Siparuna cascada S.S.Renner & Hausner

  • Authority

    Renner, Susanne S. & Hausner, Gerlinde. 2005. Siparunaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 95: 1--247 pp. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Monimiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Siparuna cascada S.S.Renner & Hausner

  • Type

    Type: Ecuador. Azuay: Rd. Paute-Guarumales, sect. Amaluisa, Parroquia Palmas, Cantón Paute, ca. 1800 m, 9 Aug 1983 (female), J. Jaramillo & Winnerskjold 5653 (holotype, QCA; isotypes, AAU, MJG).

  • Description

    Species Description - Dioecious shrub or treelet, 3-7 m tall, with arching branches; young branchlets terete and densely covered with reddish brown or golden brown tufted hairs. Leaves opposite; petioles 1-3.5 cm long; lamina drying greenish brown, chartaceous, elliptic or lanceolate, 8-26 X 3.5-13.5 cm, the base acute to obtuse, the apex acuminate, the tip 1-2 cm long, both surfaces pubescent with tufted hairs, these denser on the lower surface, with 8-12 pairs of secondary veins, the veins almost flat above, slightly raised below, the margin finely dentate. Cymes 3-4 cm long, pendent and more or less densely covered with short spreading hairs, with 5-12 flowers. Fresh flowers creamy yellow to reddish; male floral cup subglobose, 3.5-4 mm in diam., 2.5-3 mm high, more or less densely covered with spreading hairs on minute pedestals, ca. 0.1 mm long (Fig. 3G, 7D), the 4-6 tepals broadly triangular and 2-4 mm long, adaxially densely persistently tomentose, the floral roof conical, pubescent to gla-brescent, in fresh flowers tinged red; stamens 10-20, when fresh red; female floral cup subglobose, 4-5 mm in diam., 3.2-3.7 mm high, the tepals typically fused at their base for 2-3 mm, apically broadly triangular to lobed, the free parts of the tepals 0.8-2 mm long, the indumentum as in the male flowers, the floral roof differentiated into a cylindrical bulge separated by a distinct groove from a central tube sheathing the stylar column (the styles fused where they emerge from the floral roof, Fig. 8A); styles 7-12, barely exserted from the pore. Fruiting receptacle ovoid to globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., with minute wartlike outgrowth often tipped by spreading hairs, crowned by the persistent tepals, when fresh and mature purple with white spots and a strong pungent smell, drupelets 3-8, each with a bright red stylar aril.

  • Discussion

    In Ecuador, an infusion of the boiled leaves is used as an inhalation against malaria.

    In indumentum and leaf shape, Siparuna cascada resembles S. tomentosa, except that it has opposite leaves, while S. tomentosa usually has ternate whorls. Flowering material can be distinguished by the basilaterally fused tepals of S. cascada, which form a shallow cup. The fresh floral roof and stamens of S. cascada are red (a rare feature in Siparuna), and the pollination of the flowers by gall midges was studied by Feil (1992, under the name S. saurauiifolia).

  • Distribution

    Siparuna cascada occurs on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and adjacent Peru at elevations of 1000-2250 m.

    Azuay Ecuador South America| Morona-Santiago Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Zamora-Chinchipe Ecuador South America| Cajamarca Peru South America|