Trichilia multifoliola C.DC., Meded. Rijks-Herb.

Pennington, Terence D., 2016, Systematic Treatment Of American Trichilia (Meliaceae), Phytotaxa 259 (1), pp. 18-162 : 41-44

5. Trichilia multifoliola C.DC., Meded. Rijks-Herb. 27: 82 (1915); T. D.Penn. & Styles, Fl. Neotrop. 28: 57 (1981). Type. BOLIVIA. R. Tocorani, fr., Herzog 2283 (lectotype, G, designated FN28: 57 (1981))

Trichilia longifolia C.DC., Meded. Rijks-Herb. 27: 82 (1915). Type :— BOLIVIA, Yungas , San Mateo, fr., Herzog 1996 (lectotype, G (designated FN 28: 57 (1981); isolectotype, S). Plate 1 , Map 8.

Trichilia trollii Harms, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 385 (1932). Type:— Bolivia, Lambate, fl., Troll 2847 (holotype, B, destroyed). Even in the absence of a type specimen, I am now confident that this species belongs here (placed under ‘Doubtful Species’ in FN 28, p. 232 (1981)). The description of a plant with multifoliolate leaves, small glabrous leaflets and flowers with almost free filaments clearly places it near this species, and several recent collections of T. multifoliola also come from the same locality and elevation in Bolivia.

Young shoots sparsely +/- appressed pubescent at first, soon glabrous, becoming smooth, greyish-brown, 5–10 mm diam., with pale brown raised lenticels. New growth subtended by a small cluster of lanceolate, densely pubescent (pale hairs), bud scales 8–10 mm long. Leaves imparipinnate, petiole 3.5–9.5 cm long, semiterete, sparsely and coarsely pubescent at first, soon glabrous, rhachis 10–30 cm long, semiterete, sparsely pubescent at first, soon glabrous; petiolule of lateral leaflets 1–3 mm long, coarsely pubescent at first, soon glabrous; petiolule of terminal leaflet 0.3–2 cm long. Leaflets opposite, 8–11 pairs, lateral leaflets 4.5 × 1.2–11.2 × 4 cm, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, apex acuminate, base regular to slightly or strongly asymmetric, narrowly attenuate on one side and rounded on the other, terminal leaflet similar in size and shape to the uppermost lateral leaflets, chartaceous; upper surface with scattered coarse pubescence along the veins or glabrous, lower surface sparsely coarse-pubescent or glabrous; usually without gland-dots, venation eucamptodromous, midrib flat or slightly sunken on the upper surface, secondaries 8–11 pairs, ascending, straight or slightly arcuate, parallel or slightly convergent, intersecondaries short or absent, tertiaries reticulate. Inflorescence axillary, clustered at the shoot apex, 3–15 cm long, a slender panicle usually with cymose branches 1–2 cm long, sparsely puberulous or glabrous; pedicel 1–2 mm long (above the articulation). Flowers unisexual (plant dioecious). Calyx 0.5–1 mm long, patelliform with (4–) 5 ovate or triangular acute lobes, free or slightly fused, imbricate, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces. Petals (4–)5, 4.5–6 mm long, 1.5–2 mm broad, free, imbricate, apex acute, with scattered hairs or glabrous outside, finely puberulous inside. Staminal tube 3–3.5 × 2 mm, shortly tubular, filaments fused for ca. ¼ to 1/3 of their length and terminated by 2 short acute lobes, or apex truncate, glabrous below and coarsely pubescent on both surfaces in the upper half; anthers (8–)10, ca. 1 mm long, oblong, tapering to an acute apex, sparsely and coarsely pubescent; antherodes in female narrower, not dehiscing, without pollen. Nectary a small annulus surrounding the base of the pistillode in male flower, obscure in female. Ovary 1–1.5 mm long, ovoid or globose, 3-locular, locules with 2 collateral ovules, sparsely to moderately strigose or glabrous, style ca. 1–1.5 mm long, sparsely strigose or glabrous, style-head capitate; pistillode more slender, but with well-formed ovules. Capsule 0.8–1.1 cm long, 1–1.5 cm broad, 3-lobed on drying, emarginate at the apex, and valves acutely angled, smooth (wrinkling on drying), glabrous, drying dark brown with pale lenticels, pericarp ca. 0.5 mm thick, 3–6-seeded. Seeds 1–2 collateral in each valve, 5–6 mm long, plano-convex and rounded at base and apex, with a fleshy free oily arillode covering the upper half of the seed. Embryo with thick, plano-convex, collateral cotyledons, radicle apical, slightly exserted, endosperm absent.

