Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana
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ANNONACEAE
8. FUSAEA (Baill.) Saff., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 18(1): 64. 1914. ---Duguetia sect. Fusaea Baill., Adansonia 8: 326. 1868.
by Paul E. Berry
Shrubs or trees with an indument of simple hairs. Flowers extra-axillary,
solitary or in pairs, bisexual; peduncles with 1 or 2 bracteoles. Calyx
relatively large, 3-parted, the lobes joined for most of their length and
opening irregularly, then caducous, the base of the calyx thicker and persistent as a collar-like structure around the pedicel; petals 6, large, sericeous, imbricate, ovate-spathulate, the inner ones somewhat larger than the outer ones. Outermost stamens sterile, converted into small, obovate, imbricate, petaloid staminodes; inner stamens fertile, with the connectives dilated at the apex; anthers not locellate. Fruit syncarpous, globose, smooth,
areolate. Seeds small, surrounded by edible pulp.
Amazonian Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador,
Peru, Brazil, Bolivia; 3 species, 1 in Venezuela.
Fusaea longifolia (Aubl.) Saff., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 18(1):
65, figs. 73, 74. 1914. ---Annona longifolia Aubl., Hist. Pl. Guiane
615, t. 248. 1775. ---Duguetia longifolia (Aubl.) Baill., Adansonia
8: 327. 1868. ---Aberemoa longifolia (Aubl.) Baill., Hist. Pl. 1:
205, figs. 233--235. 1868. ---Majagua de tierra firme.
Tree 5--10 m; young stems ferrugineous-puberulent; leaves narrowly elliptic-oblong, 20--30 × 4--7 cm, acuminate; petals ca. 3 × 2 cm at anthesis, sericeous; fruits ca. 6--10 cm diameter, edible. Slope forests, 100--400 m; Bolívar (near Santa María de Erebato), Amazonas (Río Guayapo basin). Additional countries as for the genus. Fig. 370.