Ampelocera hottlei

Botanical description

Trees are usually 10–30 m tall; trunk is usually 10–50 cm dbh thick, with narrow buttresses, ca. 2 m tall; crown subglobose or spreading; bark smooth, white to gray with dark lenticels, hard, with a sweet odor; sapwood creamy yellow to light brown; branches light brown-gray, lenticellate; stipules ca. 4 mm long, linear-lanceolate, puberulent. Leaf blades oblong to elliptic, (7-)8.5-16(-26) x (2.6-)3.3-8(-10.5) cm, the apex acuminate with an acumen 0.2–3 cm long, obliquely attenuate to rounded at base, the margins entire, drying chartaceous to subcoriaceous, dull dark green above, dull light green beneath, the young leaves blue to purple, glabrous and smooth above and beneath, the lateral veins 3-4(-5), arcuate, only slightly raised beneath, the base palmately veined with basal pair arising at the petiole; petioles 0.6-1.2 cm long, glabrous, minutely verrucose, usually drying dark brown. Inflorescences axillary on leafy branches, 1-2.5 cm long, compound dichasia with perfect flowers toward the apex and functionally staminate flowers toward the base; rachises 0.7-1.5 cm long with 8-17 flowers, puberulent. Flowers purplish to yellowish green, sub-tended by puberulent bracteoles 1–2 mm long; calyx 1–2 mm long, the lobes 5, united at base, puberulent abaxially; stamens ca. 16 in perfect flowers, ca. 8 in staminate flowers; filaments ca. 2 mm long, linear-lanceolate, broadened basally; anthers ca. 1 mm long, anther connective extended ca. 1 mm into a puberulent apicule; ovary puberulent, the style branches ca. 4 mm long, united in lower 2–3 mm. Fruits yellow, symmetrical, obovoid, 1.2-1.5 cm tall, 1-1.2 cm wide, velutinous, with persistent style branches; endocarp ca. 1 mm thick.

Common names

Distribution habitat,and phenology

This species occurs from central Mexico to Nicaragua in primary, undisturbed rainforest or tropical wet forest, sometimes on limestone. Flowering reported from February and fruiting from March to June. It is used for constructing railway sleepers due to the straightness of its trunk.