Dorstenia urceolata Schott

  • Authority

    Berg, Cornelius C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and (Moraceae): With introductions to the family and and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83: 1-346. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Moraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Dorstenia urceolata Schott

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Serra da Estrêla, Schott s.n. (W, destroyed, no isotype traced; neotype, Carauta, Rodriguésia 29(44): 3. 1978. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Mun. Petrópolis, Serra da Estrêla, Meio da Serra, 10 Oct 1971, Carauta 1409, RB; isoneotypes, CTES, F, GUA, LIL, MBM, MICH, U).

  • Synonyms

    Dorstenia nervosa Desv., Dorstenia nervosa f. latifolia Miq., Dorstenia nervosa f. angustifolia Miq., Dorstenia caulescens Poir. ex Bureau, Dorstenia caulescens var. angustifolia Fielding & Gardner, Dorstenia caulescens var. latifolia Fielding & Gardner, Dorstenia urceolata var. variegata Bureau, Dorstenia langsdorffiana Fisch. & C.A.Mey.

  • Description

    Species Description - Herb, to 25 cm tall; stem 3-5 mm thick, minutely puberulous; internodes to 2.5 cm long. Leaves in spirals; lamina elliptic to lanceolate, often tending to subovate, 5-17 × 2-6.5 cm, chartaceous, sometimes variegated; apex acute to subobtuse; base obtuse to rounded or to subacute; margin subentire to repand or to coarsely crenate-dentate; upper surface glabrous; lower surface minutely puberulous to glabrous, sometimes scabridulous; venation prominent beneath; lateral veins 6-10 pairs, loop-connected; tertiary venation (sub)scalariform (to reticulate); petiole 3-9 cm long, minutely puberulous to glabrous; stipules subovate to triangular, 0.5-1.2 cm long, plurinervate, usually only the midrib conspicuous, subacuminate, minutely puberulous to glabrous. Inflorescences with the whole receptacle red-brown; peduncle 6-15 cm long, minutely puberulous; receptacle centrally to eccentrically attached, cup-shaped (to urceolate), orbicular in outline, 1.5-2.5 cm diam., the outside minutely puberulous, usually rather densely so on prominent ribs leading to the bracts, or sometimes glabrous, the margin subcrenate, the fringe to 2 mm broad, minutely puberulous; bracts in a single marginal row, appressed, lanceolate to oblong, to 1.5 mm long, smaller and larger ones ± alternating, minutely puberulous; staminate flowers among the pistillate ones; tepals 2; stamens 2; filaments longer than the perianth; stigmas equal in length, ca. 0.8 mm long, red-brown. Endocarp body ca. 2.5-5 mm, tuberculate.

  • Discussion

    Dorstenia urceolata is a rather uniform species, distinctive due to the red-brown cup-shaped receptacle. The species occasionally has variegated leaves; plants with such leaves are still in cultivation in several European botanical gardens. The species appears to be closely related to D. hildegardis and more distantly to D. elata.

  • Distribution

    In East Brasil (Rio de Janeiro and Parana); in moist and shaded places; at low elevations.

    Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America|