Combretum leprosum

  • Authority

    Stace, C. A. & Alwan, A.-R A. 2010. Combretaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 107: 1-369. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Combretaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Combretum leprosum

  • Type

    Type.  In deserto Prov. Bahiensis ad Jacobina et in Prov. Piauhiensis ad S. Gonzalo d Amarante, in sepibus camporum in protologue. Brazil. Piauf: In petrosis siccis in campis, Prov. Piauhiensis, ad S. Gonzalo d Amarante, May 1819, Martius 2523 = 410(5) (lectotype & isolectotypes, M, here designated), Martius s.n. (isolectotypes, M). Brazil. Bahia: Prov. Bahiensis interioribus ad Jacobinam, Apr 1819, Martius s.n.(lectoparatype, M). Brazil. Martius 115 (lectoparatype, L).

  • Synonyms

    Combretum leptostachyum Mart., Combretum hasslerianum Chodat

  • Description

    Species Description - Woody liana to 15 m, shrub to 4 m, or tree 4-20(-25) m with trunk to 0.5 m diam.; combretaceous hairs (only inside flowers) and peltate scales present. Leaves opposite, chartaceous, 3-22 × 1.5-12.5cm, ovate (sometimes subtrullate) or elliptic to broadly so, obtuse to rather long acuminate at apex, narrowly (rarely) or broadly cuneate to rounded at base, at first contiguously and later very densely lepidote abaxially, rather to very densely so adaxially, the leaves often whitish. Venation eucamptodromous to brochidodromous, usually eucamptodromous-brochidodromous; midvein moderate, prominent; secondary veins 5-12 pairs, moderately spaced to distant or rarely close, originating at moderately acute angles, curved along length or (more often) only dis-tally, slightly prominent; intersecondary veins sometimes present; tertiary veins mostly regularly percurrent, scarcely prominent; higher order veins usually distinct (but often obscured by scales); areolation well developed, scarcely prominent. Petiole 0.3-2 cm, usually contiguously lepidote. Inflorescences typically simple in successive leaf-axils but the upper ones without subtending leaves hence forming a simple or sometimes compound raceme of spikes to 30 cm; each spike 1-10 cm, rather stout, its axis contiguously whitish lepidote at anthesis, the scales wearing off with age. Flowers tetramerous, 6.2-8.5 mm; lower hypanthium 1-2.2 mm, without pedicel-like proximal region, contiguously lepidote; upper hypanthium 4-6.5 × 2-3.4 mm, deeply cupuliform, densely whitish-lepidote; calyx lobes 0.9-2 mm, erect, acute, densely whitish-lepidote; petals 4, 1.7-1.8 × 1.2-1.5 mm, reaching ca. as high as or slightly higher than calyx lobes, broadly obovate to suborbicular, rounded at apex, abruptly narrowed to proximal narrow claw 0.1-0.5 mm, sometimes with scales abaxially, without hairs; stamens 8, exserted, with filaments 3.8-5 mm; disk densely pubescent at margin with long straight hairs, with distinct free margin 0.3-2 mm; style 7.2-9.1 mm, exserted ca. as far as stamens, glabrous; ovules 3-4. Fruit 2-3.4 × l.4-2.5 cm, elliptic to trullate- or rhombic-elliptic or broadly so in side view, rounded (usually narrowly so) to obtuse at base, with rather stout pseudostipe 0-0.3 cm, rounded or slightly emarginate to acute at apex and often minutely apiculate, densely whitish-lepidote especially on body; wings 4, 0.5-0.9 cm wide. Scales ca. 130-250 µm diam., white or whitish, more or less circular in outline, convexly or rarely concavely scalloped at each marginal cell, divided by numerous radial walls and towards the center by numerous radial and tangential walls; marginal cells ca. 35-60, mostly much radially elongated but none reaching from center to margin. Reproductive biology. Flowers white, cream-colored, yellow, green; petals white; very fragrant and visited by bees. Flowering August to April; fruiting throughout most of year.

  • Discussion

    Uses. Apparently useful cattle fodder.

    Illustrations. Figs. 33g (trichome), 34a (fl), 351 (fr), 46 (portrait). Bezerra Loloiola & Ferreira de Sales (1998), p. 183; Eichler (1867), pl. 29 & 34 (fl); Exell (1953), fl, p. 115. Cobra (1967) followed Martius in maintaining that Combretum leprosum and C. leptostachyum are distinct species. He stated that C. leptostachyum is a tree (not a shrub, sometimes subscandent) with broader leaves with more prominent venules and less contiguous scales, narrower flowers with shorter-clawed petals, and stipitate (not sessile), oblong-elliptic (not elliptic) fruits with scarcely or non-emarginate and non-apiculate (not emarginate and apiculate) apices He said that it occurs in Mato Grosso (and Mato Grosso do Sul), Brazil, and Paraguay (to which should now be added Bolivia), whereas C. leprosum is more widespread in northeastern Brazil. The present known total distribution is still disjunct, with a gap of ca 900 km, the eastern area comprising Pará, Maranhão Piauí, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Tocantins, and Bahia. However, after the study of much material I am unable to separate two taxa, and agree with Exell (1953) in amalgamating them. Specimens from the western area are certainly nearly all trees, whereas those from the eastern area are mostly shrubs or lianas, although exceptions occur in both areas. However, other species (e.g., C. glaucocarpum) show similar ranges of growth-habit, which could well be caused by environmental conditions, and species such as C. glaucocarpum, C. mellifluum, and C. duarteanum show similar though less pronounced southwest versus north-east disjunctions. Moreover I cannot find a correlation between either distribution or habit and the other characters relating to leaves, flowers, and fruits. For example, very broad leaves occur in Maranhão and sessile fruits in Bolivia. It is possible that detailed field studies might show that two taxa, perhaps subspecies, exist, but the separation of herbarium material would be extremely difficult except by geographical origin.

    Combretum leprosum is easily identified in flower by its distinctly shaped flowers and large, dense, white scales on all floral and vegetative parts. In fruit it can be confused with C. duarteanum or C. mellifluum from the same areas, but it is always distinguishable from that by its usually larger fruits with a shorter and stouter pseudostipe.

    Distribution and Ecology: (Fig. 45). In deciduous to semi-evergreen forests on hills, in dry low an s or by rivers, in bush-savanna or scrub, on sand or clay 150-600 m. Widely distributed in Brazil south of e Amazon basin from ca. 4° S to the Tropic of Capricorn, extending westwards into Bolivia and Paraguay, with a marked disjunction in C Brazil (see discussion). Guaglianone (1998) noted it from Formosa, Argentina, which would extend the distribution further south to 24 or 25° S, but I have seen no Argentinian specimens. Rambo 41270 (G), labeled Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Apr 1949, might represent a remarkable outlier of the western distribution area, another locality of the same name, or a mislabeling. Glaziou 9792 (BM, C, P) and 10714 (C, K) labeled Rio de Janeiro were probably not collected in that state. Ekman H 2034 (S) is labeled Massif de la Selle, Haiti, Sep 1927, but must surely be mislabeled or cultivated.

  • Common Names

    Asucaro, malpaiso, carne de toro, chisojo, nasubirr, Came de vaca, vaqueta, mofumbo, mufumo, pente de macaco

  • Distribution

    Paraíba Brazil South America| Tocantins Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Mato Grosso do Sul Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Ceará Brazil South America| Beni Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America| Amambay Paraguay South America| Concepción Paraguay South America|