Banisteriopsis schizoptera (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 schizoptera (A.Juss.) B.Gates

  • Type

    Type. Saint Hilaire, Catal. Bl, 1365, Brazil, Minas Gerais,  immense Chapada entre Alto du bois et Villa de Fanado," fl (lectotype, P; isotypes, P 2 sheets). Saint Hilaire, Catal. Bl, 1132, Brazil, Minas Gerais, Morro d Andaia, fl (syntype, P; isosyntype, P). I have chosen as lectotype the sheets annotated by Jussieu, with his cross after the name.

  • Synonyms

    Banisteria schizoptera A.Juss., Banisteria adamantium Mart. ex A.Juss., Banisteria intermedia A.Juss., Banisteria stellaris var. intermedia (A.Juss.) Griseb.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub with vining tips, becoming a vine if support is available. Young branches terete, velutinous, sometimes with an overlay of sparse golden T-shaped hairs, older branches glabrate, dark brown, the bark splitting into fissures with numerous pale prominent punctate lenticels. Stipules minute or absent. Leaves opposite, rarely ternate on vining branches, the petiole 1-3(-7) mm long, golden-velutinous to glabrate, eglandular, the lamina 1.7-7.0(-8.5) cm long, 1.1-4.0 cm wide, smaller in the inflorescence, elliptic or rarely narrowly elliptic, truncate to cordate at the base, acute to apiculate at the apex, with the margin flat to slightly revolute, with l(-5) pair(s) of stipitate glands abaxially on the basal lateral veins, sparsely appressed-sericeous to velutinous adaxially, eventually glabrate, loosely white- or golden-sericeous abaxially, the hairs T-shaped with the trabecula (1.0-)1.4-2.4 mm long and the stalk 0-0.3 mm long, with the veins prominulous to prominent adaxially and prominent abaxially. Inflorescence of 4-flowered umbels, borne in cymes, terminal or on short axillary branches bearing 1-5 pairs of more or less reduced leaves, densely velutinous to glabrate; bracts and bracteoles 1.0-1.8(-2.2) mm long, broadly triangular, sparsely sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially, deciduous in bud or during flower, rarely persistent; pedicels sessile (6-) 11-18 mm long, 0.6-1.0 mm wide, 0.6-0.8 mm without the hairs, densely to sparsely velutinous, sometimes with an overlay of golden T-shaped hairs. Sepals golden-sericeous, often glabrous around the margin abaxially, adaxially minutely velutinous distally, the anterior sepal (2.5-)3.0-4.0 mm long, 1.2-1.8 mm wide, narrowly elliptic, keeled, the 4 lateral sepals (3.2-)3.5-4.5 mm long, (1.8-)2.8-3.5 mm wide, broadly elliptic, obtuse at the apex, with the glands 2.5-3.4 mm long, 1.0-1.6 mm wide, green to brown, the sepals projecting 1.5-1.8 mm beyond the glands. Petals white, sometimes with pink median zone on the petals outermost in bud, the 4 lateral petals reflexed between the sepals, the claw 1.5-2.5 mm long, 0.5-0.6 mm wide, the limbs (6.5-)7.5-10.0 mm long, (5.5-)6.5-9.0 mm wide, dentate, orbicular, eglandular or with the teeth glandular especially basally, the antero-lateral petals slightly larger and cucullate, the postero-lateral petals flat to slightly concave, the posterior petal with the claw erect (3.5-)4.0-4.5(-5.0) mm long, up to 1.8 mm wide at the apex, channelled distally, not constricted, the limb (5.0-)5.5-6.0 mm long, 4.5-6.0 mm wide, rotund, reflexed, flat to slightly convex, with at least the basal fimbriae glandular. Stamens with the filaments 2.0-3.0 mm long, connate basally, the locules densely pilose, 1.2-1.8 mm long, the connectives cream to buff, all more or less enlarged and glandular at the apex, those of the stamens opposite the petals 0.8-1.4 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, 0.30.5 mm deep, those opposite the sepals 1.1-1.6 mm long, 0.8-1.0 mm wide, 0.60.9 mm deep. Ovary 1.0-1.5 mm tall, white-sericeous, the styles equal, straight and parallel to slightly diverging, basally strigose, (2.0-)2.5-3.2 mm long, up to 0.6 mm wide at the apex, flaring and slightly flattened apically, stigmas capitate. Carpophore up to 2 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, the nut 7-9 mm tall, 4-6 mm long, golden-brown, appressed-sericeous, tuberculate to alulate, the wing 17-28 mm long, 9-14 mm broad with appressed stiff golden hairs, becoming glabrate, scarlet, the upper and lower margins more or less parallel.

  • Discussion

    Collected in flower November to July, and in fruit in December to July.

    This is a very variable species, varying in leaf shape, size, and pubescence. Plants exhibit an elliptic leaf shape in Goiás and western Bahia, becoming ovate to lanceolate farther south in Minas Gerais. The stem pubescence shows considerable variation in its density and hair size throughout the range. Plants segregated in the past under the name B. intermedia show the most dense leaf and stem pubescence and the largest flower size, and approach B. malifolia in these characters. There is a continuous gradient northward in Goiás, eastward through Bahia to Piaui, and southward to Minas Gerais, in which the leaf pubescence becomes sparser and more appressed and golden, and the stem pubescence less dense, less persistent and of hairs with shorter arms. This species appears to be a predominantly northern species in its distribution and I found it growing on crystalline quartz outcrops or in quartz sand. Banisteriopsis stellaris appears to be more southern in its distribution, occurring on deep red cerrado soils. Thus in the Serra do Espinhaço near Diamantina, the glabrous B. stellaris is rare and I found it only in the deep soil of river valleys at relatively low elevations. It is in Maranhão where the ecology is very complex that the distinction between B. stellaris and B. schizoptera becomes problematic. Throughout the rest of their range, in addition to the leaf pubescence character, B. schizoptera may be distinguished from B. stellaris by its larger flower size, thicker pedicels and all its stamens with glandular connectives. However, in Maranhão, individuals with leaves exhibiting the pubescence character of B. schizoptera have flowers within the size range of B. stellaris, and with only the anterior stamens with well developed glandular connectives. For the purpose of naming these plants, I am using the hair pubescence character to distinguish between these two species since it is an easily and accurately observable character, recognising that here it represents a somewhat arbitrary distinction. I hope that future work in this ecologically diverse area will resolve the problem.

  • Distribution

    This species occurs on crystalline outcrops in the Planalto region of Brazil, such as in the Serra do Espinhaco in Minas Gerais, the Serra dos Pirineus in Goiás, and in the Distrito Federal. It extends northwards into Bahia, Piauí and Maranhão.

    Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America|