Subsídios para Identificação de Pouteria egregia Sandwith e Pouteria oppositifolia (Ducke) Baehni (Sapotaceae), Utilizando Aspectos Morfológicos do Fruto, da Semente, da Plãntula e da Planta Jovem

Abstract

Pouteria egregia Sandwith and Pouteria oppositifolia (Ducke) Baehni belong to the Sapotaceae family, are 40 and 35 m tall trees, popularly known as "cururu" and "guajará-bolacha", respectively. This study aimed to characterize the morphology of the fruit, seed, seedling and young plant and to describe the type of germination of these species. We used 30 fruits, 30 seeds, 10 seedlings and 10 young plants, describing their morphology. The general morphology, coloration, texture, consistency, dehiscence and indumentation of the fruits were recorded; the teguments and embryo of the seeds were described, and the main vegetative elements of the seedlings and young plants were described. Seedlings were considered the development stage in which the eophilia were fully formed, and young plants from the appearance of the second pair of eophilia. The whole study was based on specialized literature and the morphological characters were illustrated with photographs. Pouteria egregia presented bacidium globose type fruit, with rounded apex and base; ovoid seeds, without reserve tissue; phanerocotyledonary epigeal germination, with curved emergence; seedling with eophilic, simple, opposite, persistent cotyledons, valvar prefoliation, brochidodromous venation; and P. oppositifolia presented ovoid bacid-type fruit, with cuspid apex, rounded base; elliptic seeds, continuous, fleshy, hyaline reserve tissue; phanerocotyledonary epigeal germination, with straight emergence; seedling with simple eophylls, nonpersistent cotyledons, conduplicate prefoliation, eucampydromous venation; the young plants presented similarity to the seedlings, differing in the phyllotaxis of the second pair of eophylls that is alternate for both species. It is concluded, therefore, that the above morphological characterization provides subsidies for the identification of the species in the field, being consequently useful for forest management and silvicultural studies.