Cecropia virgusa Cuatrec.
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Authority
Berg, Cornelius C. & Franco Rosselli, Pilar. 2005. Cecropia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 94: 1--230. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Urticaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Colombia. Valle: Between El Aguacate & Quebrada de La Yuca, 8 Feb 1944 ([male]), Cuatrecasas 16093 (holotype: COL; isotype: F).
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Description
Species Description - Tree, to 15 m tall. Leafy twigs 2-4 cm thick, green to purplish brown with conspicuous lenticels, sparsely puberulous to hispidulous. Lamina subcoriaceous, ca. 30 × 30 cm to 80 × 80 cm, the segments (6-)7-8, the free parts of upper segments ovate, the incisions down to 3/10-6/10; apices subacuminate to rounded; upper surface almost smooth to scabridulous, sparsely hispidulous, on the main veins and the "umbilicus" sparsely hirtellous to subhirsute; lower surface sparsely puberulous with brown pluricellular hairs on the veins, with arachnoid indumentum in the areoles and extending to the main veins; lateral veins in the free part of the midsegment ca. 10-15 pairs, submarginally loop-connected, the lower ones usually branched; petiole 15-40 cm long, sparsely puberulous to subhispidulous and with rather dense arachnoid indumentum; trichilia separate, sunken into 2 pockets with slit-shaped apertures; stipules (7-) 10-26 cm long, reddish to brownish or to purplish, ± curved, sparsely hirtellous and with dense arachnoid indumentum and with brown pluricellular trichomes outside, densely pale yellow-sericeous inside. Staminate inflorescences in pairs, erect or ± deflexed; peduncle 7-11 cm long, hispidulous or also with sparse arachnoid hairs; spathe 7-12 cm long, reddish to brownish or to purplish, sparsely hirtellous to strigose and with dense arachnoid indumentum and brown pluricellular trichomes outside, densely yellowish-sericeous inside; spikes 2-4, 4-13 × 0.3-0.7 cm, sessile; rachis hairy. Staminate flowers: perianth tubular, 1-1.5 mm long, with stiff hairs on the ribs below the apex, the apex plane to slightly convex, glabrous or muriculate; anthers ca. 0.4-0.5 mm long, appendiculate, detached at anthesis (?). Pistillate inflorescences in pairs, pendulous (?), subtended by caducous bracts, 0.5-5 cm long; peduncle 5.5-15 cm long, hispidulous or also with sparse arachnoid hairs; spathe 6-8 cm long, the color and indumentum as in the staminate inflorescence; spikes 2-4, 3.5-6 × 0.4-0.5 cm, to 11 × 1.5 cm in fruit, sessile; rachis hairy with straight hairs or also arachnoid indumentum. Pistillate flowers: perianth 2-2.5 mm long, with arachnoid indumentum below the apex outside, absent inside, the apex slightly convex, muriculate, the aperture wide and round, surrounded by a rim; style rather short the apex slightly convex, muriculate, with a wide round aperture surrounded by a rim; stigma comose. Fruit ellipsoid to ovoid, ca. 2 mm long, tuberculate.
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Discussion
Cecropia virgusa has an exceptional type of trichilium. The two trichilia are hidden in lateral (depressions) pockets with a slit-shaped opening at the base of the petiole. The pockets develop as grooves departing from the base of the petiole and become longer and deeper; this occurs before trichilia are formed. Tannin is not found in the developing pericarps, as usual in the genus. Ants are usually present.
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Common Names
llarumo, cosedera teu, tud teu, virgusa
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Distribution
From northwestern Ecuador to eastern Panama, in wet forest or secondary growth, at low elevations.
Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Cauca Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Nariño Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Panama Central America|