Bagassa guianensis Aubl.

• Authority

  Berg, Cornelius C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and (Moraceae): With introductions to the family and and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83: 1-346. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Moraceae

• Scientific Name

  Bagassa guianensis Aubl.

• Type

  Type. French Guiana. Without locality, (?), Aublet s.n. (holotype, BM; isotype, NY).

• Synonyms

  Laurea tiliifolia Gaudich., Bagassa sagotiana Bureau ex Benth. & Hook.f., Piper tiliifolium Ham. ex Desv., Bagassa tiliifolia (Desv.) Benoist, Bagassa sagotiana Bureau ex Benth. & Hook.f.

• Description

  Species Description - Tree, to 45 m tall, deciduous. Leafy twigs 2-6 mm thick, puberulous to tomentellous (hispidulous and scabrous when juvenile). Lamina (sub)cordiform to ovate to elliptic or to suborbicular, entire to 3-lobed (when juvenile to 3-parted), 6-22(-30) × 4-17(-23) cm, sub-coriaceous to chartaceous; apex (or apices) short-acuminate to acute (when juvenile long-acuminate); base cordate to subcordate to rounded; margin entire to crenate (when juvenile to serrate); upper surface subglabrous (when juvenile scabrous to scabridulous); lower surface densely puberulous to tomentellous (when juvenile scabrous to scabridulous); venation almost plane above, prominent beneath; tertiary venation scalariform; petiole 3-10(-14) cm long, puberulous to tomentellous; stipules 0.5-1.5(-2) cm long, puberulous to tomentellous, caducous. Staminate inflorescences: peduncle 1-2 cm long, puberulous to tomentellous, sometimes with 1 or 2 ovate bracts; spike 4-12 cm long, 3-5(-10) mm diam., sometimes irregularly constricted and/or bulging; perianth ca. 1 mm long, minutely puberulous; filaments 1-2.5 mm long; anthers 0.2 × 0.2 mm; pistillode subulate, 0.5-1 mm long; bracts ovate to oblong to lanceolate to subovate to subovate to (sub)spathulate, ca. 1 mm long, minutely puberulous. Pistillate inflorescences: peduncle 0.7-1.5 cm long, 2-4 mm thick, puberulous to tomentellous; head 1-1.5 cm diam.; perianth ca. 2 mm long, the apex minutely puberulous outside, the upper part densely minutely puberulous inside; style 0-0.1 mm long; stigmas subulate, ca. 1-1.5 mm long; bracts lanceolate to spathulate to obovate ca. 1 mm long, puberulous. Infructescences 2.5-3.5 cm diam.; fruiting perianth 1.2-1.5 cm long; fruit obovoid ca. 7-8 mm long, often ± distinctly stipitate; seed ca. 3 ×2 mm.

• Discussion

  The species is uniform throughout its range of distribution. Leaves of juvenile specimens differ considerably from those of adult trees in shape, texture, and indumentum.

  Timber is used for nautical constructions. The infructescences are edible.

• Common Names

  cow wood, katowar, tuwue, yawahedan, gele bagasse, jawahedan, kauhoedoe, kaw-oedoe, bacasse or bagasse, odon or odoun, tatajuba, tareka’y, amapa-rana, taraiko’i, tatajuba, tatajuba

• Distribution

  Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|