Rollinia edulis Triana & Planch.

  • Authority

    Maas, Paulus J. M., et al. 1992. Rollinia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 57: 1-188. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Annonaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Rollinia edulis Triana & Planch.

  • Type

    Type: Colombia. Meta: Between Servita and Villavicencio, alt. 400-1000 m, Triana s.n. (holotype, P; isotypes, BM, G, K). Isotypes from "900 m."

  • Synonyms

    Rollinia edulis var. macropus R.E.Fr., Rollinia edulis var. acuta R.E.Fr.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree (or shrub), 2-20(-30) m tall and to 20(-60) cm in diam. Leafy twigs and petioles rather densely brownish (to whitish) sericeous, hairs simple (to furcate), soon glabrescent. Petioles 520 mm long, 1-4 mm in diam. Lamina (ovate), elliptic (to obovate or oblong), chartaceous to coriaceous, dark brown (to olive-green in specimens from Peru) above, pale brown and papillate below, 11-35 cm long, 5-20 cm wide, sparsely covered with strongly crisped, white, simple hairs, particularly along primary and secondary veins, to glabrous above, rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed, white to brown, simple hairs 0.1-0.2(-0.4) mm long below, base broadly cuneate, obtuse, to cordate, apex shortly acuminate (to acute), the tip itself acute to obtuse; secondary veins curved to straight, to occasionally recurved near the base, 12-25 on either side of primary vein, occasionally with a variable number of, mostly short, intersecondaries, flat to slightly impressed above, angles with primary vein 45-70°, smallest distance between loops and margin 0.5-1.5 mm, tertiary veins 8-12 per intercosta, (weakly) percurrent. Domatia scarce, indistinct. Inflorescences supra-axillary to leaf-opposed, 1-4-flowered, bracts (outer and inner side), peduncles, pedicels, sepals (outer and inner side), and corolla densely covered with appressed (and erect: particularly when young), simple (and furcate) hairs, peduncles and pedicels soon becoming glabrous. Peduncles to 3 mm long, ca. 2 mm in diam., fruiting peduncles to 3 mm in diam. Pedicels 10-45 mm long, 1-2 mm in diam., fruiting pedicels 20-60 mm long, 2-4 mm in diam., to 7 mm in diam, just below fruit. Bracts triangular to shallowly triangular, shortly but distinctly acuminate, 1.5-2.5 mm long, upper bract inserted in the lower Vi to halfway the pedicel. Flowers green, becoming yellow in vivo, pale brownish when dry. Sepals free, appressed, transversely elliptic-triangular, 2-3 mm long, 2.5-5 mm wide, shortly acuminate (or apiculate), distinctly gibbous. Corolla tube 4-7 mm high, 7-10 mm in diam., wings oblong-elliptic, densely verruculose, slightly ascending when young, becoming horizontal, 8-15 mm long, 4-6 mm high, 1-3 mm thick, index = 22.5. Fruit subglobose to broadly ovoid (or ellipsoid), 1.4-5.5[-14] cm long, 1.4-5 cm in diam., green, maturing yellow in vivo, brown when dry, composed of 40-(almost)100 carpels, rather densely covered with appressed (and erect), brownish, simple hairs to 0.2 mm long, areoles broadly pyramidal, straight, to hexagonal-pulvinate with mostly straight apicule in upper half, 3-6 × 3-5 mm at the base, apex or apicule (mostly) acute, 1-2 mm high, surface often irregularly wrinkled, the areoles often longitudinally grooved; wall 2-5 mm thick. Seeds 6-8 × 3-4 mm.

  • Discussion

    Fruits are eaten by the local people (fide Triana & Planchon).

    This is an extremely variable species. Within this complex several local groups, differing chiefly in fruit and leaf shape, may be distinguished to some degree:

    1. Northern Venezuela (Miranda): (large) trees 10-30 m tall, leaves small to very large, chartaceous, brownish when dry, with broadly cuneate to obtuse base, fruit very large and thickwalled, composed of (almost) 100 carpels.

    2. Colombia (Meta): small trees, 1-8 m tall, leaves small, chartaceous, brownish when dry, with broadly cuneate to obtuse base, fruit (mature?) small and thin-walled, composed of around 50 carpels. In this region the species has been much collected, including the type of R. edulis. Most extreme is Jaramillo M. et al 307 (COL) with very small leaves (to 14 × 6 cm), and a fruit composed of few (ca. 30) carpels.

    3. Southern and Southeastern Colombia (Narino, Putumayo, Amazonas, Vaupes): trees 3-15 m tall, leaves large, chartaceous, brown when dry, with broadly cuneate to cordate base, fruit composed of 50-100 carpels. This form has much larger leaves than the preceding one, resembling in that respect plants from Loreto (see under 5). A transitional form is Schultes 6807 (GH, COL).

    4. Ecuador (Napo) and Peru (Amazonas): trees 8-10 m tall, leaves small, chartaceous, brown when dry, fruit closely resembling that in 3, composed of around 60 carpels. This group is strongly connected with that of 3, the only (slight) difference being the smaller leaves.

    5. Peru (Loreto): trees 6-20 m tall, leaves very large, coriaceous, green when dry on the upper side, often cordate at the base, fruit composed of around 100 carpels.

    Despite the considerable divergence among extremes, there are so many intergrading forms that it is impossible to regard the whole complex as anything but a single, very variable species. Moreover, there seems to be no obvious correlation with, e.g., drier habitats.

    R. edulis greatly resembles R. pittieri in the structure of the fruits and leaves, but it may be distinguished from the latter by much thicker wings and clearly pulvinate areoles (vs. hardly elevated areoles in R. pittieri).

  • Common Names

    Anon de monte, Mapaso, Tucuragua, Riñon de monte, Riñon montanero, Anonilla, Sacha anonilla, Shikapach yugkua, Yamkua, Yukuanim, Fungo

  • Distribution

    Northern Venezuela, Colombia, Western Amazonian Brazil, and Amazonian Peru. Mostly in forest, few collections from savannas (Meta, Colombia), at elevations from sea level up to 800(-1000) m. Flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

    Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Caquetá Colombia South America| Nariño Colombia South America| Huila Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Putumayo Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Distrito Federal Venezuela South America| Miranda Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Maynas Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America|