Trichilia americana (Sessé & Moc.) T.D. Penn., Fl. Neotrop.

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 74-75

25. Trichilia americana (Sessé & Moc.) T.D. Penn., Fl. Neotrop. 28: 47 (1981). Map 31

Melia americana Sessé & Moc., Pl. Nov. Hisp. 68 (1888); ed. 2, 64 (1983); Fl. Mex. Ic. 239 [339]. Type:— MEXICO. (probably Guerrero), fl., Sessé s.n. (holotype, MA; isotype F) .

Trichilia mexicoensis P.T.Li & X.N.Chen, Acta Phytotax. Sinica 22(6): 496 (1984), new name for Trichilia minutiflora Matuda (1957) , not Standl. (1927).

For synonymy see FN 28: 47 (1981). Illustration: FN 48, fig. 4 (1981).

MAP 31. Distribution of Trichilia americana (Sessé & Moc.) T.D.Penn. Solid dots, distribution pre-1981, open dots new records 1981– 2010.

Abbreviated Description. Indumentum of simple hairs, leaflets mostly (9–)11–17(–21), opposite, 4.7–11.5 cm long, 1.5–4.3 cm broad, usually elliptic, inflorescence (9–)14–25(–36) cm long, calyx lobes ciliate, petals 5(–6), free, 4–6 mm long, imbricate, filaments fused ¼–¾ of their length, anthers (9–)10–11), nectary in the form of a stout gynophore, ovary 2–3(–4)-locular, locules with 2 superposed ovules, fruit 1.5–2.5 cm long, 3-valved, ovoid ellipsoid or globose, puberulous, pubescent or tomentose, 1–2 superposed seeds in each valve, seed coat hard, partly surrounded by a fleshy arillode.

Field Characters. Bark pale greyish, scaling in large flat, irregular plates exposing a paler undersurface (cf. T. hirta ).

Distribution & Ecology. Northwestern Mexico (Chihuahua and Sonora) along the Pacific drainage of Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica and Panama, in tropical deciduous or sub deciduous forest, usually at low elevation but up to 1500 m elevation in Mexico.

Representative Additional Collections. MEXICO. Chihuahua: Municipio Batopillas, W of la Bufa (NW27107), Bye 7344 ( US). Jalisco: Lago La María, 22 km NNW of Colima (NW19103), Sanders et al. 10356 (K). Sonora: Municipio Alamos, Cañon Los Laureles (NW26108), Sanders et al. 14348 (K).

HONDURAS. Choluteca: Municipio El Triunfo, El Cedrito (NW1387), Davidse et al. 35048 (K). Comayagua: Agua Caliente (NW1487), Nelson et al. 6338 (K). Cortés: Río Humuya, 40 km al N de Santa Cruz de Yojoa (NW1487), Nelson et al. 5849 (K). El Paraiso: Municipio Vado Ancho, Tolobre (NW 1386), Davidse et al. 35043 (K). Francisco Morazán: Zamorano, grounds of Agricultural School (NW1487), Pennington & Zuniga 13389 (K).

EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapan: San Francisco Menéndez: El Corozo (NW1389), Rosales 1649 (K). San Salvador: road to Rosario de Mora (NW1389) , Montalvo 142 (NY).

NICARAGUA. Boaco: 17 km N of Camoapa, Comarca San Isidro (NW1285), Grijalva et al. 3889 (K). Carazo: NW of La Boquita, Río Pase-Carreta (NW1186), Sandino 3227 (K). Chinandega: NW of Volcán Cosigüina (NW1287), Sandino & Aldubin 4387 (K). Chontales: 8 km S of Cuapa, Hacienda Veracruz (NW1285), Nee 28302 (K). Esteli: S of Esteli, road to Estanzuela (NW1386), Stevens 9910 (K). Rivas: between Río Escamequita and Rio Escameca (NW1185), Araquistain 279 (K).

COSTA RICA. Guanacaste: Bagaces, P.N. Palo Verde (NW1085), Chavarria 811 (K). Puntarenas: Nicoya Peninsula, Curú (NW0984), Sanders et al. 19270 (K). San José: Ciudad Colon, track to El Rodeo (NW0984), Pennington & Lawrence 13798 (K).

PANAMA. Bocas del Toro: Fortuna Dam to Chiriqui Grande (NW0882), McPherson 8546 (K).