–)5-lobed, lobes triangular or ovate, acute, ca. 1/2 the length of the calyx, pubescent outside. Petals (4–)5, 2–4 mm long, 0.75–1.25 cm broad, free, valvate, erect, lanceolate, apex acute and sometimes hooded, appressed pubescent outside, glabrous inside. Staminal tube 1.25–2.5 mm long and broad, urceolate, cyathiform or shortly cylindrical, filaments completely fused, the margin 8–10(–11)- lobed, lobes acute to subulate alternating with the anthers and 1/4–1/2 their length, glabrous outside or occasionally with some pubescence near the apex, inside sparsely hairy or glabrous; anthers 8–10(–11), 0.5–1 mm long, glabrous; antherodes similar, without pollen, not dehiscing. Nectary absent. Ovary 0.75–1 mm long, broadly conical, 3-locular, locules with 2 collateral ovules, densely long- and stiff-pubescent, tapering into a short style and capitate style-head, equalling the anthers; male flower with short flattened ovary and reduced abortive ovules, and longer, more slender style. Capsule 2–2.3 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm broad, 3-valved, ellipsoid to obovoid, apex acute to rounded, base obtuse to rounded, smooth, tomentose; pericarp ca. 0.5 mm thick. Seed solitary, ca. 1.5 × 1 cm (including the arillode), ellipsoid to obovoid, rounded at apex and base, completely surrounded by a thin fleshy arillode. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons, radicle apical, extending to the surface; endosperm absent.

MAP 81. Distributiion of Trichilia inaequilatera T.D.Penn. Solid dots, distribution pre-1981, open dots new records 1981–2010.

Field Characters. Tree to 25 m high and 25 cm diam, bark greyish-cream, smooth, slash cream; the crushed leaves are said to be aromatic. Flowers pale cream or whitish and fruit maturing yellow or orange and containing a seed with a bright red arillode. Flowering from August through to April, with mature fruit recorded in March, May and July.

Distribution & Ecology. Now known from Venezuela southwards to southern Brazilian Amazonia and Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia; it has not been recorded from the Guianas. It is a species of periodically flooded lowland forest and river banks, below 500 m elevation.

Representative Additional Collections. VENEZUELA. Apuré: Distrito Pedro Camejo, Paso de la Macanilla (NW0766), Gomez & Bevilaqua 250 (K). Bolívar: Cedeño, Municipio Foranea La Urbana, Rio Orinoco (NW0667), Cuello 708 ( US). Territorio Federal Amazonas: Caño Majagua (NW0565), E. & S. Zent 2170 (MO).

ECUADOR. Sucumbios: Cuyabeno Reserve (SW0076), Balslev et al. 84803 (QCNE).

PERU. Amazonas: Bagua Province, Dist. Imaza, Yamayakat (SW0478), Rodríguez 472 (K). Loreto: Prov. Loreto, Cocha Ungurahui (Rio Samiria) (SW0574), Vásquez et al. 6448 (MO). Pasco: Pichis-Palcazu (SW0968), Hartshorn et al. 2743 (K).

BRAZIL. Acre: Municipio Serra Madureira, Riozinho do Andira, Curitiba (SW0968), Oliveira et al. 512 (K). Amazonas: Municipio Fonte Boa, near mouth of R. Jurua (SW0265), Cid Ferreira et al. 7370 (K). Mato Grosso: Municipio Pocone, Pantanal, Rio Cossange (SW1656), Thomas & Guedes 4601 (K).

BOLIVIA. Beni: Cachuela Esperanza, Rio Beni, Rio Orton, Bujio, Meyer 402 (NY). Santa Cruz: Prov. Guarayos, 8 km NW of Perseverancia (SW1462), Nee 38780 (NY).