Helicostylis elegans (J.F.Macbr.) C.C.Berg
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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. Klug 603 [male] (F, not seen; isotypes seen), Mishuyacu, near Iquitos, Loreto, Peru.
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Synonyms
Perebea elegans J.F.Macbr., Helicostylis lancifolia Ducke
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Description
Description - Dioecious or monoecious trees up to 25 m tall. Leafy twigs 1-4 mm thick, yellowish tomentellous to puberulous. Leaves lanceolate to oblong (to elliptic), sometimes broadest near the upper end, hardly inequilateral, (3-) 6-18 cm long, (1.5-)2.5-5.5 cm broad, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, acuminate, more or less obtuse at the base, entire, except for the costa glabrescent above, puberulous and bearing appressed hairs on the costa and the secondary veins beneath; veins nearly plane above, prominent beneath, (7-) 10-17 pairs of secondary veins, most tertiary veins parallel; petioles 4-9 mm long; stipules 2-4(-6.5) mm long, appressed-puberulous to subsericeous. Staminate inflorescences up to 11 together, 3-6 mm in diameter; peduncle 5-15 mm long, puberulous; involucre with reniform to ovate, acute, puberulous bracts in ca 4 series; perianth 1-2 mm high, 4-fid to 4-parted, puberulous to tomentellous at the upper end; filaments 1.2-2.2 mm long, anthers 0.3-0.6 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm broad, apiculate or not, connectives rather broad, those of the inner whorl of stamens often somewhat swollen, stamens of the two whorls not or little different. Pistillate inflorescences solitary or accompanied by up to 5 staminate ones, 4-5 mm in diameter, sessile; involucre with reniform to ovate, acute, yellow to brownish velutinous bracts in 8-10 series, the margins of the inner bracts involute; flowers 5-10; perianth 1.2-1.4 mm high, 4-parted, yellow to brownish puberulous; style lateral, 0.8-1.0 mm long, the upper end broadened and hairy, stigmas vittiform, ca 3 mm long, mostly twisted. Infructescences convexly discoid, ca 15 mm in diameter; fruiting perianth yellow to brownish velutinous. Flowering from October to December.
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Discussion
H. elegans cannot be distinguished from H. tometosa by only one or two characters, as emerges from the key to the species in which the main differentiating characters are mentioned.
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Distribution
(Fig 29). In non-inundated forests of the Upper Amazon Basin; known from Peru and Brazil.
Peru South America| Brazil South America|