Buchenavia tetraphylla
Description
Semi-evergreen (briefly deciduous) tree 2-25(-50) m, with buttresses when large. Leaves coriaceous when mature but very thin at flowering, narrowly to broadly obovate, 2-11 x 1-5 cm, apex rounded to retuse (rarely obtuse), base narrowly acute and usually decurrent, appressed-pubescent when very young, becoming glabrous except often sparsely pubescent on midvein when mature; domatia present; venation brochidodromous, midvein moderate, slightly prominent, secondary veins (2-)3-8 pairs, moderately spaced, originating at moderately acute angles, curved to slightly so, slightly prominent, intersecondary veins occasionally present, tertiary veins randomly reticulate; higher order veins often distinct; areolation usually complete; petiole 0.4-1.5(-2) cm long, sparsely appressed-pubescent, eglandular. Inflorescence 0.8-3 cm long, more or less capitate, with rather few to many densely grouped flowers; peduncle 0.6-2.6 cm, rufous pubescent in flower, becoming subglabrous and much thicker in fruit; rhachis 0.2-0.5(-1) cm. Flowers 2.5-5 mm long; lower hypanthium 1.5-3 mm long, abruptly narrowed to thin neck of 0.8-1.2 mm long, densely rufous-pubescent except sparsely so on neck,upper hypanthium 1-2 x 2.5-3.5 mm, subglabrous. Fruit glabrous or rarely very sparsely pubescent, (1.2-)1.5-3.5 x (0.7-)1-2.2 cm, ovate to obovate in side view, more or less terete or with 5 low longitudinal ridges, apex acute to rounded and often apiculate, base rounded or rarely shortly pseudostipitate.
Distribution
Guianas present, Southern America: Bolivia (Bolivia present); Brazil Southeast (Rio de Janeiro present); Costa Rica (Costa Rica present); Cuba (Cuba present)
By far the most widely distributed species of the genus, extending from Cuba and Costa Rica S to Bolivia (ca. 17° S) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (ca. 22.4° S); about 27 specimens seen from the Guianas (GU: 2; SU: 7; FG: 18).