Brosimum potabile Ducke

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Moraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Brosimum potabile Ducke

  • Type

    Lectotype. Ducke sn (HAMP 10521), Brazil, Pará, Faro (RB, not seen; isotypes seen).

  • Synonyms

    Brosimum myristicoides Standl.

  • Description

    Description - Monoecious trees up to 30 m tall; latex white. Leafy twigs 1-3 mm thick, more or less densely white to brownish puberulous to shortly velutinous. Leaves (elliptic to) oblong to lanceolate, not or slightly inequilateral, usually broadest below the middle, (2-)4-20 cm long, (1-) 1.5-4.5 cm broad, subcoriaceous to coriaceous, acuminate to subacute, at the base obtuse or sometimes subacute; margin entire; above glabrous; beneath areoles covered with white to yellowish hairs, laterally borne by veins and veinlets, otherwise sparsely puberulous to nearly glabrous; above veins slightly prominent to plane, beneath the costa prominent, secondary veins plane to impressed, other veins slightly prominent, 20-28 pairs of secondary veins, without or with a few distinct tertiary veins; petioles 5-16 mm long; stipules 7-20(-40) mm long, puberulous to subsericeous. Inflorescences subglobose to hemispherical, 2-4 mm in diameter; peduncle 2-10 mm long; receptacle puberulous; staminate flowers several to many; perianth 0.1-0.3 mm high, consisting of one puberulous tepal; stamen 1, filaments 0.5-1.1 mm long, anthers 0.3-0.5 mm long and o.2-0.4 mm broad, connectives broad; pistillate flower 1; style ca 1.5 mm long, stigmas ca 2 mm long; bracts o.3-1.0 mm in diameter, puberulous, at least at the margin. Infructescences (subglobose, ca 1.5 cm in diameter. Flowering probably throughout the year.

  • Discussion

    The type collection of Brosimum myristicoides differs from the other collections in the larger, relatively narrow, leaves, in the longer peduncles, and in the denser indument.

    Specimens of B. potabile may bear the same kind of galls as are found in B. parinarioides.

  • Common Names

    Amapá (dôce), leiteira

  • Distribution

    (Fig 72). Brazil, Amazon Basin, eastwards to Rio Tapajóz (Pará); in forests of the terra firme.

    Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America|