Parkia multijuga Benth.

  • Authority

    Hopkins, Helen C. F. 1986. Parkia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 43: 1-124. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Mimosaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Parkia multijuga Benth.

  • Type

    Type (cited in Bentham, 1876). Brazil. Amazonas: Tefé [Ega], Nov 1831 (fl), Poeppig (lectotype here designated, W, photo US; isolectotypes, F, NY).

  • Synonyms

    Dimorphandra megacarpa Rolfe

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree to 40 m high. Leaves alternate or in whorls at end of twigs, to 70 cm long. Petiole bearing a single or rarely double orbicular gland on upper side at base. Pinnae 12-35 pairs, opposite or subopposite. Leaflets ca. 30-65 pairs, opposite, oblong, 5-12.5 x 1.5-3 mm, apex rounded or obtuse; main nerve straight at apex. Compound inflorescence axis either distal to a whorl of leaves, sparsely branched, the main axis erect and projecting beyond foliage and to 45(-75) cm long, or proximal to a whorl of leaves, usually unbranched, ± horizontal, not projecting beyond foliage, 15-30 cm long. Peduncles to 30 per inflorescence axis or branch, alternate, 1.5-7.5 cm long. Capitula 2-5(-6) cm diam. Hermaphrodite flowers of largest capitula: calyx ca. 12-15 mm long (including pseudopedicel of 0.5-2 mm), the lobes 2-2.5 mm long; corolla ca. 18-26 mm long, the lobes ca. 3-5 mm long and sometimes recurved, splitting readily into longer lobes, united in middle and sometimes free at base; filaments exserted to 18 mm beyond corolla, united at base for 8-11 mm. Hermaphrodite flowers of smallest capitula: calyx 6-9 mm long, the lobes 1-1.5 mm long; corolla 9-14 mm long, the lobes 1-3 mm, at least sometimes recurved. Pods broadly crescent-shaped, (8-) 15-32 x (4-)7-9(-11) x 1.5-2 cm, borne on 0-5(-6.5) cm stipe, the sutures rounded and the ligneous, indehiscent, glabrous valves not corrugated; epicarp when old breaking by means of mosaic-like cracks into tiny fragments. Seeds to 21 per pod, ca. 35-60 x 10-17 x 11-16.5 mm; testa black. Field characters. A large to very large tree with a characteristic bole, 0.4-1 m dbh, straight, cylindrical, narrowing slowly, with gray or rarely reddish, smoothish bark. Plank buttresses sometimes present to 3 m high and extending outwards for 2 m, forking towards ends; when these are absent, base of bole has dumpy thickenings. Crown large, often over-topping neighboring trees, with distinctive appearance because of the whorled leaves, similar to Parkia velutina but twigs thinner. Buds golden-brown. Capitula at anthesis cream-colored, smelling of garlic (Ducke, 1949), but odor perhaps varies between populations. Pods black. Pods and seeds unique in genus.

  • Discussion

    The paratype, Glaziou 2972 (BR, F, K, MG, NY, P), is cited by Bentham (1876) as “in prov. R. de J.” Several duplicates of the latter also have “Quinta” (farm), and a specimen at S which lacks a number has “Quinta imperial.” According to Ducke (1922, 1925b) the specimens are from a tree cultivated at “Quinta da Bôa Vista, São Christovam” or “Quinta de São Christovam.” Many of Glaziou’s collections labelled “environs of Rio de Janeiro” are pirated specimens of C. A. W. Schwacke collected in Amazonia (Prance, 1971). The origin of this specimen is therefore uncertain.

    Local names and uses. Colombia: Guarango. Peru: Tankám. Brazil: Faveira, faveira parkia, faveira branca, faveira da folha miúda, fava or faveira arara-tucupí, paricá grande da terra firme, arapary branco, yurae-paschacu, tambury. Acero Duarte (1979) records that the wood is used for cabinet making, as a veneer, and in plywood, and that the ground seeds are mixed with the flour consumed in Amazonian Columbia. Seeds used in the preparation of soap in Mato Grosso, Brazil (Krukoff 1399; J. M. Ayres, pers. comm).

    Variation. During field studies in Brazil, I encountered two populations of Parkia multijuga, at Belém and Manaus. In both, the trees were large with similarly shaped crowns, distinctive terete trunks, yellow capitula, and large, woody, crescent-shaped pods containing cuneate seeds. However, the following characters differed between populations: Belém: seasonal várzea; plank buttresses present; leaf rachis to 67 cm long; leaflets 9-12 mm long; inflorescence axis distal to leaves, erect, branched, persistent; peduncles 4.3-7.5 cm long; capitula to ca. 6 cm diam.; pods weakly crescent-shaped. Manaus: terra firme forest; buttresses absent; leaf rachis 18-37 cm long; leaflets 6-8.5 mm long; inflorescence axis proximal to leaves, ± horizontal, unbranched, abscissed after fruiting; peduncles ca. 2.0-3.0 cm long; capitula ca. 2-3 cm diam.; pods strongly crescent-shaped. Herbarium material from elsewhere in the range indicates that there is some correlation between the characters mentioned above, though few specimens provide all necessary data. There appears to be continuous variation in leaf characters, capitulum size, and curvature of the pods, but short leaves and small leaflets are usually associated with proximal inflorescences and specimens showing this syndrome are from near Manaus, the upper Rio Negro, and near Cruzeiro do Sul, AC. Material with distal inflorescences usually coincident with larger leaflets and longer rachides, comes from Belem, Obidos, Tefé, Humaitá, Rondônia, upper Rio Purús, Colombia, and Ecuador. Habitat differences and buttresses are less constantly correlated. As the characters are not reliably correlated with each other or with geographical distribution, two taxa cannot be recognized at present. Further field studies may nevertheless reveal consistent morphological and ecological differences. The occurrence of two distinct pollen types (p. 35) is a further indication of the variability of this species.

    Distribution and Ecology: Widespread in Amazonian Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, in terra firme forest and várzea, exclusively on clay soils (Ducke, 1949), to 450 m altitude. Near Belem it grows in forest which is flooded annually for a short period by the white water Rio Guamá (seasonal várzea). North and east of Manaus, Parkia multijuga occurs in the tallest forest of the area, away from streams, often on watersheds and towards the top of small hills. Ducke (1915, 1925b, 1949) recorded it from the following localities which are not verified by collections: R. Acará and R. Moju nr. Belém; nr. Breves and Anjaz; nr. Gurupá; R. Tocantins between Cametá and Alcobaça; R. Xingú W of Volta, R. Tapajós nr. Cachoeira Mangabal. These observations do not extend the limits of its distribution however. In the western part of the range (Colombia, upper Rio Negro, Rio Solimões) flowering is recorded in November and December, in the southern part (Acre, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, nr. Humaitá) in August to October, near Manaus in February to April, and in the east, near Belem, from August to September. Near Obidos and Santarém the flowering time appears variable. Near Manaus new leaves are flushed in August-September.

  • Common Names

    Guarango, Tankám, Faveira, faveira parkia, faveira branca, faveira da folha miúda, fava, faveira arara-tucupí, paricá grande da terra firme, arapary branco, yurae-paschacu, tambury

  • Distribution

    Brazil South America| Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Peru South America|