Siparuna bifida (Poepp. & Endl.) 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 bifida (Poepp. & Endl.) A.DC.

  • Type

    Type: Peru. Loreto: Yurimaguas, Mar 1831, Poeppig 2391 B (lectotype, G-DC, F photo neg. 8087, designated here; isolectotypes, F, F frag, ex G-DC, G-BOISS, G-DEL, GOET, W, destroyed). The other extant syntypes are Poeppig 2131 B (P) and Poeppig 3089 (G, GH frag. [3 leaves]). Perkins & Gilg (1901) in addition cite Poeppig 2272-239IB and 2272-2392B, which we have been unable to locate. However, BM has an unnumbered Poeppig collection that may be a duplicate of one of the original collections and thus a further isosyntype.

  • Synonyms

    Citriosma bifida Poepp. ex Endl., Siparuna glossostyla Perkins

  • Description

    Species Description - Dioecious shrub or treelet, rarely a large tree, 2-11 (-20) m tall and reaching a dbh of 20 cm; trunk stout and branching about 3 m from the base, the bark dark rufous brown, scaly or with numerous short, coarse depressions. Young branchlets terete or subangular, more or less densely stellate-pilose. Leaves opposite; petioles 0.3-1 cm long; lamina drying grayish brown or greenish brown, rigid-chartaceous and often slightly shiny above, lanceolate, oblong, or elliptic, 10-18 X 3-6.5 cm, the base acute to obtuse, the apex acuminate to apiculate, the tip 0.3-1.5 cm long, on both sides with simple or stellate more or less appressed hairs, especially on the veins and the lower surface, with 9-11 pairs of secondary veins, these flat above, raised below, the margin entire. Cymes bifid, densely covered with minute stellate hairs, sometimes glabrescent, male cymes 3.5-5.5 cm long, with 30150 regularly spaced subsessile flowers; female cymes 2-3 cm long and with fewer flowers. Fresh flowers light yellow-green; male flowers obconical to cup-shaped and with minute wartlike outgrowths (barely visible), 1-1.8 mm in diam., 0.9-1.5 mm high, the indumentum as on the cymes; tepals forming a narrow rim, the floral roof hardly developed; stamens 12-25, membranous; female flowers ovoid, 1-1.5 mm in diam., 1.3-2 mm high, with minute wartlike outgrowths, 0.1 mm long, the tepals forming an upright rim, the floral roof conical, densely tomentose, glabrescent; styles 3(-5), free. Fruiting receptacle globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., with short fleshy tubercles and often loosely villous, when fresh and mature reddish and with a strong astringent smell; drupelets usually three, lacking a stylar aril.

  • Discussion

    Siparuna bifida is characterized by usually bifid inflorescences, short-tuberculate fruiting receptacles, and elliptic to lanceolate leaves with inconspicuous secondary veins and subglabrous mature leaves. Morphologically, its closest relatives are the monoecious species S. krukovii and S. reginae, and the dioecious S. cervicomis. The first of these has thinner leaves, fewer flowers, longer pedicels, fewer stamens, a typically long-exserted stylar column, smooth fruiting receptacles, and 3- to 4-branched cymes with elongate axes. Siparuna reginae differs from S. bifida in the usually much denser indumentum on the cymes and the lower leaf surface, longer pedicels in the male flowers, and usually larger leaves, flowers, and fruiting receptacles. Siparuna cervicomis, finally, has similar bifid cymes as in S. bifida, but smooth fruiting receptacles and dense stellate-lepidote hairs on the lower leaf surface and inflorescences (Fig. 7G).

    Among the 16 entire-margined species of Siparuna, S. bifida is unusual in being dioecious instead of monoecious. The only other entire-margined species with this sexual system is S. cervicomis. A molecular phylogeny of Siparuna (Renner and Won, 2001; Fig. 17) suggests that S. bifida and S. cervicomis may be sister species that evolved from a monoecious ancestor.

  • Common Names

    capitíu da mata, caá-pitiú

  • Distribution

    Siparuna bifida occurs in the Amazon basin in Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia in primary and secondary forests, usually along banks of streams; lowlands to 1100 m elevation.

    Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Junín Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| Pasco Peru South America| Puno Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Acre Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Beni Bolivia South America| Cochabamba Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Pando Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America| Cusco Peru South America|