Olmedia aspera Ruiz & Pav.
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Authority
Berg, Cornelius C. 1972. Olmedieae, Brosimeae (Moraceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 7: 1-229. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Moraceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Ruiz & Pavon sn (MA). The original description of Olmedia aspera is based on several Peruvian collections of Ruiz and Pavon. One of the staminate specimens in the Madrid Herbarium is here designated as lectotype. Many specimens, either staminate or pistillate, have been distributed and are still present in several herbaria.
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Synonyms
Olmedia poeppigiana Mart., Olmedia caucana Pittier, Olmedia falcifolia Pittier, Trophis aurantiaca Herzog
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Description
Description - Dioecious trees or shrubs up to 20 m tall; latex white to yellow, watery to viscous. Leafy twigs 1-4 mm thick, whitish scabrous or scabridulous to hispid or hispidulous. Leaves oblong to lanceolate, often broadest near the upper end, or subfalciform, inequilateral or not, (3-) 12-26(-40) cm long, (1-)3-7(-11) cm broad, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, narrowly acuminate to subcaudate, acute at the base, dentate to denticulate, sometimes repand or nearly entire, scabrous to scabridulous above, scabrous or scabridulous to hispid or hispidulous beneath; veins plane above, prominent beneath, (6-)8-19(24) pairs of secondary veins, tertiary veins partly parallel; petioles 3-15 mm long; stipules 5-12 mm long, scabrous to hispid. Staminate inflorescences 1-2(-6) together, 4-10 mm in diameter, subsessile to pedunculate; peduncles up to 6 mm long, bracteate; involucre with ovate to lanceolate, acute to acuminate, scabrous to strigose bracts in 3-4 series; flowers 10-30; perianth 2-3 mm high, 2-4-par ted at anthesis, strigose towards the tip; filaments 3.5-5 mm long, anthers 1.3-1.8 mm long, o.5-0.9 mm broad, connectives narrow, sometimes appendiculate. Pistillate inflorescences 1-2(-5) together, subsessile to pedunculate; peduncles up to 6 mm long, bracteate; involucre with ovate to deltoid, acute, scabrous to strigose bracts in 5-7 series, usually uniflorous, rarely biflorous; perianth 3-3.5 mm high, strigose; ovary free, often strigose at the tip, style 1.2-4.0 mm long, stigmas 7-11 mm long. Fruiting perianth fleshy, orange to red; fruit subglobose ca. 4.5 × 5 mm. Flowering throughout the year.
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Discussion
Olmedia aspera is very variable, especially in the leaf shape and the indument. There is a single collection of a pistillate inflorescence with two flowers.
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Distribution
(Fig 3). From Costa Rica through the Andes to Bolivia; in forests up to 1500 m altitude, usually in moist places.
Costa Rica South America| Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America|