Sorocea pubivena Hemsl.

• Authority

  Berg, Cornelius C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and (Moraceae): With introductions to the family and and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83: 1-346. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Moraceae

• Scientific Name

  Sorocea pubivena Hemsl.

• Type

  Type. "Guatemala," Friedrichsthal s.n. (holotype, K).

• Description

  Species Description - Shrub or tree, to 15(-25) m tall. Leafy twigs (l-)2.5-6 mm thick, white to brownish-subhirsute to hirtellous or patent to appressed-puberulous to subglabrous. Lamina oblong to elliptic or to lanceolate, (6.5-) 12-30(-50) × (2.5-)4-13(-16) cm, broadest at or above the middle, equilateral to slightly inequilateral, coriaceous to chartaceous; apex acuminate; base acute to obtuse to rounded; margin (sub)entire or dentate to denticulate; upper surface minutely puberulous on the midrib or glabrous; lower surface rather densely to sparsely hirtellous (to subhirsute), densely to sparsely patent- or sparsely appressed-puberulous (with hairs of about the same length) on the main veins to subglabrous; venation almost plane, but mostly the midrib and often also the lateral veins ± impressed above, ± prominent or the smaller veins almost plane beneath; lateral veins (6-)10-20(-25) pairs, sometimes connected by a slightly arcuate submarginal vein; tertiary venation (usually) partly scalariform; petiole (0.5-) 0.8-2(-2.5) cm long, (1-)1.5-2.5(-3) mm thick, puberulous to hirtellous or subglabrous; stipules 0.3-1.2 cm long, puberulous to hirtellous, caducous. Staminate inflorescences pendulous (to patent?), 1.5-20 cm long, including the 0.1-0.5 cm long, puberulous peduncle; flowers spaced to rather crowded, broadly to rather narrowly sessile; perianth 1-2.5 mm long, deeply 4-parted or the tepals free, sparsely puberulous or only ciliolate; stamens (3-)4, bent inwards or outwards, straight or bent inwards at anthesis, mostly isomorphic; filaments 0.2-1.5 mm long; anthers ca. 0.5-0.8 × 0.50.8 mm, the connective broad, sometimes short-apiculate. Pistillate inflorescences patent (to pendulous?), 2-6.5 cm long, to 9.5 cm long in fruit; peduncle 0.l-0.5(-l) cm long, to 1 cm long in fruit, puberulous; rachis puberulous, red(dish) in fruit; flowers 3-60(-100), sessile, sometimes with pedicels to 0.3 cm long, subsessile or mostly pedicellate in fruit; pedicel to 1.5 (-2) cm long, turning red, sparsely puberulous; perianth 2-4 mm long, 4-lobed (to subentire), the upper part narrowly to broadly ovoid, glabrous or sparsely puberulous, the lower part distinct or hardly so, mostly densely and minutely puberulous; style sometimes exceeding the perianth; stigmas tongue-shaped, 0.5-1.5 mm long, rather coarsely to minutely papillate. Fruiting perianth subglobose to ovoid to oblongoid or to oblate, 1-1.7 × 0.8-1.7 cm, mostly apiculate, black, the surface smooth, sparsely to densely and minutely puberulous (to hirtellous) or subglabrous.

• Discussion

  In contrast to the related species Sorocea steinbachii and S. muriculata, this species shows quite a variation in the androecium.

  Three subspecies can be recognized.