Revisional study of neotropical Beilschmiedia species (Lauraceae ...

Flowers. Flower morphology of some neotropical Beilschmiedia species are shown in Fig.
4. Flowers are bisexual, stnall (ca. 3 n1m long) and almost sub-spherical (Fig. 4 A, B, C)
except for the ones of B. linhnresensis, which are depressed-globose (Fig. 4 D). Flowers of
neotropical Beilschmiedia species appear to be similar to flowers of Cryptocarya. But
flowers of the former taxon always have shallow receptacles, whereas flowers of the latter
have deep, tubular receptacles which cover the fruits after anthesis.
Tepals are six, erect, almost equal and usually ovate to elliptic. Outer surfaces of tepals
are pubescent with more of less erect hairs to glabrous, and usually the density is same as on
the flower pedicels (but son1e collections of B. berteroana show a contrast between the
densely pubescent pedicels and glabrous outer surfaces of the tepals). Inner surfaces of the
tepals are usually pubescent with appressed to erect hairs around the center or around the
base.
All neotropical Beilschmiedia species except for B. hexanthera have nine stamens.
Beilschmiedia hexanthera has six sta~nens in the outer two whorls and six staminodia in the
inner two whorls.
Stan1ens in the first whorl and the second whorl are similar in size and shape, or
stamens in the first whorl are slightly wider than stan1ens in the second whorl. Stan1ens in
the third whorl are usually slightly longer than the other stamens. Filaments in the first and
second whorls are usually n1uch shorter than the anthers, filan1ents in the third whorl are less
so, but still shorter than the anthers. Most of the species have the filaments pubescent, but
B. angustielliptica and B. hondurensis tend to have the filaments only sparsely pubescent to
almost glabrous. Anthers in the first and second whorls are ovate, anthers in the third whorl
are narrower ovate to aln1ost rectangular. Apex of anthers always more or less protrudes the
cells. The apex is obtuse to truncate in most of the species, but more or less acute in B.
angustielliptica (Fig. 4 B), B . brenesii and B. hondurensis. Pubescence on the apex of
anthers is a discrin1inating character for some species (B. anay, B. angustifolia, B.
curviramea, B. emarginata, B. fluminensis, B. linharesensis, B . immersinervis, B. rigida, B.
riparia, B. strict a and B. taubertiana), but very rarely there are exceptional collections lacking
the pubescence in those species. Other species have almost glabrous anthers, and even if the
anthers pubescent on the lateral sides, the apex of the anthers is glabrous. Glands of stamens
in the third whole are usually globose, slightly shorter than filaments of the stamens or
almost as long as the filaments.
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