Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) C.V.Morton

  • Authority

    Gates, Bronwen. 1982. Banisteriopsis, Diplopterys (Malpighiaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 30: 1-238. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Malpighiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) C.V.Morton

  • Type

    Type. R. Spruce 2712, Brazil, Amazônas, Rio Vaupés, near Panuré, fl fr (holotype, B? destroyed; isotypes, BM, BR, C, G, GH, K, NY, P, RB, W).

  • Synonyms

    Banisteria caapi Spruce ex Griseb., Banisteria quitensis Nied., Banisteriopsis inebrians C.V.Morton, Banisteriopsis quitensis (Nied.) C.V.Morton

  • Description

    Species Description - Liana, the young branches sparsely appressed-sericeous to glabrate, the old branches glabrous, terete, the bark becoming fissured into shallow corky splits in age, with the wood sometimes conspicuously lobed. Stipules triangular, 0.5-1.0 mm long, glabrous or appressed-sericeous. Leaves with the petiole 9-25 mm long, sparsely appressed-sericeous or glabrate, eglandular or bearing a pair of cupulate glands near the apex, the lamina (4.8-)8.2-15.9(-20.5) cm long, (2.5-) 3.5—7.7(—11.5) cm wide, smaller in the inflorescence, often quite coriaceous when mature, broadly ovate to ovate, obtuse to truncate at the base, short- to long-acuminate at the apex, flat to slightly revolute at the margin, bearing abaxially 25 pairs of sessile glands near or at the margin and an additional pair near the midrib at the base, glabrate adaxially, very sparsely appressed-sericeous to glabrate abaxially, the hairs T-shaped, sessile with the trabecula 0.1-0.4 mm long, with the primary veins prominulous adaxially and the reticulation sometimes impressed, and the primary and secondary veins prominent abaxially. Inflorescence of 4-flowered umbels arranged in axillary cymes, subtended by very reduced leaves or the inflorescence leaves deciduous before anthesis, sparsely tomentose to velutinous; bracts and bracteoles 1.0-1.8 mm long, triangular to elliptic, appressed-pubescence abaxially, glabrous adaxially, caducous before or during flowering, rarely immediately after flowering. Pedicels sessile, 7-11 mm long, 0.4-0.6 mm in diameter, 0.3-0.5 mm without the hairs, appressed-sericeous or tomento-sericeous. Sepals sericeous abaxially, minutely tomentose throughout adaxially, elliptic, obtuse at the apex, 2.0-3.5 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm wide, all eglandular or the 4 lateral sepals Eglandular, the glands 0.5-2.2 mm long, 0.4-1.2 mm wide, projecting 1.2-2.0 mm beyond the glands; petals pale pink, becoming pale yellow in age, fimbriate, the 4 lateral petals reflexed between the sepals, the claw 1.0-1.5 mm long, 0.2-0.4 mm in diameter, the limb 5.0-8.5 mm long, 4.0-6.0 mm wide, the posterior petal with the claw erect, 2.5-3.0 mm long, up to 1.0 mm wide, constricted at the apex, the limb 5.0-7.0 mm long, 2.5-4.5 mm wide, broadly obovate with the basal fimbriae gland-tipped. Stamens with the filaments 2.0-4.0 mm long, connate basally, the posterior 3 flexuous and inflexed between the posterior styles, the locules sparsely pilose to glabrate, those of the 3 anterior stamens 0.7-1.2 mm long, those of the other 7 stamens 0.3-0.9 mm long, the connectives of the 5 posterior stamens 0.2-0.7 mm long, 0.2-0.4 mm wide, 0.1-0.2 mm deep, not glandular, those of the 5 anterior stamens 0.8-1.6 mm long, 0.5-1.0 mm wide, 0.3-1.0 mm deep, glandular, those opposite the antero-lateral sepals enlarged and overtopping the locules by 0.5-1.0 mm. Ovary 1.0-1.2 mm tall, white-sericeous, the anterior style straight, 2.8-3.2 mm long, 0.2 mm in diameter, the posterior styles diverging and lyrate at the base, 3.0-4.0 mm long, 0.15 mm in diameter, the stigmas capitate. Samara with the carpophore up to 4 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, the nut 5-11 mm tall, 3-5 mm long, the abaxial margin with a tooth at the base, appressed-pubescent to glabrate, the wing 18-42 mm long, 8-22 mm wide, appressed-pubescent soon glabrate, the wings of the posterior samaras somewhat rotated to lie more nearly parallel to the wing of the anterior samara, the locule of the nut hairy throughout within. Chromosome number, n = 10. Baldwin, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 73: 282.

  • Discussion

    Collected in flower December to August and in fruit March to August.

    This species is closely related to B. membranifolia, from which it chiefly differs in its more coriaceous ovate leaves, shorter pedicels, smaller flowers, and fruit without lateral wings on the nut and with the locule pubescent within. It is also close to B. muricata, resembling this species in its small flower size, calyx with or without glands, the shape of the posterior petal and the slender styles.

    It is difficult to know where this species is native, since it is widely cultivated throughout Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Amazonian Brazil by native populations for use in the preparation of an hallucinatory beverage; most of the collections available to me were from cultivated plants according to their collection data, and most of these specimens were sterile. After careful examination of all the material I have concluded that the variation represented by them was best considered to be one taxon. The characters that show variation within this species are the calyx glands, flower size, size and shape of the fruit wing and the size of the inflorescence and the leaves associated with it. Flower size and inflorescence size are very variable characters in all species, and the presence or absence of calyx glands is also not significant taxonomically, glandular and eglandular forms being present in the same population. The types of B. caapi and of B. inebrians exhibit large fruits and very coriaceous leaves, as do most of the specimens cultivated in Botanical Gardens in Brazil, whereas specimens from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia have smaller fruit wings and less coriaceous leaves. However, both these characters show great variation on one plant and would not appear to provide a sound basis for taxonomic segregation. Apparently the native populations who use this plant recognise many different kinds of caapi, with different hallucinogenic properties; I consider these to be chemical variants. The ease with which caapi can be vegetatively propagated by stem cuttings makes it possible for clones of such variants to be maintained.

  • Common Names

    yagé, ayahuasca, yagé del monte, yagé sem-brado, ayahuasca, natema, nepe, ayahuasca, ayahuasca amarilla, purga-huasca, purga-huasca de los perros, cielo ayahuasca, cuchi-ayahuasca, ayahuasca negra, shuri-fisopa, caapi, yage, cauupuri mariri, mao de onpa, tiwaco-mariri

  • Distribution

    Possibly native to, but widely cultivated by native peoples in, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Amazonian Brazil.

    Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Bolivia South America|