Banisteriopsis gardneriana (A.Juss.) W.R.Anderson & B.Gates

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Malpighiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Banisteriopsis gardneriana (A.Juss.) W.R.Anderson & B.Gates

  • Type

    Type. G. Gardner 2502, Brazil, Piauí, Paranagoa, fl (holotype, G; isotypes, GH, MO, P, W).

  • Synonyms

    Banisteria gardneriana A.Juss., Banisteria monostyla Nied.

  • Description

    Species Description - Liana, branches minutely tomento-velutinous, eventually glabrate, the bark minutely fissured with numerous tiny lenticels. Stipules 1.0-3.0 mm long, tomentose to glabrate, their bases often joined by a prominent interpetiolar ridge. Leaves coriaceous, with the petiole 5-16 mm long, densely tomentose or velutinous, bearing a pair of large sessile glands apically, the lamina 5.2-13.9(-18.1) cm long and 3.2-6.9(-11.1) cm wide, ovate to elliptic, obtuse to cordate at the base, obtuse to acute or apiculate, rarely emarginate, at the apex, with the margin slightly revolute, adaxially at first sparsely tomentose, soon glabrate except the midrib at the base, shining, abaxially densely appressed-sericeous, adaxially with the primary and secondary veins prominent in young leaves, prominulous or smooth in older leaves, the lateral veins prominent abaxially. Inflorescence of large axillary panicles, bearing reduced leaves, the side branches with 6-14 flowers borne alternately or in pairs, minutely white-tomento-velutinous; bracts and bracteoles 1.0-2.0 mm long, ovate to lanceolate, rounded to obtuse at the apex, sparsely tomentose abaxially, involucrate, persistent; pedicels 7-13 mm long, 0.6-1.0 mm in diameter, white-tomento-velutinous sessile or pedunculate, the peduncle up to 5 mm long. Sepals 2.6-4.0 mm long, 1.6-3.4 mm wide, elliptic, rounded at the apex, sparsely appressed-sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially, the 4 lateral sepals Eglandular, projecting 1.0-2.4 mm beyond the glands, the glands 1.4-2.6 mm long, 0.8-1.8 mm wide. Petals yellow, glabrous, dentate, the 4 lateral petals reflexed between the sepals, the claw 1.5-3.0 mm long, the limb 7.0-12.0 mm long and wide, orbicular, the antero-lateral petals larger and more concave than the postero-lateral petals, the posterior petal with the claw erect, 3.0-4.0 mm long, up to 1.4 mm wide, articulated at the apex, the limb 5.0-9.5 mm long and wide, orbicular to broadly obovate, plane. Stamens with the filaments 1.8-3.8 mm long, those opposite the sepals usually longer than those opposite the petals, sometimes those opposite the postero-lateral petals as long as those opposite the sepals; anthers with the locules 0.6-2.0 mm long, glabrous, the connectives of the stamens opposite the 3 anterior sepals 1.2-2.4 mm long, 0.9-2.2 mm wide, 0.9-1.6 mm deep, obovate or globose, projecting up to 0.4 mm beyond the locules, those opposite the petals and postero-lateral sepals 0.5-1.6 mm long, 0.4-1.0 mm wide, 0.2-1.0 mm deep, elliptic, not projecting beyond the locules. Ovary 1.0-1.8 mm tall, sericeous throughout or only apically, the anterior style 2.8-3.6 mm long, stout and erect, up to 0.5 mm in diameter, the posterior styles shorter and more slender than the anterior style, or absent, 1.0-3.0 mm long, up to 0.2 mm in diameter, diverging from the base, stigmas strongly capitate. Fruit with carpophore 2.0-4.0 mm long and 1.0-2.0 mm wide, the nut 7-13 mm tall and 5-8 mm long, rugulose, appressed-sericeous to glabrate, the hairs golden, the trabecula stiff, straight, 1.0-1.5 mm long, the distal margin with a prominent tooth, the wing 20-33 mm long, 10-21 mm wide, oblong, the lower margin more or less parallel to the upper margin, sparsely appressed-sericeous to glabrate, without a basal appendage. Sepals not enlarged in fruit.

  • Discussion

    Collected in flower from April to September and in December, and in fruit from July to September.

    Banisteriopsis gardneriana is a common and variable species, showing variation in leaf size and shape, type and density of the inflorescence pubescence, and size of the posterior styles. Typical B. gardneriana from the eastern part of the range of the species has posterior styles which are slender but only a little shorter than the anterior style. Collections from Goias, D.F. and Mato Grosso include plants in which one or both posterior styles are aborted, and those plants were segregated by Niedenzu as Banisteria monostyla. However, since all intermediates between well-developed posterior styles and no posterior styles are found, sometimes on the same inflorescence, I am not maintaining B. monostyla as a separate taxon. The collections with one style from Mato Grosso have relatively shorter petioles and longer side branches in the inflorescence than collections from other parts of the range, but these differences do not seem sufficient to warrant taxonomic recognition.

    Associated with the reduction of the posterior styles there is a reduction in the size of the posterior stamens and an increase in the size of the anthers of the stamens opposite the three anterior sepals so that these flowers are very markedly zygomorphic. It is interesting that B. schwannioides, which exhibits a similar loss of the posterior styles, shows this same asymmetry in the size of the stamens.

    This species also apparently occurs in a diversity of habitats; it has been collected in dry forest, gallery forest, cerrado and on rocky outcrops. When it occurs in forest it is a liana, but in the absence of trees to climb on, it will vine upon itself forming thickets like its close relative Banisteriopsis anisandra. Most collections of B. gardneriana in flower were made from July to September, during the dry season. A few flowering collections were made in April to June. Perhaps these collections were made in unusually dry years which stimulated the plants to flower early. There are relatively few collections of this species in fruit; perhaps this species produces few fruits or is inconspicuous in fruit, or matures and disperses its fruits very early, soon after flowering.

    Banisteriopsis gardneriana can be distinguished from Banisteriopsis anisandra by its appressed-sericeous leaf pubescence, large calyx glands, and slender, more or less reduced posterior styles.

  • Common Names

    crista de galo, Cipó prata

  • Distribution

    In the northern part of the Planalto of Brazil, in northern Minas Gerais, Goiás and the Distrito Federal, extending N to Piauí and Maranhao, and W to Mato Grosso.

    Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America|