Siparuna cuspidata (Tul.) A.DC.

  • Authority

    Renner, Susanne S. & Hausner, Gerlinde. 2005. Siparunaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 95: 1--247 pp. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Monimiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Siparuna cuspidata (Tul.) A.DC.

  • Type

    Type: Surinam: s. loc., 1842, Hostmann 1167 (lectotype, P, designated here; isolectotypes, BM, F, FI-WEBB photo seen, G, G-BOISS, GH frag. [2 leaves], K, MO). The other syntype is Hostmann 953 (FI-WEBB photo seen, G, G-DC, F photo neg. 8084, GH frag. [2 leaves], K 3 sheets, P 2 sheets). Tulasne, by mistake, cites this last collection as Hostmann 955.

  • Synonyms

    Siparuna argyrochrysea Perkins, Siparuna lepidiflora Perkins, Siparuna ucayaliensis Perkins

  • Description

    Species Description - Monoecious treelet or tree, 3-20(-35) m tall, reaching a dbh of 40 cm, rarely a shrub; bark gray and smooth, the sapwood yellow or tan, young branchlets terete, with silvery peltate scales or stellate-lepidote hairs, glabrescent. Leaves opposite; petioles 0.5-1 cm long; lamina drying grayish-brown or brown, smooth, oblong, 11-21 X 4.5-6(-9) cm, the base obtuse or rounded, the apex cuspidate, the tip 1-2 cm long, older leaves glabrescent above, the lower surface lepidote along the nerves, with 6-8(-9) pairs of secondary veins, impressed above, slightly raised below, anastomosing several mm from the margin, the margin entire. Cymes 2-4 cm long, with 10-15 terminally clustered flowers on somewhat elongate pedicels, 3-7 mm long, transparent to silvery lepidote. Fresh flowers yellow-cream or reddish; male flowers cup-shaped, 1.5-1.7 mm in diam., 1.1-1.5 mm high, the indumentum as on the cymes; tepals forming a 0.2-0.3 mm high irregularly lobed rim or obsolete, the floral roof a narrow collar, glabrous; stamens 5-6(-10), short, fleshy, containing whitish oil cells; female flowers ovoid to subglobose, 1.8-2 mm in diam., 1.5-2 mm high, with or without minute tepals; carpels 5-9, styles forming a column. Fruiting receptacle globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., with tubercles, 1-2 mm long, fresh and immature yellow, mature purple and smelling strongly of lemon; drupelets 5-9, lacking a stylar aril.

  • Discussion

    Siparuna cuspidata is easily distinguished from all other species by the combination of distinctly cuspidate leaves, tuberculate fruits (Fig. 32B), and pedicels that remain short rather than becoming elongated during anthesis (as in S. cristata, which has similar flowers). In Costa Rica and Panama, it has been confused with S. guianensis (e.g., in the Florula of the La Selva station, Appendix 3 in McDade et al., 1994). Siparuna guianensis, however, has smooth fruits. Also, secondary veins in S. cuspidata are more conspicuous and anastomose several millimeters from the leaf margin. Tepal length and shape in S. cuspidata are variable (perhaps depending on flower age), with a few specimens having triangular tepals while others from the same area have a minute tepal rim.

    In her monograph of Siparuna, Perkins (1901) treated S. crassiflora Perkins and S. argyrochrysea Perkins directly after S. cuspidata, indicating that she considered them similar to that species, and the type of S. crassiflora, Spruce 4907, had originally been identified as S. cuspidata.

  • Common Names

    isula micuna, capitiú

  • Distribution

    Siparuna cuspidata occurs in disturbed areas in tropical rain forest, from sea-level to 1300 m elevation; often found on relatively rich soils; from Costa Rica and Panama throughout tropical South America (Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia).

    Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Bocas del Toro Panamá Central America| Coclé Panamá Central America| Colón Panama Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| San Blás Panamá Central America| Veraguas Panama Central America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Boyacá Colombia South America| Caquetá Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Valle del Cauca Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Potaro-Siparuni Guyana South America| Brokopondo Suriname South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Orellana Ecuador South America| Pastaza Ecuador South America| Sucumbíos Ecuador South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Acre Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America| Pando Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America|