Revisional study of neotropical Beilschmiedia species (Lauraceae ...

Alajuela: Canton de Alfaro Ruiz, Palmira, (fl.), Apr. 30, 1937, Smith 4168 (holotype:
F).
Tree, to 30m tall. Terminal buds pubescent with erect short curly hairs. Twigs terete to
angular, densely to sparsely pubescent with short curly hairs, less denser to glabrous when
old. Leaves alternate; petioles 1-1.5 cn1 long, flat above, glabrous or rarely pubescent with
short curly hairs, concolorous with twigs; blades coriaceous, ovate to broadly elliptic, (4) 5-
10 (14) x (3) 4-8 (10.5) em; base obtuse to round, not inrolled, apex obtuse; leaf surface
glabrous on both sides, rarely partly pubescent with erect curly hairs when young, lower
surface glaucous; midrib in1mersed above, raised below; secondary veins 5-8 (9) pairs,
immersed above, raised below; tertiary veins not percurrent or weakly percurrent,
ramification fine, areolate without free veinlets, immersed or slightly raised above, slightly
to conspicuously raised below. Inflorescences axillary or clustered on the terminal buds,
paniculate, (3) 5-15 cn1long, pubescent with erect hairs, with 20-50 flowers per
inflorescence; flower pedicels of the lateral divisions 0.5-1.2 mm long, pedicels of the
central flowers up to 2 n1m long. Flowers yellowish, 2.5-3.2 mm long, 2.9-3.7 mm in
diam.; tepals 6, equal, ovate to elliptic, (1.4) 1.8-2.3 mm long, 1-1.7 nun wide; pubescent
with erect hairs on both sides; stamens 9, outer six filaments 0.3-0.5 mm long, innermost
three filaments 0.5-0.7 mm long, filaments pubescent, anthers ca. 1 mm long, all of them 2-
celled, apex of the anthers more or less obtuse, apex of the anthers glabrous, glands of the
innermost three stan1ens globose; stan1inodia cordate in outline, 0.5-1 rnm long; pistil 1.3-
1.7 mm long, glabrous, ovary almost as long as or longer than and gradually narrowed into
the style; receptacle relatively densely pubescent with long, erect to almost appressed hairs.
Fruits (known only in immature stage) roundish, green when immature, ca. 3.5 x ca. 3.5
em (or bigger), the surface smooth; fruit pedicels ca. 5 mm in dian1., thickened to ca. 10 mm
in diam. below the fruit; pedicels not constricted at the base, concolorous with the lower
part.
Phenology: collected in flower from February to May, and in September and Noven1ber, in
mature fruit in November.
Distribution: Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, in 1800-2800 malt. (Fig. 12).
Habitat: cloud forest.
Common nan1e: "Aguacate negro'' in Costa Rica, "Aguacatillo" in Panama.
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