Cecropia ficifolia Snethl.
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Authority
Berg, Cornelius C. & Franco Rosselli, Pilar. 2005. Cecropia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 94: 1--230. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Urticaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Brazil. Acre: Rio Juruá-Mirim, Jun 1901, Ule 5588 (holotype: B (with staminate inflorescences), destroyed, in G, K, L, and MG specimens with pistillate inflorescences, the one in MG here designated as the lectotype).
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Synonyms
Cecropia standleyi J.F.Macbr., Cecropia hormigana Cuatrec., Cecropia discolor Cuatrec., Cecropia magnifolia Cuatrec., Cecropia mocoana Cuatrec., Cecropia porvenirensis Cuatrec., Cecropia mituana Cuatrec., Cecropia ferreyrae Cuatrec.
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Description
Species Description - Tree, to 15(-20) m tall. Leafy twigs 2-6 cm thick, green, subhispid to strigose (with uncinate hairs) to subhirsute, occasionally glabrous. Lamina chartaceous, ca. 45 × 45 cm to 90 × 90 cm, the segments 6-8, the incisions down to ca. (3/10-)5/10-7/10(-8/ 10), if the incisions beyond 5/10, then the free part of the midsegment broadly spathulate to obovate; apices obtuse to rounded, sometimes shortly acuminate; upper surface scabrous (or scabridulous), hispidulous to substrig(ill)ose (or to hirtellous); lower surface sparsely to densely (sub)hirsute (to subvillous) on the veins, with arachnoid indumentum in the areoles (sometimes very sparse), often also on the smaller veins, sometimes extending to the main veins; lateral veins in the free part of the midsegment 6-12, submarginally loop-connected, mostly unbranched; petiole 35-80 cm long, subhispid to subhirsute (to subvillous) and with short arachnoid indumentum, occasionally glabrous; trichilia fused, the brown indumentum intermixed with dense rather long white hairs; stipules (12-) 18-25(-35) cm long, reddish or greenish to yellowish (to orange) or whitish, subsericeous to subhirsute (to subvillous) and with sparse or sometimes with very dense arachnoid indumentum outside, densely (sub)sericeous inside. Staminate inflorescences in pairs, the peduncle erect, the spikes pendulous; peduncle 6-12(-18) cm long, hispidulous to (sub)hirsute, occasionally glabrous; spathe 10-18 cm long, green to pale yellow or whitish, substrigose to subsericeous to subhirsute (to subvillous) and with sparse arachnoid indumentum outside, pilose to subsericeous inside; spikes 8-13, 8-10 × 0.3-0.5 cm, with stipes to 1.5 cm long and hispidulous; rachis hairy, the hairs relatively long. Staminate flowers sessile or short-pedicellate; perianth tubular, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, sometimes with sparse and short arachnoid indumentum below the apex, the apex plane and glabrous; filaments flat; anthers ca. 0.6-0.8 mm long, appendiculate, detached at anthesis, reattached to the margins of the aperture by the appandages. Pistillate inflorescences in pairs, erect, becoming pendulous in fruit, occasionally subtended by caducous bracts, to 6 cm long; peduncle (5-)9-21 cm long, hispidulous to (sub)hirsute, occasionally glabrous; spathe 9-14 cm long, the color and indumentum as in the staminate inflorescence; spikes 4-5(-8), (2-)6-12 × 0.60.8 cm, to 25 × 1.7 cm in fruit, sessile or sometimes with stipes to 0.8 cm long and puberulous; rachis hairy, the hairs relatively long. Pistillate flowers: perianth 2.5 mm long, with arachnoid indumentum below the apex outside, also in the lower part of and below the style channel inside, the apex slightly convex to plane or in fruit ± concave, muriculate, the aperture circular, surrounded by a low rim; style rather long, S-shaped or straight; stigma penicillate. Fruit oblongoid, ca. 1.5-2.5 cm long, ± tuberculate.
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Discussion
This is a very variable species in the leaf apex, the leaf shape, and the indumentum of the lamina, the stipules, and the inflorescences. Arachnoid indumentum may be sparse or very dense. In Ecuador and Colombia, the lower leaf surface is often white by dense arachnoid indumentum. Moreover, the stipules and spathes are usually green to yellowish or whitish because of the cover by dense arachnoid indumentum, and other types of indumentum may be denser and more conspicuous as well. In Colombia, the main veins of the lamina beneath and the petiole are often densely hirsute to subvillous. In the northern part of the distribution range, as in Meta and Caqueta (Colombia) and San Martin (Peru), the incisions of the lamina are <5/10 down to the petiole and the number of lateral veins in the free part of the midsegment is often down to only 6 pairs. Moreover, the lamina can be very large (to 95 cm long). These specimens are quite distinct from the more typical type, normally with the characteristic broadly spathulate free part of the midsegment. The type with dense indumentum and shallowly incised laminas tends to be ecologically different as well, as it does not occur in dense stands in secondary growth, but rather is dispersed, often in margins of tree fall gaps. In areas (mainly in or close to the foot hills of the Andes) where the species occurs as treelets in small gaps or in the periphery of larger tree fall gaps, it is rare in man-made secondary growth, whereas elsewhere (in the Amazon basin) it is common. Therefore, the species may comprise two subspecies. The leafy twigs and petioles are glabrous in the two collections from Guainia (Colombia). The species shows clear morphological similarities to Cecropia obtusa. Prance et al 15375, from Amazonian Brazil, shows features transitional to C. obtusa. Subjuvenile leaves of C. kavanayensis are quite similar to the relatively deeply incised type of leaf of C. ficifolia.
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Common Names
cetico bianco, yarumo de raton, jaibena, kirai-kai' likai, udagomo, toc’kori, yagrumo, yagrumo bianco, anduchi dundo, arduchina durdu, dundu, huarumo, tsake, suu, setico bianco, sutiik, imbaúba branca
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Distribution
Upper Amazon basin and the llanos region of Colombia, in forest, in particular in the southern part of the range of distribution common in secondary growth, in non inundated places, at elevations to 1200 m.
Acre Brazil South America| Brazil South America| Colombia South America|