Field Characters. Small treelet from 1–10 m high and up to 10 cm diam., with smooth pale brown, lenticellate bark, slash pinkish-cream or cream-coloured, leaves arranged in terminal clusters and with conspicuous dark red or purple rhachis and petioles. The twigs are terminated by a cluster of reddish-brown bud scales. Flowers with pink or reddish-purple petals, and cream or greenish stamens. Capsule purplish-green or reddish, before drying brown. The arillode is bright orange. Flowering from November to February, with fruit maturing April to September.

Distribution & Ecology. Known only from Bolivia. It occurs in disturbed areas in montane rain forest and cloud forest and secondary vegetation derived from these, between 1900 m and 3200 m elevation, associated with Polylepis , Prumnopitys , Podocarpus, Clusia , Weinmannia and Oreopanax .

Collections Examined. BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: Prov. Ayopaya, Independencia (SW1766), Beck 7447 (K), Wood et al. 20932 (K); Prov. Carasco road to Comarapa (SW1764), Pennington & Saldias 13446 (K). La Paz: Franz Tamayo, Parque Nacional Madidi, Pinalito (SW1468), Araujo et al. 260 (MO); Prov. Sud Yungas, La Paz-Calacoto, km 84 (SW1667), Beck 7756 (K, MO); Franz Tamayo, Parque Nacional Madidi (SW1468), Canqui et al. 350 (MO); Prov. Inquisivi, Tupawo (SW1767), Dorr et al. 6788 (K, US); Prov. Sud Yungas, 5.2 km past Lambate (SW1667), Grifo & Solomon 660 (K); Yungas, San Mateo, Herzog 1996 (G, S); Rio Tocorani, Herzog 2283 (G). Inquivisi Prov., SE of Quime Botanical Garden (SW1667), Lewis 37091 (K, MO, QCNE), 37311 (K); Inquivisi Prov., Chichipapa trail (SW1667), Lewis 87926 (M)); Inquivisi Prov., Hospital San Antonio - mouth of R, Chichipata (SW1667), Lewis 88670 (MO); Inquivisi Prov., between San Antonio Hospital and Chichipata (SW1667), Lewis 881782 (K, MO); Prov. Inquivisi, Calasaya (SW1667), Saldias 612 (NY); Prov. Inquivisi, N of Quime on road to Inquivisi (SW1667), Solomon & Nee 18172 (G, K); Inquivisi, 1 km below Quime (SW1667), Wood & Goyder 15535 (K). Santa Cruz: Caballero Prov., Amboro Nat. Park, Cerro-Bravo (SW1764), Jardim et al. 1990 (K), 2842 (K); Prov. Caballero, 6 km N of Comarapa (SW1764), Nee 50695 (K); Caballero Prov. 50 km N of Mataral (SW1766), D.N. Smith et al. 13460 (K).

Relationships. In the Flora Neotropica account (1981) this species, at that time known only from the type collection, was treated as doubtfully distinct from T. hirta . The collection of good flowering and fruiting specimens since that date now enables its recognition as a species distinct from T. hirta . The differences between them are enumerated below.

T. multifoliola

Sepals +/- free, imbricate

Petals pink or reddish purple

Capsule glabrous

Arillode covering top half of seed

Confined to high montane rain forest and cloud forest at 1900–3300 m elevation.

T. hirta

Sepals united 1/2 to 3/4 their length, not imbricate

Petals greenish-cream

Capsule densely granular-papillose and usually with scattered hairs

Arillode covers seed

Tropical deciduous forest and lowland rain forest, usually lowland, rarely reaching 1100 m elevation.

Trichilia multifoliola is also closely related to the northern Peruvian T. tomentosa and T. dazae , a relationship confirmed by the ITS analysis. See under those species for further discussion.

MAP 8. Distribution of Trichilia multifoliola C.DC. Total distribution to 2010.

Figures

PLATE 1. Trichilia multifoliola C.DC. A, habit with inflorescence; B, whole flower; C, half flower; D, infructescence; E, seed with arillode. (A–C, Wood & Goyder 15535; D, E, Araujo et al. 260).