Croton cuneatus Klotzsch
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett. 1965. The Botany of the Guayana Highland. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 12 (3): 1-285.
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Family
Euphorbiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Klotzsch species was based on three syntypes, of which two come from Ega on the Amazon (as explained by Müll. Arg.), and one from British Guiana, Schomburgk s.n., two widely separated regions. More recent collections have not bridged that gap.
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Description
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Tall shrub or spreading riverine tree to 15 m high; the Guianas, Bolivar, Venezuela, upper Amazon Region of northern Brazil and Iquitos, Peru. BRITISH GUIANA. Upper Mazaruni River, 13 Nov 1922, Leng 109 (fl. NY); dense forest, Kuyuwini River, Essequibo tributary, 21-26 Nov 1937, A. C. Smith 3025 (fl. NY) ; Makreba Falls, Kurupung River, 23 Feb 1959, Pinkus 255 (fl. NY); Tumereng, Mazaruni River, 5 Mar 1943, Fanshawe 2881, F. D. 6028 (fl. NY). SURINAME. Banks, Marowijne River between Pakire Creek and Herminadorp, 24 Mar 1949, Lanjouw and Lindeman 3468 ([male] fl. fr. NY) ; banks of Toekoemoetoe Creek, Saramacca River Headwaters, 5 Jul 1944, Maguire 24069 (fr.); 1 Feb 1951, Florschutz 1113 (fl. NY). VENEZUELA. Bolivar: Rio Paragua: edge of forest along river, between Guaiquinima and Rio Torouo, alt. 280 m, 16 Apr 1943, Killip 37518 (fl. fr. NY) ; Raudal Aguacanta, 21 Jul 1943, Cardona 706 (fl. NY); Raudal Guaiquinima, alt. 475 m, 15 Jan 1962, Steyermark 90810 (fl. NY) . Rio Cuyuni: alt. 150 m, Feb 1949, Cardona 2779 (fl. NY); vic. El Dorado, alt. 80 m, 13 Apr 1957, Bernardi 6483 (y. fr. NY); wooded slopes bordering savanna de los Chacharos, Rio Asa, alt. 290 m, 2 Aug 1960, Steyermark 86793 (fr. NY). BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Negro: San Gabriel de Cachoeira, Jan-Aug 1852, R. Spruce 2238 (fl. NY) ; Yucabi, Apr 1929, Tate 971, 991 (fl. fr. NY) ; varzea land, Manariao, Rio Jurua, 27 May 1933, Krukoff 4591 (fl. NY); restinga, Sao Paulo de Olivenga, 26 Oct-11 Dec 1936, Krukoff 8972 (fr. NY); Tocantins, 24 Feb 1944, Ducke 1564 (fl. NY).
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Discussion
C. surinamensis Müll. Arg. Linnaea 34: 82. Croizat considers C. cuneatus a typical "amazonian" element with discernible affinity toward C. oblongifolius Roxb. of India and the Far East. On what this affinity is based is not made clear. Lanjouw has examined Kappler 1505 and Ilostmann 1094 in K e w and has come to the conclusion that they cannot be distinguished from C. cuneatus. Because the name C. cuneatus was first given to a specimen in the Herb. Munich, although unpublished, Lanjouw considers that to be the type. Mull. Arg. laid great importance to the mixed sexuality of spikes at the base, and based the subsection Cyclostigma on this character. Some upper Amazonian specimens show mixed [male] and [female] flowers at the base of the spike {Tate 971, 991; Ducke 1564; Krukoff' 4591), whereas others show a distinct separation into an up])er purely [male] and a lower purely [female] segment (Spruce 2238, Krukoff 8972).
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Distribution
Distribution. Tall shrub or spreading riverine tree to 15 m high; the Guianas, Bolivar, Venezuela, upper Amazon Region of northern Brazil and Iquitos, Peru.
Guyana South America| Venezuela South America| Brazil South America| Peru South America| Suriname South America|