Banisteriopsis laevifolia (A.Juss.) B.Gates

  • Authority

    Gates, Bronwen. 1982. Banisteriopsis, Diplopterys (Malpighiaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 30: 1-238. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Malpighiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Banisteriopsis laevifolia (A.Juss.) B.Gates

  • Type

    Type. A. Saint Hilaire, Catal. Cl, 170, Brazil, Minas Gerais, Rio das Mortes, fl (holotype, P; isotype, P).

  • Synonyms

    Banisteria laevifolia A.Juss., Banisteria grata Griseb., Banisteria laevifolia var. grata (Griseb.) Nied., Heteropterys micans Skottsb.

  • Description

    Species Description - Subshrub or shrub, usually with vining tips, or liana to 4 m. Young branches terete or sometimes slightly flattened, densely white or golden-sericeous, older branches glabrate, dark brown to rufous with numerous prominent lenticels. Stipules minute or absent, triangular, sericeous on both surfaces or apically glabrate abaxially. Leaves opposite or ternate, the petiole 0-3(-8) mm long, densely sericeous like the stem, eglandular, the lamina (5.0-)6.5-10.5(-13.5) cm long, 2.5-5.5(-7.5) cm wide, smaller in the inflorescence, rotund to narrowly elliptic, cordate to truncate at the base, acute, acuminate or apiculate at the apex, flat or slightly revolute at the margin, bearing 1-4 pairs of peltate glands abaxially on the lateral veins or sometimes beside the costa basally, the glands especially well developed on the inflorescence leaves, adaxially sparsely sericeous to glabrate, abaxially more or less densely white-sericeous, with the veins prominulous adaxially and prominent abaxially. Inflorescence terminal, dichasial, composed of 4-(6-)flowered umbels, up to 5 times branched, lax to very dense, white- or golden-sericeous, the bracts and bracteoles 1.2-2.2 mm long, triangular, adaxially glabrous, abaxially sericeous, sometimes glabrate apically, persistent; pedicels sessile, (4-)6-10(-13) mm long, 1.0-1.2 mm wide, 0.8 mm wide without hairs, white- or golden-sericeous. Sepals golden-sericeous abaxially, minutely velutinous adaxially, caudate, apically reflexed, the 4 lateral sepals 3.0-3.5 mm long and 2.2-3.0 mm wide, rotund, the glands green to yellow, 1.6-3.2 mm long, 0.9-1.4 mm wide, the anterior sepal 2.4-3.2 mm long, 1.0-1.4 mm wide, narrowly ovate, keeled. Petals yolk-yellow, the claws erect, 0.9-2.0 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm wide, the limb (3.0-)4.0-6.5(-8.0) mm long, slightly keeled externally, crenulate to denticulate, the teeth often gland-tipped, especially proximally, the antero-lateral petals 5-7 mm wide, orbicular, concave, the postero-lateral petals 3.0-4.5 mm wide, elliptic, plane, the posterior petal 2.5-4.0 mm wide, elliptic, plane. Stamens with filaments 1.4-2.0 mm long, those opposite the sepals longer than those opposite the petals, connate for up to one third of their length; anthers reflexed, with the locules 1.2-1.5 mm long, sparsely to densely sericeous, the connectives of stamens opposite the petals 0.6-1.0 mm long, 0.4-0.6 mm wide and 0.2-0.5 mm deep, those of stamens opposite the sepals 1.0-1.4 mm long, 0.7-0.8 mm wide and 0.3-0.5 mm deep, smooth, yellow to buff. Ovary 1.0-1.2 mm high, white-sericeous, styles flattened distally, diverging, 1.8-2.5 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide at the apex. Fruit with carpophore 1.5-2.0 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, nut 68 mm high and 4.0-5.5 mm long, smooth to tuberculate, olive brown, tomentose, wing 17-29 mm long, 8-16 mm wide, more or less embracing the nut, appressed-pubescent.

  • Discussion

    Collected in flower November to May.

    This is a widespread species throughout the Planalto showing considerable variation in habit, leaf shape and size, petiole length and leaf pubescence. Niedenzu recognized a variety grata, which he distinguished by its scandent habit, up to 8 pairs of leaf glands, longer pedicels and sparser leaf pubescence. Examination of all material available shows that number of leaf glands and pedicel length vary throughout the range of the species, and are not correlated with sparser leaf pubescence. Specimens with sparse leaf pubescence are found in Goias, Distrito Federal, Mato Grosso and northern Minas Gerais in Brazil; these plants are usually vines, but throughout its range B. laevifolia is a facultative vine, apparently vining wherever support is available. Since density of pubescence is a very variable character throughout the range of the species, I do not feel that recognition of this variety is justified unless study of living populations provides additional data, such as ecological separation, to support segregation.

    The affinities of B. laevifolia appear to lie with the B. argyrophylla group, based on similarities between them in the following characters: position and type of leaf glands; flowers in four-flowered umbels, the umbels borne in cymes or dichasia; stamens with short filaments, with the anthers reflexed, subequal, with pilose locules and eglandular connectives; short styles which are diverging, and recurved and laterally compressed apically; fruit with a smooth nut and the wing embracing the nut. Many of these characters are also shared with the B. schizoptera group, but in this group, some of the connectives are glandular and the styles are less diverging and scarcely compressed laterally. However, B. laevifolia differs from both of these groups in its yolk-yellow petals with crenulate to denticulate margins, which are held suberect with the posterior petal scarcely differentiated from the four lateral petals; the subgenus Banisteriopsis has petals which are yolk yellow, stamens with pilose or glabrous locules and eglandular, subequal connectives, and the fruit with a smooth nut and the wing embracing the nut. But the inflorescences are paniculate, with the flowers in pairs and not in umbels in the subgenus Banisteriopsis, and the leaf glands are marginal. Banisteriopsis laevifolia thus appears to provide a link between these groups of species.

  • Common Names

    Barboleta do campo, Cipó prata

  • Distribution

    Cerrado on deep red soil and margins of gallery forests, throughout the Planalto region of Brazil.

    Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America|