Manilkara bidentata subsp. surinamensis (Miq.) T.D.Penn.

• Authority

  Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Sapotaceae

• Scientific Name

  Manilkara bidentata subsp. surinamensis (Miq.) T.D.Penn.

• Synonyms

  Mimusops surinamensis Miq., Mimusops balata var. domingensis Pierre, Mimusops riedleana Pierre ex Duss, Achras nitida Sessé & Moc., Mimusops nitida (Sessé & Moc.) Urb., Manilkara balata var. domingensis (Pierre) Dubard, Manilkara riedleana (Pierre) Dubard, Manilkara nitida (Sessé & Mer) Dubard, Manilkara surinamensis (Miq.) Dubard, Mimusops amazonica Huber, Mimusops maparajuba Huber, Mimusops reticulata Huber ex Ducke, Manilkara amazonica (Huber) A.Chev., Manilkara siqueiraei Ducke, Manilkara longiciliata Ducke, Mimusops domingensis Huber

• Description

  
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  Species Description - Shrub to large tree; stipules absent, or rarely present but then less than 1 mm long; leaves 7-21 cm long (mean length 12.2 cm), usually oblong or oblanceolate, apex usually rounded, petiole often less than 2.5 cm long; pedicels usually without small subtending bracts. Field characters. In rainforest this subspecies becomes a large tree to 40 m high or more, often buttressed, in drier situations it is only a small tree and in Campina forest a branching shrub 1-2 m high. The bark is greyish-brown, deeply fissured, with a pink or reddish slash and copious sticky white latex. The greenish-white flowers have a slight fragrance and the fruit ripens reddish purple or black.

• Discussion

  Like most other species of Manilkara, M. bidentata subsp. surinamensis sheds its leaves for a short period prior to flowering, with the new leaves and flowers developing together. Most flowering occurs from May to Jul (beginning of the dry season in N and central Amazonia) but there is also another well-marked peak from Sep to Dec (end of dry season and beginning of rains in N and central Amazonia).

  This latex of this subspecies was formerly exploited in Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil as a source of chicle (chewing gum), but the industry has now declined with the manufacture of synthetic gums. Other products are the edible fruit and the durable timber, the latter extensively used for construction.
  Subspecies surinamensis as circumscribed here contains several species formerly regarded as distinct. Monachino (1952: 111) and Llanos (1981: 80) considered M. amazonica to be synonymous with M. surinamensis though Ducke (1957: 651) maintained both species, citing the larger leaves and narrowly bifid staminodes as distinguishing features of the latter. Ducke also suspected differences in the seed, which at that time was unknown in M. surinamensis. The numerous recent collections show that there are no correlated differences between these two species. The extremes are easily recognizable by leaf shape and size but the variation between them is continuous, as it is with staminode size and division. The fruits of M. surinamensis have now been collected, and though the seed shows slight differences in scar width and position (broader and more basal), there are many intermediates with M. amazonica (narrow, adaxial). Within M. amazonica sensu stricto there is great variation in venation between rain forest individuals and those inhabiting dry Campina. The former have a rather open reticulate quaternary venation, with easily visible secondaries, intersecondaries and tertiaries (all more or less parallel), whereas Campina specimens have a finely areolate quaternary venation which obscures the lower order venation. Between the two extremes there is every degree of intermediate.
  Subspecies surinamensis here includes both M. longiciliata and M. siquieraei. Llanos (1981: 45) reduced M. siquieraei to a variety of M. longiciliata, which is itself distinguished by its larger staminodes, but both Monachino (1952) and Ducke (1957) regarded both as distinct. Ducke (p. 654), however, acknowledged that M. siquieraei belonged to the herbarium complex of M. bidentata and its supposed synonyms! Although Ducke distinguished them by their large leaves, large flowers and long staminodes, it is clear from his key (p. 647) that there is no discontinuity in character variation between these two species and other related species such as M. amazonica and M. surinamensis. It is also significant that M. longiciliata, M. siquieraei and M. amazonica all produce a similar latex, which provides a good chicle (chewing gum) (field data from Froes collections and Ducke, 1957: 651, footnote). In addition the three species cited above are also frequently found in igapó or periodically flooded swamp forest. After studying the extensive collections of Fróes and numerous more recent gatherings, it is therefore concluded that the variation in leaf size, flower size, staminode length and degree of lobing is more or less continuous, and uncorrelated with either distribution or ecology, and therefore cannot be used as a reliable taxonomic division, and M. longiciliata and M. siquieraei are therefore regarded as synonyms of M. bidentata subsp, surinamensis.
  Ducke (1957: 652) mentions a form of M. amazonica with short, broad, obovate leaves from Maranhão and coastal Para, which grows together with the normal form at São Luiz, Maranhão. These coastal populations are here tentatively placed in the more southern coastal M. salzmannii. They agree with M. salzmannii in some vegetative characters such as the frequent presence of fine minute striations on the upper leaf surface, the fine areolate venation which is frequently impressed on the upper surface, and the appressed indumentum on the pedicels and calyx. However the staminodes and fruit are smaller than is usual in M. salzmannii and similar to those of M. amazonica. Several of these collections have been confused with M. triflora, but this species differs in its very small leaves and the smaller flowers with rudimentary staminodes.
  The relationships of M. bidentata with the closely related M. paraensis, M. salzmannii and M. triflora are further discussed under those species.
  Distribution and Ecology: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Is., Windward Is., Amazonian Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Amazonian Ecuador and Peru, Brazil (Amapa, Amazonas, Para, Roraima). The vast majority of the known specimens are from central and N Brazilian Amazonia and S Venezuela. Altitudinal range sea level to 1500 m. A plant of periodically flooded lowland forest (black and white water), non-flooded forest and dry Campina forest on white sand. In the Caribbean Islands it occurs in semi-evergreen forest, often over limestone.

• Common Names

  Ausubo, balata, bastard bolletrie, black balata, boiti, bullet wood, bully tree, caramuxy, chicle, iwakush, Maparajuba, massaranduba, massaranduba balata, massaranduba braba, massaranduba casca lisa, massaranduba chicle, massaranduba da caatinga, massaranduba da restinga, massaranduba do igapó, massaranduba folha verde, massaranduba irana, massaranduba mansa, massaranduba pendaria, massaranduba da terra firme, massaranduba vermelha, oopow, pendare, pendare purue, pendaria, pendaria da serra, quinilla

• Distribution

  Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Rico South America| Virgin Islands South America| Saint John Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Dominica South America| Guadeloupe South America| Martinique South America| Saint Lucia South America| Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Ucayali Peru South America|