Alfaroa

Alfaroa is a genus of magnoliophyte plants of the Juglandaceae family established by P. C. Standley in 1927. It is native to the mountainous regions and tropical forests of Central America. The wood is characterized by its pink heartwood.

Description

The leaves are generally pinnate, evergreen and alternate, rarely opposite.

The plants are monoecious, the male flowers are in lateral panicles (several pairs of catkins in an inflorescence) and the female flowers are borne terminally, either in a single point or in a hermaphroditic panicle that includes several male partners. Each flower has a broad bract, two bracteoles, and four sepals. The flowers are sessile. The male flowers have a round or oblong shape and a receptacle of six to ten stamens. Pollen grains are approximately 24 micrometers in diameter and are slightly triangular in polar view.

The fruits are small, the nuts, with one chamber at the apex and eight chambers (sometimes four chambers -) at the base. Germination is hypogeal.

Species

• Alfaroa costaricensis Standl, 1927
• Alfaroa guanacastensis D. E. Stone, 1977
• Alfaroa manningii J. León, 1953
• Mexican Alfaroa D. E. Stone, 1968
• Alfaroa williamsii A. R. Molina, 1968