Dorstenia cayapia Vell.

• 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 cayapia Vell.

• Type

  Type. Fl. Flumin. Ic. 1: t. 137.1831.

• Description

  Species Description - Herb, with the stem (at least partly) subterranean, (1-)5-2(-20)mm thick, puberulous; internodes short or part of them long, stem parts with short internodes sometimes tuberous. Leaves in spirals, rosulate; lamina ovate to cordiform to reniform, entire or 3-7-lobed to-parted, 3.5-13(-17) × 2.5-10(-16) cm, chartaceous, often variegated; apex obtuse to rounded; base cordate; margin coarsely crenate-dentate to sinuate to lobate; upper surface glabrous or with sparse to rather dense, minute, conical hairs, smooth to scabrous; lower surface sparsely to rather densely puberulous on the (main) veins, towards the base of lamina often to hirtellous; venation pinnate; lateral veins 3-7(-8) pairs, faintly loop-connected or terminating (after branching) at the margin; tertiary venation in large leaves partly scalariform; petiole 3-15(-25) cm long, puberulous, the upper part usually hirtellous; stipules broadly ovate to elliptic or to semiorbicular, 0.2-0.5 cm long, coriaceous to subcoriaceous, inconspicuously plurinervate, midrib slightly prominent to plane, usually inconspicuous, with obtuse to rounded apex, puberulous, partly with uncinate hairs. Inflorescences usually unisexual, sometimes bisexual, with the inner surface of receptacle or also the peduncle reddish-brown to (blackish-) purple; peduncle 2-10(-18) cm long, (sparsely) minutely puberulous; receptacle centrally to slightly eccentrically attached, discoid, often concave, orbicular in outline, (0.5-)1-2 cm diam., the outside towards the margin hispidulous, the margin entire or slightly lobed, the fringe almost lacking; bracts in ca. 3 rows on the margin, ± appressed, broadly triangular to ovate, to 1 mm long, minutely puberulous; staminate flowers among the pistillate ones; tepals 2; stamens 2; filaments longer than the perianth; stigmas (almost) equal in length, ca. 0.1-0.5 mm long. Endocarp body ca. 3 × 2.5 mm, smooth.

• Discussion

  Dorstenia cayapia is the only species in the genus with unisexual inflorescences, the staminate ones appearing before the pistillate ones. Bisexual inflorescences occur, but show distinct differences in the proportions of staminate and pistillate flowers.

  The present concept of the species was proposed by Bureau (1873). Gardner (1843) already indicated the possibility that Dorstenia vitifolia and D. asaroides are conspecific. On the basis of morphological differences, mainly in the leaves, four subspecies can be recognized. Subspecies cayapia appears to be ecologically distinct as well. The majority of the specimens can be placed in one of the subspecies. However, there are specimens with ± intermediate features, especially between subspp.. vitifolia and asaroides, and between subspp. vitifolia and paraguariensis.