Sapranthus

Sapranthus is a genus of phanerogamous plants belonging to the family Annonaceae native to Mexico and Central America.

Description

They are shrubs to trees with membranous leaves, the main nerve imprinted on the upper side. Flowers solitary, terminal but often appearing to be opposite to the axils, or cauliflorous, pedicels with a minute to foliaceous bract, almost basal or arranged until near the middle; sepals imbricate; petals 6, imbricated, subequal, membranaceous and with evident venation, or fleshy and not so in the anthesis, dark brown and fetid or green, internal petals with a food body arranged at the inner base; stamens numerous, broadened connective above thecae; carpels few to numerous, ovules 5–20 in (1–) 2 rows. Fruit of oblong-cylindrical to obovoid monocarps, almost sessile to short-stipitated, fleshy; Seeds lunular or rarely discoid, without aril.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by Berthold Carl Seemann and published in the Journal of Botany, British and Foreign 4: 369. 1866. The type species is: Sapranthus nicaraguensis.

12 species are known: