Geobalanus Small

Sothers, C. A., Prance, G. T., Chase, M. W. 2016. Towards a monophyletic Licania: a new generic classification of the polyphyletic Neotropical genus Licania (Chrysobalanaceae). Kew Bulletin 71:58. DOI 10.1007/S12225-016-9664-3.

Type

Type: Geobalanus oblongifolius (Michx.) Small.

Morphology General Habit

Suffrutex with underground stems or small trees

Morphology Leaves

Leaves glabrous or lanate

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petioles glandular or eglandular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences panicles or cymose panicles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts and bracteoles minute, persistent or caducous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 5, not clawed (vs clawed in Chrysobalanus)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 14 – 17, filaments exceeding to far-exceeding calyx lobes, in a complete circle, connate at base or to ⅓ , glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary glabrous or sparsely villous, at base of receptacle

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit ovoid, to 3 cm long; epicarp smooth, glabrous; endocarp hard, fibrous, pubescent within

Distribution

Three species distributed from southeastern United States, to Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Note

Geobalanus differs from Licania and Leptobalanus by the presence of petals (vs apetalous in the other two genera). It is distinguished from Hymenopus by the more numerous stamens and the filaments exceeding the calyx lobes (vs 3 – 10 stamens and included in Hymenopus). It differs from Chrysobalanus by the stamens (slightly united in Chrysobalanus vs markedly united at the base in Geobalanus), the inflorescence and the unridged fruit in Geobalanus (vs ridged in Chrysobalanus). The three species of Geobalanus occupy distinct habitats: G. oblongifolius is found in pine barrens, sand dunes and oak scrubland; G. retifolius in gallery and non-flooded forests and G. riverae is found in transition forests, between humid and dry forests, from 600 – 900 m. The position of Geobalanus in the phylogenetic tree presented here lacks support, appearing as an early diverging genus sister to Parastemon and Grangeria, both paleotropic genera. However, other phylogenetic analyses place G. oblongifolius (as L. michauxii) sister to Licania s.l., Couepia, Hirtella, and Gaulettia (Bardon et al. 2016), genera to which it holds greater affinities.