Tree with stout terminal branches. Branchlets subtetragonal or triangular costate, striate, lenticellate, in the adult stage glabrous, the internodes 2-6 cm long. Very young shoots pubescent or puberulous with rather rigid, acute, ascendent, appressed or subappressed hairs. Stipules subulate, rather thick, about 2-4 mm long, caducous, often bigeminate with a longer and a shorter one each side. Leaves opposite or ternate, 5-8-jugate; axis robust, striolate, lenticellate, narrowly sulcate and hirsutulous with rigid, ascending hairs at the joints above, the rest glabrous, 20-40 cm long, the inter juga 2-6 cm long, the petiole 7-19 cm long; stipels probably bigeminate, thick, subulate, 2-3 mm long; petiolules 2-5 mm long, the terminal one 10-15 mm; blades rigid, coriaceous 8-19 cm long, 2.4-6.0 cm broad, ovate-oblong, asymmetric and rounded at the base,-attenuate and acute at the apex, distally serrate, the dentations acumbent, callose, acute, 7-14 mm apart; dark green, shining and glabrous above, the midrib and secondary nerves well marked, the yellowish reticulum conspicuous; yellowish brownish beneath, glabrous or with sparse, appressed hairs on the main nervations and with sparse, minute, acute, ascending hairs, the costa very prominent, secondary nerves prominent, 18-23 on each side, 4-11 mm apart, subpatulous, the divergence angle 60-70, ascending near the margin curving, tapering and anastomosing; tertiary and minor veins prominously and minutely reticulate, the slightly depressed areoles minutely griseo-papillose. Male inflorescences axillary 20-26 cm long, the peduncle 9-11 cm long, striate, compressed to ancipitate, glabrous, the branches mostly trifurcate, loose, compressed, striate, glabrous or with very sparse, minute, appressed hairs, the ultimate ones reduced and supporting many glomerate, sessile flowers. Bracts 1.5-2.0 mm long, subulate. Male flowers pentamerous or hexamerous; calyx about 5 mm long, expanded 11-12 mm in diam, the lobes ovate-oblong, acute, carnose, 4.0-4.5 mm long, 3 mm wide, copiously subappressed sericeous inside, subglabrous with sparse minute hairs outside; stamens 10-12, the filaments about 5.5 mm long, thickened towards the base, pubescent at the base; anthers broadly elliptic, apiculate, 2.0-2.5 mm long; carpels five or six rudimentary, the ovaries sterile, 0.5 mm long, hirsute, the styles 1 mm long, glabrous, erect. Disc hirsute. Fruiting inflorescences robust and dense, 13-24 cm long, 10-14 cm broad, the peduncle stout, 4-10 cm long, 5-8 mm broad, striate, compressed to ancipital, glabrcus, the branches trichotomous or dichotomous, angulate, striolate, puberulent, with sparse, short, straight, appressed or subappressed hairs, the ultimate branching very short with many sessile or subsessile, crowded flowers, the thick pedicels up to 2 mm long. Female flowers pentamerous or hexamerous; calyx in fruiting stage about 5 mm high and 12 mm in diam expanded, the lobes 4-5 mm long, 2.0-2.5 mm wide, oblong ovate, acute, sericeous inside, with minutely tomentose margin, subglabrous outside; filaments about 1.5 mm long, thickened near the base, rather glabrous; anthers oblong, acute, 1 mm long, sterile. One to five follicles developed in each flower, oblong-lanciform, attenuate, apiculate, subcorniform, 20-24 mm long, 6-7 mm broad, minutely and shortly tomentose and hispidulous outside, with patulous hairs to 1 mm long, bispermous, the valves of pericarp prominously and very conspicuously discolor-reticulate. Endocarp hard, rigid, smooth, subfusiform, subobtuse at the base, acuminate, very acute at the top, 13-15 mm long, 3.5-4.0 mm broad, when dry and open with a characteristic spathiform shape. Seeds 3.5-4.0 × 2.0 mm, ellipsoid oblong, brownish red, very lustrous. Disc tomentulose-hirsute. (Fig 54, p 128.) Restricted to the Bolivian Andes. Tree