RODRIGUESIA Revista do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro

334
6.51 Pouteria caimito (Ruiz & Pavón) Radlk.,
Sitzungsber. Math.-Phys. Cl. Konigl. Akad. Wiss.
München 12:33.1882; Pennington, Fl. Neotrop.
52:475, fíg. 109.1990. Fig. 25 e-h
Young shoots finely appressed
puberulous, soon glabrous and scaling. Leaves
spirally arranged, 7-14 x 2.8-5 cm,
oblanceolate or elliptic, apex narrowly
attenuate to obtuse, base narrowly attenuate,
glabrous; venation eucamptodromous or
sometímes brochidodromous in the upper half,
midrib slightly raised on the upper surface,
secondary veins 9-12 pairs, parallel or slightly
convergent, slightly arcuate, intersecondaries
short to moderate, tertiaries few, mostly
reticulate, finer higher order reticulum present.
Petiole 0.8-1.4 cm long, channelled or not,
glabrous. Fascicles 3-5-flowered, axillary and
on twigs below the leaves. Pedicel 0.5-1 mm
long, appressed puberulous. Flowers bisexual.
Sepals 4,2.5-3 mm long, outer pair ovate, inner
pair broadly elliptic, appressed puberulous
outside. Corolla tubular, 4-4.5 mm long, tube
exceeding the lobes, lobes 4, broadly oblong,
apex truncate or rounded, ciliate. Stamens 4,
fixed about halfway up the corolla tube,
glabrous. Staminodes 4, ca. 1 mm long,
narrowly lanceolate, glabrous. Ovary ovoid, 4locular,
densely long-strigose, style slightly
exserted, style-head simple. Fruit 3-5 cm long,
ellipsoid, ovoid or globose, apex acute to
rounded, base rounded or truncate, smooth,
pubescent or glabrous. Seeds 1-several, 1.5-
2.5 cm long, oblong to ellipsoid, sometimes
laterally compressed, base and apex rounded
or obtuse, testa smooth, shining; scar adaxial,
full-length, 2-4 mm wide. Seed without
endosperm.
Field characters: Tree to 30 m high and 50 cm
diam., but often flowering when only a few
metres high. Larger individuais are shortly
buttressed and may have a fluted bole. Bark
scaling and shallowly fissured, and slash cream
with white látex. The flowers are scented, with
greenish white corolla. Fruit maturing yellow,
with white flesh. Flowering in central
Amazônia in November.
Pennington, T. D.
The cultivated form of this species has a
smooth yellow fruit up to 7 cm long.
Southern Central America and across
tropical South America to coastal Brazil. The
species is found in both lowland and montane
rainforest up to 1500 m altitude, on both nonflooded
and periodically flooded sites.
11 .IX. 1997 (fl) Assunção, P. A.C.L& Silva, C F.
649 (G IAN INPA K MBM MO RB U UB);
12.IX. 1997 (fl) Assunção, PA CL et ai. 661 (INPA
K MG UEC US); 25.XI. 1997 (fr) Brito, J. M. et ai. 45
(INPAKMGMONYRBSPU);21.VL1980(fr)^Zsm
B. W. & Nelson, S.P 428 (INPA); 10.11.1994 (fr)
Ribeiro, J. E. L S. et ai. 1205 (INPA K MG MO NY
SP); 8.1.1962 (fr) Rodrigues, W. & Chagas, J. 3263
(INPA); 23.111.1966 (fr) Rodrigues, W. & Coelho, D.
7601 (INPA); 9.XII. 1994 (fl) Sothers, C A. et ai. 298
(INPAKMG NY SP); 16.1.1998 (fr)Sow^, M.A.D. et
ai. 520 (BM G INPA K MBM MG UB US).
PDBFF: Freitas et ai. F-427 (INPA K); Freitas et
ai. F-420 (INPA K).
Uses: This species has one of the best edible
fruit of the family, and it is widely cultivated
and sold on the local markets. The best varieties
are to be found in western Amazônia, especially
in Amazonian Peru. The cultivated form fruits
as a small bush a few metres high.
Pouteria caimito is close to P.
guianensis, but may be distinguished from it
by its smaller leaves with fewer secondary
veins and narrowly attenuate base (acute in P.
guianensis), smaller flowers and usually
laterally compressed seeds. Two forms of P.
caimito exist in Reserva Ducke. The typical
form has a closely appressed indumentum on
the young parts and inflorescence, and the other
form has a spreading, coarser indumentum on
the young parts. The latter sometimes has a
small 1-seeded coarsely hairy fruit. It is
represented by Sothers et ai. 298.
6.52 Pouteria torta subsp. glabra T. D. Penn.,
Fl. Neotrop. 52:484, fig. 111. 1990.
Fig. 25 i-m
Young shoots shortly pubescent with
golden-brown hairs, soon becoming glabrous.
Leaves clustered at the shoot tips, spirally
arranged, 25-35 x 9-13 cm, broadly
oblanceolate with a long tapering base, apex
Rodrigufsia 57 (2): 251-366. 2006