Sideroxylon celastrinum
Sideroxylon lanuginosum
bumelia, coma, saffron plum
chittamwood, gum bully
deciduous;
petiole 1–6.5 mm, glabrous;
blade (dark green adaxially), broadly elliptic, obovate, oblanceolate, or spatulate, 6–38 × 3–23 mm, base attenuate to cuneate, margins plane, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous, tertiary and smaller veins not prominent (inconspicuously reticulate), midrib flat, marginal vein present.
deciduous;
petiole 2–14 mm, villous or sparsely hairy to glabrate;
blade (dull to lustrous adaxially), oblong or oblanceolate to spatulate, 15–97 × 7–40 mm, base acute to attenuate, margins plane, apex rounded to obtuse, rarely acute, abaxial surface usually villous, rarely glabrate, venation visible, midrib villous (hairs white or gray to tawny, entangled, wavy), adaxial surface glabrate (hairs scattered along midribs), midrib flat, marginal vein absent.
4–12-flowered.
7–17-flowered.
3–6 mm, glabrous.
2–7 mm, villous, rarely glabrous.
calyx 1.8–3 mm diam.;
sepals 5, 1.7–3 × 0.9–1.9 mm, glabrous;
petals 5(–6), white to yellowish, median segment elliptic, 1.9–2.3 mm, lateral segments lanceolate, 1.3–2.3 mm;
stamens 5(–6), 2.2–2.9 mm;
staminodes lanceolate, 1.7–2.1 mm, minutely erose;
anthers lanceolate, 0.7–1 mm;
pistil 5-carpellate;
ovary 5-locular, 0.9–1.3 mm, hirsute to strigose basally;
style 2.2–2.8 mm.
calyx 1.9–3.2 mm diam.;
sepals (4–)5, 1.8–2.8 × 1.4–1.9 mm, lanate-villous;
petals (4–)5(–6), white, median segment oblong to ovate, 1.2–1.8 mm, lateral segments lanceolate or falcate, 0.8–1.8 mm;
stamens 5(–6), 2.5–2.8 mm;
staminodes lanceolate, 1.3–2.5 mm, entire or erose;
anthers sagittate, 0.8–1.2 mm;
pistil 5(–8)-carpellate;
ovary 5(–8)-locular, 1–1.2 mm, strigose;
style 1.1–1.5 mm.
purple to purplish black, ellipsoid, 8–12 mm, glabrous.
purplish black, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, 7–12 mm, glabrate.
6–11 mm.
6–11 mm.
Sideroxylon celastrinum
Sideroxylon lanuginosum
Sideroxylon celastrinum is widespread in the Neotropics. It differs from other North American species of the genus by its glabrous twigs, leaves, pedicels, and sepals, and its narrowly ellipsoid fruits. The fruits are edible (T. D. Pennington 1990).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).
Sideroxylon lanuginosum is the most widespread and morphologically variable North American species of the genus. Segregate species, subspecies, and varieties have been recognized based on variation in thorn presence, leaf size, abaxial leaf indument, and color of the leaf hairs. Based on our observations and those of A. Cronquist (1945c) and T. D. Pennington (1990), morphological variants are generally consistent within regions. Most recent authors have recognized three to five subspecies and/or varieties in S. lanuginosum (e.g., D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston 1970; J. T. Kartesz and K. N. Gandhi 1990; B. L. Turner et al. 2003).
We recognize three subspecies without varieties based on differences in leaf size and hair color on the abaxial leaf surfaces. A. Cronquist (1949) and T. D. Pennington (1990) also recognized three subspecies; Cronquist further divided subsp. oblongifolium by hair color (variants with white hairs = var. albicans) and the smaller-leaved subsp. rigidum by density of indument (less hairy variants = var. texanum). Discriminating among leaf surface hair densities and the white to gray hair color continuum is particularly difficult in areas of parapatry and sympatry among subspecies in Oklahoma, Texas, and northern Mexico. We present a conservative treatment and encourage detailed studies of morphological and molecular variation throughout the range of the S. lanuginosum complex.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf blades 15-50 mm. | subsp. rigidum |
1. Leaf blades 52-97 mm | → 2 |
2. Abaxial leaf hairs tawny. | subsp. lanuginosum |
2. Abaxial leaf hairs white to gray. | subsp. oblongifolium |
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