with stout terminal branches. Branchlets subtetragonal or triangular costate, striate, lenticellate, in the adult stage glabrous, the internodes 2-6 cm long. Very young shoots pubescent or puberulous with rather rigid, acute, ascendent, appressed or subappressed hairs. Stipules subulate, rather thick, about 2-4 mm long, caducous, often bigeminate with a longer and a shorter one each side. Leaves opposite or ternate, 5-8-jugate; axis robust, striolate, lenticellate, narrowly sulcate and hirsutulous with rigid, ascending hairs at the joints above, the rest glabrous, 20-40 cm long, the inter juga 2-6 cm long, the petiole 7-19 cm long; stipels probably bigeminate, thick, subulate, 2-3 mm long; petiolules 2-5 mm long, the terminal one 10-15 mm; blades rigid, coriaceous 8-19 cm long, 2.4-6.0 cm broad, ovate-oblong, asymmetric and rounded at the base,-attenuate and acute at the apex, distally serrate, the dentations acumbent, callose, acute, 7-14 mm apart; dark green, shining and glabrous above, the midrib and secondary nerves well marked, the yellowish reticulum conspicuous; yellowish brownish beneath, glabrous or with sparse, appressed hairs on the main nervations and with sparse, minute, acute, ascending hairs, the costa very prominent, secondary nerves prominent, 18-23 on each side, 4-11 mm apart, subpatulous, the divergence angle 60-70, ascending near the margin curving, tapering and anastomosing; tertiary and minor veins prominously and minutely reticulate, the slightly depressed areoles minutely griseo-papillose. Male inflorescences axillary 20-26 cm long, the peduncle 9-11 cm long, striate, compressed to ancipitate, glabrous, the branches mostly trifurcate, loose, compressed, striate, glabrous or with very sparse, minute, appressed hairs, the ultimate ones reduced and supporting many glomerate, sessile flowers. Bracts 1.5-2.0 mm long, subulate. Male flowers pentamerous or hexamerous; calyx about 5 mm long, expanded 11-12 mm in diam, the lobes ovate-oblong, acute, carnose, 4.0-4.5 mm long, 3 mm wide, copiously subappressed sericeous inside, subglabrous with sparse minute hairs outside; stamens 10-12, the filaments about 5.5 mm long, thickened towards the base, pubescent at the base; anthers broadly elliptic, apiculate, 2.0-2.5 mm long; carpels five or six rudimentary, the ovaries sterile, 0.5 mm long, hirsute, the styles 1 mm long, glabrous, erect. Disc hirsute. Fruiting inflorescences robust and dense, 13-24 cm long, 10-14 cm broad, the peduncle stout, 4-10 cm long, 5-8 mm broad, striate, compressed to ancipital, glabrcus, the branches trichotomous or dichotomous, angulate, striolate, puberulent, with sparse, short, straight, appressed or subappressed hairs, the ultimate branching very short with many sessile or subsessile, crowded flowers, the thick pedicels up to 2 mm long. Female flowers pentamerous or hexamerous; calyx in fruiting stage about 5 mm high and 12 mm in diam expanded, the lobes 4-5 mm long, 2.0-2.5 mm wide, oblong ovate, acute, sericeous inside, with minutely tomentose margin, subglabrous outside; filaments about 1.5 mm long, thickened near the base, rather glabrous; anthers oblong, acute, 1 mm long, sterile. One to five follicles developed in each flower, oblong-lanciform, attenuate, apiculate, subcorniform, 20-24 mm long, 6-7 mm broad, minutely and shortly tomentose and hispidulous outside, with patulous hairs to 1 mm long, bispermous, the valves of pericarp prominously and very conspicuously discolor-reticulate. Endocarp hard, rigid, smooth, subfusiform, subobtuse at the base, acuminate, very acute at the top, 13-15 mm long, 3.5-4.0 mm broad, when dry and open with a characteristic spathiform shape. Seeds 3.5-4.0 × 2.0 mm, ellipsoid oblong, brownish red, very lustrous. Disc tomentulose-hirsute.General Information
Source: [
Flora Neotropica
Distribution
