Mutisiopersea Kostermans, a new genus in Lauraceae

Abstract

The genus Persea Miller, sensu Kopp (1966) has been split up into two genera, Persea sensu stricto to which the Asiatic Persea species (formerly included in Machilus sensu Nees) also belong and the new genus Mutisiopersea, which differs from Persea (S. S.) by its indurate persistent sepals in the fruiting stage, those in Persea (S. S.) remaining unaltered, shrivelled and hanging downward or even completely lacking in fruits. In this way, these two genera fit better in Kostermans' system of Lauraceae, which is based on the development of the hypanthium and the sepals in the fruiting stage.