''Annona sericea'' is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the family Annonaceae. It is native to

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

Trinidad-Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Michel Félix Dunal, the French botanist who first formally described the species, named it after the silky hairs (''sericeus'' in Latin) on its branches and leaves. In Brazil its common name is Aratincum do Para.

Description

It is a tree reaching 1.3-2 meters in height. Its young branches are covered in deep red silky hairs. Its leaves are arranged in opposite rows. Its oblong, membranous leaves are 10.5-18 by 3.5-5.5 centimeters and come to a point at their tip. The leaves have numerous small spots which transmit light. The leaves are hairless on their upper surface, but hairy on their lower surface – particularly the midrib and veins which have dark red silky hairs. The leaves have 18-25 secondary veins emanating from either side of the midrib. Its petioles are 4-8 millimeters long, and covered in rust-colored silky hairs. Its flowers are on peduncles that are 11-16 millimeters long, extra- axillary, and occur alone or in pairs. The peduncles are covered in fine rust-colored hairs and have a bracteole at their midpoint. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are united to form

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

with 3 oval to triangular lobes that come to a point. The outer surface of the calyx is covered in dark red hairs. Its flowers usually have 3 petals but can have 6, arranged in two alternating rows of 3. The thick, oval, concave petals are 12-16 by 10-12 millimeters, come to a shallow point. The margins of the petals touch but are not united. The outer surface of the petals is covered in rust-colored fine, silky hairs, the inner surface is covered in tawny yellow, woolly hairs. The convex

receptacle Receptacle may refer to: Biology * Receptacle (botany), a plant anatomical part * Seminal receptacle, a sperm storage site in some insects Electrical engineering * Automobile auxiliary power outlet, formerly known as ''cigarette lighter recep ...

of the flowers is 6 millimeters in diameter and covered in wispy yellow hairs. Its flowers have numerous

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s that are 1.8-2.2 millimeters long with short, flat filaments and 1.5-1.7 millimeter long

anthers The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

. The tissue connecting the lobes of the anthers is overgrown to form a hood covered in stiff hairs. Its

carpels Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

and club-shaped styles are 1.8-2.2 millimeters long. Its

ovaries The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. T ...

are covered in red silky hairs. Its immature, oval fruit are 2.5 centimeters long and 1.5 centimeters in diameter and covered in cone-shaped projections. Its seeds are oval and have a caruncle at one end.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''Annona sericea'' is shed as permanent tetrads.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15399578 sericea Flora of Bolivia Flora of Brazil Flora of Colombia Flora of French Guiana Flora of Guyana Flora of Suriname Flora of Trinidad and Tobago Flora of Venezuela Plants described in 1817 Taxa named by Michel Félix Dunal