Dorstenia bahiensis Klotzsch ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.

  • 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

    Dorstenia bahiensis Klotzsch ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Bahia: Ilheus, 25 Jun 1837, Luschnath s.n. (holotype, LE; isotypes, B, BR).

  • Synonyms

    Dorstenia martiana Miq., Dorstenia anthuriifolia S.F.Blake

  • Description

    Species Description - Herb, to 50 cm tall; leafy stem for the greater part supraterranean, to 25 cm long, erect or ascending, 6-12 mm thick, glabrous; internodes to 1 cm long; latex yellow. Leaves in spirals, initially subrosulate; lamina elliptic to lanceolate, 9-27 × 3-12 cm, chartaceous; apex acuminate to acute; base cordate to rounded to truncate or to subacute; margin finely and often ± irregularly crenate-dentate to repand; upper surface glabrous; lower surface glabrous; lateral veins 9-12 pairs, loop-connected; tertiary venation often partly scalariform; petiole 10-21 cm long, glabrous; stipules subovate to triangular, 0.5-1 cm long, faintly plurinervate, with only the midrib prominent and conspicuous, subacuminate, glabrous. Inflorescences with the receptacle outside green to slightly purplish(-brown) and with the margin and the flowering face (partly) dark purple to purplish-brown, the flowering face initially facing downwards, later upwards; peduncle 5-15 cm long, glabrous; receptacle centrally attached, discoid to broadly turbinate, the flowering face ± concave, orbicular to ± pronouncedly (quadr)angular in outline, 1-3(-4) cm diam., the outside minutely puberulous, mainly with retrorse hairs, the margin lobed to crenate, the fringe narrow to almost lacking; bracts in 2(-3) rows on the margin, broadly ovate to semiorbicular, appressed, to 2 mm long, glabrous or minutely puberulous; staminate flowers among the pistillate ones; tepals 2; stamens 2; filaments longer than the perianth; stigmas equal in length, ca. 0.3-0.4 mm long, pale green; minute and thin to conical hairs among the flowers and on the perianths present. Endocarp body ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, tuberculate.

  • Discussion

    Dorstenia bahiensis is a distinct species, rather variable in the shape of the lamina. It is one of the few species with yellow latex (also found inD. appendiculata). The plants are initially acaulescent, but older specimens are distinctly caulescent, with the stem to 25 cm long. The species shows affinities to D. elata and D. grazielae in the characters of the stem and stipules. The initially acaulescent habit and the shape of the receptacle, tending to be quadrangular, suggest relationships with D. contrajerva and with D. ramosa.

  • Distribution

    In eastern Brazil (Pernambuco and Bahia); in moist and shaded places: at low elevations.

    Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America|