of weuqut. Many, when asked during what month the 
tree flowers, replied that they had never seen it flower 
and that, therefore, it did not flower. Others insisted 
that the tree blooms during the night and immediately 
drops all the flowers. This second ‘‘explanation”’ is, in 
a way, ingenious, because, as we later witnessed, the forest 
floor under an weuqui tree, where there had even the day 
previously been no indication of blossoms, would sud- 
denly be covered with literally hundreds of thousands of 
flowers or parts of flowers. Our studies showed that, in 
spite of the very long period of aestivation, the flowers 
are almost ephemerous in Pouteria Ucuqut. 
During the last few months of 1947, Murea Pires 
revisited trees in bud several times in an attempt to col- 
lect fertile specimens. When he returned to Belém, 
Schultes and Lopez continued the search. In late De- 
cember, it was noted that the buds on a number of trees 
previously examined were swelling rapidly, in spite of 
the fact that for at least a month previous there had been 
no appreciable alteration in their size. 
On January 5, we found our first flowering tree. It 
was very early in the day, about six o’clock in the morn- 
ing, when our attention was called to the tree by the 
patter of falling flowers. Upon climbing the tree, we 
noted a very strong aromatic and pungent odor. It is 
significant to note that the buds never had a fragrance. 
There were innumerable large bees and several other 
kinds of smaller insects visiting the flowers even at this 
early hour. Later, we encountered other trees in flower, 
but the pronounced odor was not noted. It is possible 
that the strong, aromatic fragrance is given off only for 
a short period during the very limited blossoming time. 
As accurately as we could calculate, open flowers per- 
sist for no longer than three days on an individual tree 
and usually are much shorter lived. 
[ 93 | 
