Caryocar edule Casar.

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T. & Frietas Da Silva, Marlene. 1973. Caryocaraceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 12: 1-75. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Caryocaraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Caryocar edule Casar.

  • Type

    TYPE. Riedel 1948, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, fl (holotype, TO).

  • Synonyms

    Caryocar barbinerve Miq., Caryocar crenatum Wittm.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree, the young branches glabrous. Leaves trifoliolate; petioles 4.0-10.0 cm long, glabrescent, terete; leaflets shortly petiolulate, the terminal petiolule 4.0-13.0 mm long, the lateral petiolules almost equal to or shorter than the terminal one, the petiolules sparsely puberulous soon glabrescent, deeply canaliculate; the laminas oblong, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, slightly asymmetrical, subcoriaceous, acuminate at apex, the acumen 4.0-13.0 mm long, rounded to subcuneate and slightly unequal at base, crenate at margins, glabrous above except for puberulous midrib and primary veins, glabrous beneath except for tomentellous to puberulous midrib and primary veins and their axils, the axils hirsute to glabrescent, the terminal lamina 7.0-16.0 cm long, 4.0-8.5 cm broad, the lateral laminas slightly smaller than the terminal one; primary veins 9-12 pairs, plane to prominulous above, prominent beneath; venation prominulous beneath; stipels usually 4, 2 larger than the others, 5.0-12.0 mm long, membraneous, recurved, inflated, persistent. Peduncles 4.0-10.0 cm long, glabrous, terete, sparingly lenticellate. Inflorescences clustered to elongate racemes, 35-45-flowered, the rachis ca 2.5-9.0 cm long, glabrescent; flowering pedicels 1.4-3.2 cm long, glabrescent; bracteoles minute, membraneous, caducous. Calyx cupuliform, 4.0-8.0 mm long, sparsely puberulous on exterior, the lobes 5, rounded, the margins ciliolate. Corolla lobes 5, yellow, oblong (seen in bud). Stamens numerous, the filaments (in bud) tuberculate on apical portion, yellow, the anthers small. Ovary globose, 4-locular, glabrous on exterior. Styles filamentous. Young fruit rotund, smooth and glabrous on exterior.

    Distribution and Ecology - East coast region of Brazil, known only from the States of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, where it has been collected in coastal forest and in rocky places beside streams. Collected in flower November to March.

  • Discussion

    Caryocar edule is easily distinguished by the 4 stipels, 2 of which are larger, inflated and recurved. The identity of this species has been much confused in the past because the type specimen has not been studied. Wittmack, who obviously did not see the type of C. edule, reduced C. edule to a variety of C. glabrum. All material actually studied by Wittmack and placed by him in C. glabrum var edule in fact belongs to C. microcarpum. Wittmack described the new species C. crenatum to accommodate other material which in fact matches the type of C. edule. Thus C. crenatum is synonymous with C. edule. Similarly C. barbinerve is equal to C. edule there being no differences between them.

  • Common Names

    Piqui

  • Distribution

    Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America|