Trichilia emarginata (Turcz.) C.DC.

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 97-98

44. Trichilia emarginata (Turcz.) C.DC. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 11(1): 212 (1878); T.D.Penn., Fl. Neotrop. 28: 137 (1981). Map 50

Moschoxylum emarginatum Turcz., Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 31: 413 (1858). Type :— BRAZIL. Bahia , Serra Acurua, fl., Blanchet 2797 (holotype, KW n.v.; isotypes, BM, BR, G, G-DC, K, LE, MO, NY, P).

For synonymy see FN 28: 137 (1981). Illustration: FN 28: 138, fig. 24 (1981).

Young branches slender, 2–3 mm diam., strigulose (some trichomes dibrachiate) at first, soon glabrous, pale greyish-brown, lenticellate. Bud scales absent. Leaves imparipinnate or pinnate with one leaflet of ultimate pair orientated to simulate a terminal leaflet, petiole 1–2.5 cm long, narrowly winged, glabrous; rhachis 1–6 cm long, narrowly winged, the wing slightly broadened below each leaflet, glabrous; petiolule 0–1 mm long. Leaflets alternate to opposite, 5–9, 6 × 2–11.5 × 3.5 cm, usually elliptic, less frequently oblanceolate, oblong or lanceolate, gradually narrowed to a slender emarginate apex, base narrowly attenuate, subcoriaceous, both surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes glandular-punctate and -striate; venation eucamptodromous or brochidodromous, midrib raised on the upper surface, secondaries 13–19 pairs, ascending, arcuate, usually +/- parallel; intersecondaries often long; tertiaries obscure. Flowers unisexual, plant probably monoecious. Inflorescence axillary, or several clustered on a short axillary shoot, 3–7 cm long, a small panicle or thyrse, often branched from the base, sparsely strigulose; pedicel 0.5–1.5 mm long. Calyx 0.5–1 mm long, patelliform, with (3–)4–5 shallow triangular or rounded lobes, or margin subtruncate, sometimes with sparse appressed hairs on the outer surface, but usually glabrous. Petals (3–)4(–5), 2.5–3.5 mm long, free, valvate or slightly imbricate, lanceolate, apex acute, sometimes hooded, glabrous. Staminal tube ca. 1.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm broad, cyathiform, filaments completely fused, margin with 7–10 short acute teeth alternating with the anthers and up to half their length, outer surface with a few crisped hairs near the apex, and sparse coarse indumentum in the throat; anthers 7–10, 0.8–1 mm long, glabrous; antherodes slender, not dehiscent, without pollen. Nectary absent. Ovary ovoid, 3-locular, locules with 2 collateral ovules, shortly appressed puberulous; style stout, glabrous, style-head capitate or discoid, equalling the anthers; pistillode conical, with small non-functional ovules. Capsule 0.9–1.7 cm long, 0.7–0.9 cm broad, 3-valved, ellipsoid, apex and base rounded, smooth, with sparse minute appressed pubescence or glabrous; pericarp 0.3–0.5 mm thick. Seeds 2, 0.8–1.5 cm long, plano-convex, rounded at base and apex, almost completely surrounded by a fleshy free arillode; seed coat membraneous. Embryo with plano-convex, collateral cotyledons, radicle apical, included; endosperm absent.

MAP 50. Distribution of Trichilia emarginata (Turcz.) C.DC. Solid dots, distribution pre-1981, open dots new records 1981–2010.

Field Characters. Treelet or tree to 18 m high, often flowering when only 3–4 m high; bark whitish, suberous and slightly fissured; flowers white or cream-coloured, with reddish anthers, capsule maturing reddish. Flowering is recorded from October to December and mature fruit in July.

Distribution & Ecology. North-eastern Brazil (Maranhão) to São Paulo, in rain forest, mostly between 700 m and 1000 m elevation, but at lower elevations in Maranhão and São Paulo.

Additional Collections Examined. BRAZIL. Bahia: Municipio Abaira, road Catoles-Abaira, ca. 5 km from Catoles (SW1341), Ganev 1537 (K); Municipio Rio de Contas, Carrapato (SW1341), Ganev 2480 (K, NY); Rio de Contas, road from Rio de Contas to Fazenda Marion (SW1341), Harley 54758 (K). Espirito Santo: Municipio Conceição do Castelo, Venda Nova (SW2041), Hatschbach & Silva 49897 (K). Maranhão: Municipio Tuntun, Palmerinha (SW0544), J.U. Santos et al. 715 (K). Minas Gerais: Parque Estadual Rio Doce (SW1942), Costa et al. 30707 (K). São Paulo: Parque Estadual de São Paulo (SW2346), Hoehne 11390 (K).