''Diclinanona calycina'' 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

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 ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

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 ...

Ludwig Diels Dr. Friedrich Ludwig Emil Diels (24 September 1874 – 30 November 1945) was a German botanist. Diels was born in Hamburg, the son of the classical scholar Hermann Alexander Diels. From 1900 to 1902 he traveled together with Ernst Georg Prit ...

, the German botanist who first formally described the species using the

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

''Xylopia calycina'', named it after its well-developed calyx ( in Latin).

Description

It is a tree reaching 30 meters in height and 30 centimeters in diameter. Its petioles are 5-15 millimeters long. Its leaves are arranged in two rows. Its elliptical to oval, papery leaves are 10-25 by 3-8 centimeters. The upper surfaces of the leaves are shiny and variably hairless or hairy. The undersides of the leaves have white hairs, particularly along the veins. Its leaves have 14-18 secondary veins emanating from either side of the midrib. Its axillary inflorescences have 2-4 flowers. The flowers are on 6-15 by 0.5-5 millimeter

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

. Each pedicel has 2

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s. Its yellow flowers are either male or have both male and female reproductive organs. Its flowers have 3 oval to triangular

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 that are 4-6 millimeters long. The margins of the sepals touch but are not fused and remain attached through fruit maturation. Its flowers have 6 oblong to elliptical petals that are 9-13 by 2.5-3 millimeters. Male 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. Bisexual flowers have few stamens and 3-5

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'' ...

. Its round fruit occur in groups of 1-5, are 2.5-3.5 centimeters in diameter, and covered in brown hair. The fruit have 3-8 shiny, brown elliptical seeds that are 1.7-2 centimeters long.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''D. calycina '' is shed as permanent tetrads.

Habitat and distribution

It has been observed growing in forest habitats with clay soil.

Uses

Bioactive molecules extracted from its leaves and bark have been reported to have antimicrobial and

antiplatelet An antiplatelet drug (antiaggregant), also known as a platelet agglutination inhibitor or platelet aggregation inhibitor, is a member of a class of pharmaceuticals that decrease platelet aggregation and inhibit thrombus formation. They are effectiv ...

activity.

References

Annonaceae Flora of Brazil Flora of Colombia Flora of Peru Flora of Venezuela Plants described in 1934 Taxa named by Robert Elias Fries {{Annonaceae-stub