Alfaroa
Encyclopedia
Alfaroa is a genus of evergreen trees in the Juglandaceae
family of the Fagales
, growing in montaine and submontaine tropical rain forests in Central America. The wood is characterized by solid pith, pink heartwood, and vessels with scalariform perforations, as well as simple perforations.
ly compound) leaves are evergreen and lack stipule
s. They are alternate, rarely opposite.
The plants are monoecious, the male flowers being in lateral panicles (several pairs of catkins on an inflorescence) and the female flowers born terminally either in a single spike or in a hermaphroditic panicle including several paired male catkins. Each flower has a wide bract, two bracteoles, and four sepals. The flowers are sessile. The male flowers have a round or oblong receptacle and six to ten stamens. The pollen grains are approximately 24 micrometers in diameter and are slightly triangular in polar view.
The small fruits are nuts, one-chambered at the apex and eight-chambered (sometimes four-chambered) at the base. Germination is hypogeal.
A. guatemalensis and A. roxburghiana were originally described as belonging to the genus Engelhardia
. The monotypic genus Alfaropsis I. A. Iljinsk has also been erected for A. roxburghiana.
Juglandaceae
The Juglandaceae, also known as the Walnut Family, is a family of trees, or sometimes shrubs, in the order Fagales. Various members of this family are native to the Americas, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia....
family of the Fagales
Fagales
The Fagales are an order of flowering plants, including some of the best known trees. The order name is derived from genus Fagus, Beeches. They belong among the rosid group of dicotyledons...
, growing in montaine and submontaine tropical rain forests in Central America. The wood is characterized by solid pith, pink heartwood, and vessels with scalariform perforations, as well as simple perforations.
Description
The (usually pinnatePinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
ly compound) leaves are evergreen and lack stipule
Stipule
In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
s. They are alternate, rarely opposite.
The plants are monoecious, the male flowers being in lateral panicles (several pairs of catkins on an inflorescence) and the female flowers born terminally either in a single spike or in a hermaphroditic panicle including several paired male catkins. Each flower has a wide bract, two bracteoles, and four sepals. The flowers are sessile. The male flowers have a round or oblong receptacle and six to ten stamens. The pollen grains are approximately 24 micrometers in diameter and are slightly triangular in polar view.
The small fruits are nuts, one-chambered at the apex and eight-chambered (sometimes four-chambered) at the base. Germination is hypogeal.
Species
Alfaroa includes the following species (This list may be incomplete):- A. columbiana, G. Lozano-C., J. Hernandez-C., & S. Espinal-T.
- A. costaricensisAlfaroa costaricensisAlfaroa costaricensis, also known as campano chile, chiciscua, gaulin, gavilán colorado, or gavilancillo, is nut bearing timber tree in the Juglandaceae family. It is native to the Neotropics, from Mexico, through Central America to Colombia.-Habitat:A...
, Standl. —Campano Chile, Chiciscua, Gaulin, Gavilancillo - A. guanacastensisAlfaroa guanacastensisAlfaroa guanacastensis is a species of plant in the Juglandaceae family, first described from material found in the vicinity of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It is known to flourish at altitudes from 2400 to 3700 feet....
, D. E. Stone - A. guatemalensis, (Standl.) L. O. Williams & A. Molina 1970
- A. hondurensisAlfaroa hondurensisAlfaroa hondurensis is a species of plant in the Juglandaceae family. It is endemic to Honduras.-References:* Nelson, C. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
, L.O. Williams 1959 - A. manningii, Jorge Leon
- A. mexicanaAlfaroa mexicanaAlfaroa mexicana is a species of plant in the Juglandaceae family. It is endemic to Mexico.-References:* González-Espinosa, M. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
, D. E. Stone - A. roxburghiana (Wall.) I. A. Iljinsk.
- A. williamsiiAlfaroa williamsiiAlfaroa williamsii is a tropical monoecious cloud forest dwelling species of tree first recognized in the Cordillera Central of Nicaragua at an altitude of 1.3 km. The mature tree is 15-25 m in height, with a 0.5 m DBH...
, A. Modina R.
A. guatemalensis and A. roxburghiana were originally described as belonging to the genus Engelhardia
Engelhardia
Engelhardia is a genus of seven species of trees in the family Juglandaceae, native to southeast Asia from northern India east to Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines...
. The monotypic genus Alfaropsis I. A. Iljinsk has also been erected for A. roxburghiana.