Erisma japura Spruce ex Warm.

  • Authority

    Andersson, Lennart. 1998. A revision of the genus (Rubiaceae--Cinchoneae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 81: 1-75.

  • Family

    Vochysiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Erisma japura Spruce ex Warm.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree to 30 m high, to 50 cm dbh; hairs where present grayish; young twigs pubescent. Leaves in 4-merous whorls, long-petiolate; blade coriaceous, elliptic, narrowly elliptic, narrowly obovate, or oblanceolate, 11-20 X 4.5-8 cm, glabrous; apex emarginate; base cuneate, decurrent; midvein sulcate above, prominent below; lateral veins 15-17 pairs, immersed or slightly sulcate above, slightly prominent below, angle with midvein 60-70°; tertiary veins percurrent, sinuous, oblique to midvein, arrangement alternate and opposite; marginal vein 1-2 mm from margin; petiole canaliculate, 20-40 mm long; stipules lanceolate, ca. 3 mm long, deciduous. Inflorescences terminal, to 18 cm long, peduncles and lateral branches pubescent; cincinni 3-3.5 cm long, tomentose; outer bracts ca. 8 X 5 mm, early deciduous; inner bracts linear, ca. 3 mm long, deciduous; pedicel 3-4 mm long; buds 10-12 mm long; spurred calyx- lobe ca. 12 X 12 mm, spur subglobose, ca. 3 mm diam.; other calyx-lobes 4-7 mm long; petal yellow, ca. 20 X 25 mm; stamen ca. 14 mm long; staminodes ca. 3 mm long; style ca. 12 mm long, glabrous. Fruits winged, puberulous, glabrescent, 10-13 cm long; major wing narrowly ovate or narrowly elliptic, 9-11 X 3-4 cm; second major wing narrowly oblong or narrowly ovate, ca. 5 X 2.3 cm.

  • Discussion

    Colombia: bati (Tayuto language), yapura (Lingua Geral). Brazil: japura. Erisma japura is one of the most distinctive species of Erisma. It is easily distinguished from the other species of the genus by its emarginate leaves with long petioles arranged in tetramerous whorls, its grayish inflorescences with yellow flowers, and its larger fruits. Erisma japura is also characterized by the large buds (10-12 mm long), which can be compared in size only to those of E. bracteosum (10-12 mm long) and E. calcaratum (10-13 mm long). The epithet japura is the indigenous name given to this species. The japura paste obtained from its seeds, already mentioned by Spruce on the label of the type specimen (Spruce 2613) collected on the Upper Rio Negro, is known as a food source among the indigenous population of the northwestern Amazon (Dufour & Zarucchi, 1979).

  • Distribution

    In terra tirme forests of the Upper Rio Negro and Vaupes region. Collected in flower from October to April, and in fruit in February and April.

    Brazil South America|