The World Flora Online

Leaves imparipinnate, opposite. Flowers medium sized, the calyx 8-10 mm diam., 5-merous. Endocarp cartilaginous, rather rigid, ellipsoid, 4-5 mm long when dry and open pot-shaped. Exocarp tomentose and densely hispid. Leaflets with 12-16 pairs of lateral nerves, the margins simply and doubly dentate, the indument patent. Two species. Flowers unisexual and dioecious, or bisexual, pentamerous, tetramerous, or hexamerous (-octomerous). Sepals valvate, slightly united at base, persistent after fruiting. Petals absent. Stamens twice as many as the sepals, rarely more, the outer verticil alternate with, the inner opposite to, the sepals. Filaments free, hirtellous or villous, the apex thin, curling. In female flowers the staminodia very short. Anthers introrse, oscillating or pendulous, dehiscing by clefts. Pollen grains tricolporate. Carpels free but incipiently subinferior, as many as the sepals and alternating with them, or fewer. Ovary biovulate, densely hairy. Style subulate, erect, the apex curved. Stigma linear along the sutural sulcus of the style. Ovules two, collateral, anatropous, epitropous, with two integuments. In male flowers carpels rudimentary. Toral disc intrastaminal, 10-12 (-24) notched.Fruit a polyfollicle, each follicle with abaxial deformation and centrifugal stylar peak, tomentulose and in addition hispid or hirsutulous, two- or one-seeded. Endocarp cartilaginous or corneous, contracting at dehiscence. Seeds with a hard and shining coat; expelled at dehiscence, but remaining attached to the surface of follicles by a placental ribbon continuing the funicle. Large or medium-sized trees. Branching dichasial. Stipules free, lateral. Leaves opposite or ternate, either imparipinnate with stipels, or simple and coriaceous or subcoriaceous; serrate or crenate. Trichomes unicellular, those of the ovary and fruit mostly bristly. Flowers unisexual and dioecious, or bisexual, pentamerous, tetramerous, or hexamerous (-octomerous). Sepals valvate, slightly united at base, persistent after fruiting. Petals absent. Stamens twice as many as the sepals, rarely more, the outer verticil alternate with, the inner opposite to, the sepals. Filaments free, hirtellous or villous, the apex thin, curling. In female flowers the staminodia very short. Anthers introrse, oscillating or pendulous, dehiscing by clefts. Pollen grains tricolporate. Carpels free but incipiently subinferior, as many as the sepals and alternating with them, or fewer. Ovary biovulate, densely hairy. Style subulate, erect, the apex curved. Stigma linear along the sutural sulcus of the style. Ovules two, collateral, anatropous, epitropous, with two integuments. In male flowers carpels rudimentary. Toral disc intrastaminal, 10-12 (-24) notched.Fruit a polyfollicle, each follicle with abaxial deformation and centrifugal stylar peak, tomentulose and in addition hispid or hirsutulous, two- or one-seeded. Endocarp cartilaginous or corneous, contracting at dehiscence. Seeds with a hard and shining coat; expelled at dehiscence, but remaining attached to the surface of follicles by a placental ribbon continuing the funicle. Large or medium-sized trees. Branching dichasial. Stipules free, lateral. Leaves opposite or ternate, either imparipinnate with stipels, or simple and coriaceous or subcoriaceous; serrate or crenate. Trichomes unicellular, those of the ovary and fruit mostly bristly.

Brunellia mexicana Standl., J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 166. 1927.

Arboles hasta 25 m de alto; tallos jóvenes y hojas glabrescentes a suavemente patente-pubescentes; plantas ginodioicas. Hojas opuestas, pinnadas con 5–12 pares de folíolos; folíolos 10–20 cm de largo y 2.5–5.5 cm de ancho, ápice acuminado, base asimétricamente obtusa o cuneada, con 15–22 pares de nervios secundarios; pecíolos constrictos en la base, con 2 estípulas caducas, 1–2 mm de largo, dejando una sola cicatriz; el raquis con 1 par de estípulas en cada nudo. Flores 5-meras, hermafroditas o femeninas, densamente pubescentes cuando en yema; cáliz ca 4 mm de largo cuando en yema y 7–8 mm de diámetro en la antesis. Fruto de 1–5 folículos, densamente tomentosos y largamente híspidos, ca 4 mm de largo, estilos 3 mm de largo; semillas solitarias o raramente 2, ca 3 mm de largo, café-rojizas y lustrosas.

Rara, nebliselvas, zona norcentral; 900–1600 m; fl ene–ago; Stevens 11654-b, Tomlin 136; México a Nicaragua. Varias otras especies de Brunellia están representadas en áreas montañosas de Costa Rica, incluyendo B. comocladifolia Bonpl., B. costaricensis Standl., y B. standleyana Cuatrec., y eventualmente podrían encontrarse en el suroeste de Nicaragua.

1. Brunellia Ruiz et Pav.

Brunelia Pers., Apopetalum Pax

Por S. Knapp.

Árboles, grandes a medianos. Hojas imparipinnadas (Mesoamérica), el raquis sulcado en el haz y con estipelas entre los folíolos, glabras o pelosas, los tricomas unicelulares. Estípulas libres, variadamente divididas. Inflorescencias grandes a pequeñas, generalmente multirramificadas, glabras a variadamente pelosas. Flores bisexuales o unisexuales; sépalos ligeramente unidos en la base; estambres el doble en número que los sépalos, u ocasionalmente más, el verticilo externo alterno con los sépalos, el verticilo interno opuesto a los sépalos; anteras versátiles o péndulas; carpelos ocasionalmente subínferos, variadamente pelosos; estilo subulado, erecto, el ápice curvado; estigma linear a lo largo del estilo; flores estaminadas con un ovario rudimentario; flores pistiladas con estaminodios. Folículos con 1 o 2 semillas, abaxialmente deformes y con un estilodio persistente, variadamente pelosos, pero frecuentemente con cerdas. Semillas duras y brillantes, expulsadas en la dehiscencia, pero ocasionalmente permaneciendo unidas a la superficie del folículo por medio de una banda delgada de tejido placentario; endocarpo cartilaginoso o córneo. 62 spp. Neotrópicos, generalmente en los Andes, la mayoría de las especies de Colombia.