Brosimum rubescens Taub.

  • Authority

    Berg, Cornelius C. 1972. Olmedieae, Brosimeae (Moraceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 7: 1-229. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Moraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Brosimum rubescens Taub.

  • Type

    Type. Glaziou 12169, Brazil, near Rio de Janeiro (B).

  • Synonyms

    Alicastrum rubescens (Taub.) Taub., Piratinera rubescens (Taub.) Pittier, Ferolia guianensis Aubl., Piratinera paraensis (Huber) Ducke, Brosimum angustifolium Ducke, Brosimum lanciferum Ducke, Piratinera lancifera Ducke, Brosimum caloxylon Standl., Brosimum platyneurum Ducke, Brosimum longistipulatum Ducke, Brosimum brevipedunculatum Ducke, Brosimum paraense Huber

  • Description

    Description - Trees usually monoecious, up to 40 m tall (unbuttressed); latex white. Leafy twigs 1-3 mm thick, sparsely to densely yellowish to greyish puberulous, sometimes nearly glabrous, often the short hairs intermixed with distinctly longer greyish to brown more or less appressed ones. Leaves elliptic to oblong (to lanceolate), not or slightly inequilateral, often broadest below the middle, 2-13 cm long, 1-6.5 cm broad, coriaceous to subcoriaceous, acuminate to caudate, at the base acute to obtuse; margin entire; above glabrous; beneath nearly glabrous to sparsely puberulous, on the costa sometimes rather long appressed hairs, glabrescent; the costa slightly prominent above, rather prominent beneath, the other veins nearly plane or sometimes slightly impressed above, slightly prominent to plane beneath, 10-22 pairs of secondary veins, without parallel tertiary veins; petioles 2-13 mm long; stipules 5-25(-40) mm long, sparsely to densely appressed-puberulous to (sub)velutinous. Inflorescences bisexual, sometimes unisexual, (sub) globose, sub turbinate, hemispherical, or somewhat irregular in shape, 2-8 mm in diameter; peduncle 2-12 mm long, slender or stout (0.2-2 mm in diameter), bracteate or not; receptacle almost glabrous to densely puberulous: staminate flowers few to numerous; perianths 0. 1-0.5 mm high, 3-5-fid to 3-5-parted, puberulous; stamens 1-2(-3), filaments 0.2-1.5 mm long, anthers o. 1-0.3 mm long and 0.15-0.4 mm broad, connectives narrow or broad and more or less swollen; pistillate flowers one to several; style ca 1 mm long, stigmas 0. 1-0.8 mm long; bracts few to numerous, 0.2-1.2 mm in diameter, puberulous. Infructescences (sub)globose up to 1.5 (or more) cm in diameter, reddish at maturity. Flowering throughout the year, mainly from November to January.

  • Discussion

    Use. The tree furnishes a valuable timber.

    Brosimum rubescens is a species of variable leaf-shape, indument, length of stipules, dimensions of inflorescences, flowers and floral parts, and number of flowers. Neither the nature of the differences in morphological characters nor their distribution allows the delimitation of infraspecific taxa. However, the species shows regional differentiation. Specimens with relatively long appressed hairs on the twigs, stipules, and lower side of the costa appear to be restricted mainly to the Upper Amazon Basin. Most specimens from this region bear large, many-flowered inflorescences with stout peduncles. Most specimens from the Lower Amazon Basin and the Guianas bear small, few-flowered inflorescences. A relatively large number of specimens from the environment of Manaus has been examined; here, all kinds of morphological variations occur side by side. The material from the Lower Amazon Basin and the Guianas appears to be more uniform; the stipule are medium-sized, the inflorescences a very or rather small, and longer hairs seldom occur; the twigs are often nearly glabrous.

  • Common Names

    Blood wood cacique, satijnhout, doekaliballi, satine rubane, muirapiranga, pau (pao) , rainha

  • Distribution

    (Fig 72). The area is apparently discontinuous. The main area comprises the Amazon Basin (in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia) and the Guianas. The species is also known from northern Panama and a region near Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Usually in non-inundated rain forests; regionally frequent.

    Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America|