Siparuna brasiliensis (Spreng.) 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 brasiliensis (Spreng.) A.DC.

  • Type

    Type: Brazil. Minas Gerais: Without exact locality, Otto s.n. = Sellow s.nJB.598 (lectotype, K, designated here; isolectotypes, B, destroyed, F photo neg. 13483, GH frag, ex B [2 leaves, labelled as Sellow L492.B.598], LISU labeled as 598). The proto-logue cites an unnumbered collection made by Otto, while a later description (Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 2: 545. 1825) cites only material collected by Sellow. We have found various Sellow sheets annotated as S. brasiliensis by Sprengel, but none appear to have been collected by Otto. Possibly, the annotated material was all distributed under Sellow s name. A Paris sheet labeled Sellow 5809 may be another syntype. Note that Sellow 958 may also by a syntype of S. cujabana and S. apiosyce synonymized below. Possibly this material represents one and the same collection.

  • Synonyms

    Siparuna obovata (Gardner) A.DC., Siparuna cujabana (Mart. ex Tul.) A.DC., Siparuna cujabana var. plebeia (Tul.) A.DC., Siparuna lanceolata (Tul.) A.DC., Siparuna cujabana var. lanceolata (Tul.) Perkins, Siparuna erythrocarpa (Mart.) A.DC., Siparuna estrellensis (Tul.) A.DC., Siparuna apiosyce (Mart. ex Tul.) A.DC., Siparuna ruficeps (Tul.) A.DC., Siparuna apiosyce var. ruficeps (Tul.) Perkins, Siparuna foliosa (Tul.) A.DC., Siparuna cujabana var. foliosa (Tul.) Perkins, Siparuna obovata var. obtusifolia A.DC., Siparuna cujabana var. goyazana A.DC., Siparuna minutiflora Perkins, Siparuna mouraei Perkins, Siparuna chlorantha Perkins, Siparuna tenuipes Perkins, Siparuna hylophila Perkins, Siparuna langsdorffii Tolm., Siparuna cordata Tolm.

  • Description

    Species Description - Dioecious shrub or treelet, 1.5-7 m tall and reaching a dbh of at least 7 cm; young branchlets terete and covered with small reddish brown or yellowish spreading hairs. Leaves opposite or rarely in whorls of 3, the petioles 1-6.5 cm long, the lamina drying greenish to greenish brown, chartaceous, obovate or elliptic, (6-)8-23 X (3-)4-9(-12) cm, the base cordate, rounded, obtuse, or acute, the apex obtuse to acuminate, the tip about 1 cm long, both surfaces more or less densely pubescent, the lower surface usually velvety to the touch, with 8-9(-10) pairs of secondary veins, the veins flat above, slightly raised below, the margin denticulate to serrulate, drying flat. Cymes 1-2(-3) cm long, pendent and more or less densely covered with tufted hairs, with (5-) 15-35 (-50) flowers. Fresh flowers creamy yellow; male floral cup subglobose, 1-2.4 mm in diam., 1-2 mm high, pubescent as the cymes, the 4-7 tepals triangular and 0.8-1.2 mm long, adaxially loosely pubescent, the floral roof broadly conical and moderately to distinctly raised and often forming an upright rim around the floral pore, glabrous; stamens 1-12; female floral cup subglobose, 2-3.5 mm in diam., 1.9-3.3 mm high, the roof raised, consisting of an outer bulge separated by a groove from a central tube tightly surrounding the styles, the indumentum as in the male flowers; styles 4-12. Fruiting receptacle subglobose, about 1.8 cm in diam., crowned by the persistent tepals, when fresh and mature purple with white spots and a strong pungent smell, when dried the 4-8 drupelets somewhat protruding, drupelets fresh gray-blue and bearing a red stylar aril.

  • Discussion

    Siparuna brasiliensis (as S. apiosyce) is included in the first pharmacopoeia of Brazil (Dias da Silva, 1926), which recommends leaf extracts of this as a tea or tincture (in alcohol). Since then, the flavonoids and alcaloids of this species have been analyzed by several research groups (see Chemistry and Ethnobotany).

    Siparuna brasiliensis is characterized by the combination of tomentose to velvety obovate leaves, pendent short cymes, and usually triangular tepals. The types of several of the names here synonymized come from the same few localities and look exactly alike. Not surprisingly therefore, different workers often identified duplicates of the same collection as belonging to several of the “species” here united (see the notes above on the original material cited for the various names). Authors also commented on the similarities between the species as follows (freely translated): Tulasne said that his species Citriosma erythrocarpa was very close to C. oligandra. The latter resembled C. apiosyce, which in turn resembled C. lanceolata and C. cujabana. Citriosma cujabana had a habit like C. plebeia, which in turn had flowers like C. lanceolata. The latter looked like C. estrellen-sis and C. ruficeps. Perkins (1901) rightly sank S. estrellenis, S. foliosa and S. lanceolata into S. cujabana, and S. ruficeps into S. apiosyce, but she maintained the other species of S. brasiliensis.

    The most striking variation within Siparuna brasiliensis concerns leaf thickness and pubescence. Collections from Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso have smaller, thicker, more hairy leaves with almost cordate leaf bases. Collections from the coastal mountains (states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo) have thinner leaves with fewer hairs and more acute leaf bases. Intermediates between these ecotypes are found in the interior of São Paulo (e.g., G. J. Shepherd & Tamashiro 15821, Mattos & Mattos 8217). Further variation is seen in stamen numbers. Collections with single-stamened flowers have been described as S. erythrocarpa, S. minutiflora, and S. mouraei. However, abundant modem material from essentially the same localities suggests that the number of stamens varies within populations.

  • Common Names

    capim-limão, abricó de macaco, limão do matto, limãozinho, limoeiro-bravo, negamina, negra-mina

  • Distribution

    Siparuna brasiliensis is widespread in southeastern Brazil from sea-level to 1600 m elevation; a collection made near Ilhéus in 1837 (Luschnath 13, BR) remains the only record from Bahia. It commonly grows in gallery forests on soil rich in phosphorous and clay. Flowering and fruiting throughout the year, but most intensely from June to September.

    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| São Paulo Brazil South America|