Brosimum guianense (Aubl.) Huber

  • Authority

    Berg, Cornelius C. 1972. Olmedieae, Brosimeae (Moraceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 7: 1-229. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Moraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Brosimum guianense (Aubl.) Huber

  • Type

    Type. Aublet sn, French Guiana, near Caux? (BM).

  • Synonyms

    Piratinera guianensis Aubl., Alicastrum guianense (Aubl.) Kuntze, Brosimum aubletii Poepp. & Endl., Brosimum discolor Schott, Piratineria discolor (Schott) Pittier, Piratinera panamensis Pittier, Brosimum lecointei Ducke, Piratinera scabridula S.F.Blake, Piratinera velutina S.F.Blake, Brosimum velutinum (Blake) Ducke, Brosimum tessmannii Mildbr., Piratinera lemeei Benoist, Brosimum lemeei (Benoist) Lemée, Piratinera mollis Killip, Brosimum palmarum Standl., Brosimum rotundatum Standl., Brosimum panamense (Pittier) Standl. & Steyerm.

  • Description

    Species Description - Monoecious shrubs or trees up to 30 m tall, with or without buttresses; latex white to yellow. Leafy twigs 1-3 mm thick, sparsely to densely white to brown puberulous. Leaves elliptic to lanceolate, more or less inequilateral, often broadest above or below the middle, (2-)4-13 cm long, (1-)2-6cm broad, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, acuminate (to caudate), acute, obtuse, or sometimes emarginate, at the base acute to obtuse (to subcordate); margin entire, or occasionally dent(icul)ate towards the apex, often more or less revolute; above glabrous and shining; beneath nearly glabrous, appressed-puberulous, (sub) velutinous, or scabridulous; veins more or less prominent, 6-14 pairs of secondary veins, without parallel tertiary veins; petioles 2-6 mm long; stipules 2-5 mm long, puberulous to nearly glabrous, caducous or sometimes persistent. Inflorescences usually bisexual, discoid to broadly turbinate or hemispherical, often more or less lobed, 3-12 mm in diameter, subsessile to pedunculate; peduncle up to 20 mm long, often bracteate; staminate flowers few to many; perianth o.2-0.4 mm high, 3-4-lobed, puberulous; stamen 1, filaments 0.3-0.8 mm long, anthers 0. 1-0.3 mm long and 0.1-0.25 mm broad, connectives broad and swollen; pistillate flowers one to several; style o.4-1.0mm long, stigmas 0.1-0.3 mm long; bracts many to numerous, puberulous, 0.4-1.o mm in diameter. Infructescences (sub)globose or subturbinate and ca 12 mm in diameter, or if containing two or more fruits more or less lobed and up to 16 mm in diameter, reddish at maturity; seed ca 8 × 5 mm. Flowering throughout the year, mainly from September to January.

  • Discussion

    Use: The hard wood is a valuable timber.

    The species is variable, especially in the dimensions, shape, texture, and indument of the leaves. Differences in the indument of the lower leaf surface have led to the distinction of separate species (cf Blake 1922). These differences are not correlated with other characters. Specimens with appressed hairs on the leaves beneath are commonest and occur throughout the whole area. Those with a (sub)velutinous lower side to the leaves are found from Para (Brazil) through the Guianas to Venezuela and occur also in Colombia. Those with a scabridulous lower leaf surface are met with in Suriname, Guyana, and Trinidad. The species also varies in several characters of the inflorescences, like the shape and number of flowers. The material of the secondary areas does not differ from that of the main area.

  • Common Names

    wild breadnut, mountain breadnut, bastard breadnut, leopard wood, gatea, letterwood, snakewood, tibikishi, letterhout, bois de lettre, lettre mouchette, muirapimina, aita, quire, coquillo

  • Distribution

    The distribution is apparently discontinuous. The main area comprises the Amazon Basin (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia), the Guiana shield (the Guianas and eastern Venezuela), and Trinidad. As secondary areas may be regarded north-western Venezuela, northern Colombia, and southern Panama; British Honduras and Southern Mexico (State of Oaxaca); and in Brazil, a region comprising the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro and the southernmost part of Minas Gerais, and a part of Pernambuco. Usually in non-inundated rai

    Mexico North America| Belize Central America| Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America| Bolivia South America|