Maquira sclerophylla (Ducke) C.C.Berg

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Moraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Maquira sclerophylla (Ducke) C.C.Berg

  • Type

    Lectotype. Ducke sn (HJBR 8297, HAMP 17119) [male female] (RB, not seen; isotypes seen), Río Branco de Obidos, Pará, Brazil.

  • Synonyms

    Olmedioperebea sclerophylla Ducke, Perebea xinguana Standl.

  • Description

    Description - Medium-sized to tall, dioecious or monoecious trees. Leafy twigs 3-6.5 mm thick, puberulous; lenticels conspicious. Leaves elliptic to lanceolate, often broadest near the upper end, equilateral or slightly inequilateral, 13-3o(-38) cm long, 5-15 cm broad, coriaceous (to chartaceous), acuminate, obtuse (to acute) at the base, glabrescent above, often scabridulous beneath; veins prominent, 13-20 pairs of secondary veins, most tertiary veins parallel; petioles 8-25 mm long; stipules 5-1o(-17) mm long, puberulous. Staminate inflorescences up to 4 together, discoid to hemispherical (to subglobose), 3-12 mm in diameter; peduncle 5-13 mm long, sometimes bracteate; involucre with broadly ovate, acute, puberulous bracts in 3-5 series; flowers free or basally connate; perianth 1.5-2.2 mm high, 4-lobed to 4-parted, puberulous, the outer tepals more or less cucullate; stamens (3-)4, filaments straight before anthesis, 2.2-2.7 mm long, anthers 0.8-1.3 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm broad, usually inequilateral, connectives rather broad. Pistillate inflorescences solitary or accompanied by 1 or 2 staminate ones, subsessile to pedunculate; peduncle up to 8 mm long; involucre with reniform to ovate, acute to obtuse, puberulous bracts in 3 series; one free flower or 2-4 basally connate flowers; perianth 5-8 mm high, 4-lobed, puberulous; style short and broad, stigmas linguiform, 2.5-3.5 mm long, acute. Fruiting perianth (sub)globose ca 20 mm high, sparsely puberulous. Probably flowering throughout the year.

  • Discussion

    The inflorescences of Ducke sn (HJBR 18272) lack well-developed pistillate inflorescences; several flowers also contain stamens, the perianth being intermediate in shape between that of the pistillate and the staminate ones.

    According to Ducke (1992) the trees shed their leaves at the end of the rainy season.

  • Distribution

    (Fig 23). From the Lower Amazon Basin to Suriname; in forests of the terra firma.

    Suriname South America| Brazil South America|