Caryocar microcarpum Ducke

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T. & Frietas Da Silva, Marlene. 1973. Caryocaraceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 12: 1-75. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Caryocaraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Caryocar microcarpum Ducke

  • Type

    TYPE. Ducke RB 17835, Brazil, Para, Belem, fl fr (lectotype, RB; isolectotypes, K, P, B lost, photos F, G, MO, NY); Ducke MG 15500, Brazil, Pará, Belém, fr (syntypes, MG, US, frag, F, NY); J.G. Kuhlmann RB 17886, Brazil, Pará, Rio Xingú, Tucurui, fr (syntypes, RB, S, US); Ducke RB 17843, Brazil, Pará, Mosqueiro, (syntype, RB), Ducke RB 17844, Brazil, Pará, Obidos, (syntype, RB); Ducke MG 10518, Brazil, Pará, Faro (syntype, MG).

  • Synonyms

    Caryocar glabrum var. edule Wittm., Caryocar glabrum var. pilosum Wittm., Caryocar butyrosum (Aubl.) Willd., Caryocar riparium A.C.Sm.

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Description - Tree to 25.0 m tall, often smaller, the trunk not buttressed, the young branches glabrous, lenticellate. Leave trifoliolate; petioles 2.0-10.0 cm long, terete, glabrescent; leaflets shortly petiolulate, the terminal petiolule l.O-5.0 mm long, the lateral petiolules equal to or slightly smaller than the terminal one, the petiolules puberulous, glabrescent with age, terete to shallowly canaliculate; the laminas oblong, usually slightly asymmetrical, acuminate at apex, the acumen 6.0-15.0 cm long, subcuneate or cuneate at base, entire or weakly crenulate at margins, glabrous above, entirely glabrous beneath or the midrib and primary veins sparsely pubescent, the terminal lamina 5.0-15.0 cm long, 2.0-6.5 cm broad, the lateral laminas usually smaller than the terminal one; primary veins 10-14 pairs, prominulous above, prominent beneath; venation plane or prominulous beneath; stipels conduplicate-cylindrical, strongly recurved 2.0-5.0 mm long, persistent. Peduncles 5.0-15.0 mm long, glabrous or sparsely puberulous-glabrescent, terete, not conspicuously lenticellate. Inflorescences clustered racemes, 10-25 flowered, the rachis 1.0-5.0 cm long, glabrous or minutely puberulous, with 2 membraneous early caducous bracteoles. Calyx cupuliform, 5.0-6.0 mm long, glabrous or minutely puberulous on exterior, the lobes 5, rounded, the margins ciliolate. Corolla 1.8-2.5 cm long, the lobes 5, oblong, yellow-white. Stamens numerous, ca 55-150, the filaments shortly united at base into a caducous ring, but not into groups, of two distinct lengths, the largest ca 85, 5.0-7.0 cm long, most frequently white or yellow, but sometimes rose to bright reddish-purple, the apical portion tuberculate, the smallest ca 35, 1.0 cm long, tuberculate for entire length, many sterile, the anthers small. Ovary globose, 4-locular, glabrous on exterior. Styles 3-4, ca 6.0 mm long, filamentous, glabrous. Fruit ovoid-reniform to ellipsoid, 2.0-3.5 cm long, 2.5-3.0 cm broad, usually 1- or 2-locular, rarely 3-locular; exocarp smooth, glabrous, not crustaceous; pericarp thick, fleshy, remaining attached to mesocarp; mesocarp thick, fleshy, enveloping endocarp spines; the stone reniform; endocarp with a short-spined exterior, the spines 2.0-4.0 mm long, irregular, the inner layer very thin, ca 0.4 mm thick, hard, glabrous within. Germination hypogeal, the first leaves opposite (Prance B111).

  • Discussion

    The kernel of the fruit is eaten, but not as much as in other species; the pericarp of the fruit is used as a fish poison in the upper Rio Negro region and in Colombia and Venezuela, the leaves are crushed and used as a substitute for soap by natives of Suriname, French Guiana and parts of Brazil.

    There are no differences between the type of Caryocar riparium and C. microcarpum. Caryocar riparium was not compared directly with C. microcarpum in the original description except that it mentions a difference in flower color. Since the stamens vary from yellow to red in C. microcarpum this is not a significant difference. Hence C. riparium is reduced to synonymy.

    Ducke pointed out in his original description of C. microcarpum that it represents what Wittmack treated as C. glabrum var edule. The name is based on Casaretto’s species C. edule. The material which Wittmack cites as belonging to var edule is all part of the species C. microcarpum with the exception of the original type of C. edule which is a species quite distinct from C. microcarpum. Thus var edule sensu Wittmack is synonymous with C. microcarpum, but C. edule Casar. is another species. Ducke has already observed that it would be unlikely that C. edule from Rio de Janeiro could be the same as C. microcarpum a species of the flooded forests of Amazonia and the Guianas, and this observation has proved true.

    Both Lanjouw & Van Heerdt (1941), and Macbride (1956) pointed out that the flowers and fruit of Pekea butyrosa Aublet (Caryocar butyrosum (Aubl.) Willd.) resemble C. microcarpum and consequently they expressed doubts about the permanence of the name C. microcarpum. However, since I have now located the Aublet collection of the fruits of Pekea butyrosa, I can state definitely that P. butyrosa is not C. microcarpum. The leaves described by Aublet for P. butyrosa are not Caryocaraceae since they are 5-foliolate, and the flowers and fruit are those of C. villosum. Hence C. microcarpum is the correct name for this species which has been much confused with others.

    Wittmack’s second variety of Caryocar glabrum, var pilosum, also falls well within C. microcarpum as defined here. Variety pilosum was said to differ by the slight pilosity of the midrib. This is not significant and is not worth taxonomic recognition when the variety is transferred to the correct species, C. microcarpum.

    Flowering around the year in the Guianas and usually between July and February in Amazonia.

  • Common Names

    Cun-cuj, Kú, Barbasco, Cojon de verraco, Jigua, Kula, Bats Sawari, Water Sawari, Chawari, Souari, Kassagnan, Almendra, Almendra de bajo, Piquiá-rana, Piquiá-rana de varzea, Piquiá-rana do igapó

  • Distribution

    Growing in periodically flooded forest through the Guianas and northern Amazonia from Peru, Loreto to Brazil, Pará, also collected in the Lesser Antilles.

    Martinique South America| Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Delta Amacuro Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|