Eperua purpurea Bentham (1870: 226)

Fortes, Elenice A., Dos, Ilka P., Steege, Hans Ter, Aymard, Gerardo, Secco, Ricardo De S., Martins-Da-Silva, Regina Célia V. & Mansano, Vidal F., 2023, A taxonomic revision of the genus Eperua (Leguminosae, Detarioideae, Detarieae), Phytotaxa 617 (1), pp. 1-127 : 80-83

15. Eperua purpurea Bentham (1870: 226)

( Figures 14 , 46 , 47 )

Type (designated by Cowan 1975): — BRAZIL. Amazonas : Panuré , Rio Negro , Uaupés, September 1852, Spruce R. 2577 (lectotype K [000555096] image!, isolectotype P-flower[00835940] image!) .

Tree (2.0–)15.0–30.0(–50.0) m tall. Trunk 30.0–100.0 cm in diameter, bark grayish, smooth, lenticelate, to fissured. Stipules 1.9–4.2 × 1.5–4.1 mm, joined, non-foliaceous, persistent. Leaves 2–3-jugate; petioles 0.7–3.8 cm long; rachis 0.7–10.7 cm long; petiolules 2.8–8.4 mm long; blades 4.0–14.3 × 2.2–6.7(–10.5) cm, coriaceous, upper surface glabrous, nitid, lower surface densely papillate-ceriferous except on the marginal vein, pellucid-punctate, strongly discolorous, equilateral, lower pair elliptic, sometimes ovate, rarely broadly elliptic, middle pair elliptic, sometimes ovate, rarely broadly elliptic, upper pair elliptic, rarely broadly elliptic or ovate, apex acuminate, retuse, base symmetrical, lower pair base obtuse to rounded, middle pair base obtuse to rounded, sometimes subcordate, rarely cordate, upper pair base obtuse, sometimes rounded, margin flat to slightly revolute, secondary venation with one intramarginal vein very close to the margin, main vein straight, depressed on the adaxial surface, tertiary veins inconspicuous to conspicuous only adaxially, areoles inconspicuous. Inflorescences terminal, rarely axillary, panicle or raceme, erect, glabrous, 2.2–9.0 cm long, lateral racemes 1.2–9.6 cm long, congested racemes, alternate and distichous; bracts 0.9–3.2 × 0.4–3.2 mm, ovate, apex gland absent, glabrous, pellucid punctate externally, sericeous, pubescent to glabrescent within, brownish-yellow, persistent, rarely caducous; bracteoles 1.4–3.3(–8.9) × 0.4–3.2 mm, ovate, apex gland absent, glabrous externally, pubescent to sericeous within, ciliate, brownish-yellow, persistent, attached to the middle portion of the pedicels at slightly different levels; pedicel 7.4–20.0 mm long, 0.5–1.2 mm in diameter, not twisted, glabrous; buds 0.7–1.4 cm long, 0.3–1.0 cm in diameter, glabrous. Flowers: hypanthium 1.6–4.1 mm long, 1.6–4.8 mm in diameter, cup-shaped, equilateral, glabrous; sepal 0.7–1.5 × 0.3–0.8 cm, elliptic to ovate, rarely obovate, unequal, the outer ones larger, cucullate, apex gland absent, purple to red, glabrous, pellucid-punctate; adaxial petal 1.9–4.4 × 2.9–5.6 cm, flabellate, tubular, apex rounded, base attenuate, gibbous, pink purple to purple, glabrous; petalodia 0.2–1.5 × 0.1–0.7 mm; stamens inserted, joined basally in a diadelphous sheath, dorsal one free, longer filaments 1.5–3.2 cm long, shorter filaments 0.8–1.6 cm long, sheath inequilateral, shorter side 3.2–7.7 mm long, longer side 4.2–8.9 mm long, sheath and one-third of the free filaments villous, brownish-yellow, shorter stamens anthers 0.4–1.0 × 0.4–1.0 mm, square, apiculate, longer stamens anthers 1.2–1.8 × 0.4–1.0 mm, rectangular; ovary 2.4–5.0 × 0.9–2.5 mm, obovate, glabrous, 3 ovules, stipe 1.6–3.6 mm long, glabrous, style 1.2–3.0 cm long, stigma capitate. Legumes 11.0–17.0 × 3.9–7.9 cm, stipe 0.5–1.0 cm long, obovate, apex obtuse to truncate, apiculate, dorsal margin alate, fuscous, veins absent or with inconspicuous veins, glabrous. Seeds 2 per fruit, 3.8–4.4 × 1.9–3.0 cm, elliptic to obovate, dark-brown to reddish-brown.

Phenology:— Flowering from January to June and from August to November, with a pick in October and November; fruiting from January to May and from September to November.

Distribution:— Northwest of Amazonas state in Brazil, south of Amazonas state in Venezuela, and southwest of Colombia Amazonas, Guainía, and Vaupés departments.

Habitat:— Frequent in the Amazonian forests known as campinarana or varillal on white and brown sand mixed soils, but also reported in terra-firme ( Aymard et al. 2009), and gallery forests, from 79 to 320(–750) m elev.

Conservation status:— Categorized as Least Concern (LC) according to the IUCN criteria ( IUCN 2012, IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2022). The estimated extent of occurrence for the species is 195,184.753 km 2 and the estimated area of occupancy is 216.000 km 2.

Occurrence in protected areas:— Resguardo Indígena Río Atabapo ( Colombia, Guainía), Parque Nacional Natural Río Puré ( Colombia, Amazonas), Parque Nacional do Pico da Neblina ( Brazil, Amazonas), and Parque Nacional Serranía La Neblina ( Venezuela, Amazonas).

Etymology:— The specific epithet relates to its petal color.

Vernacular names:— backaike ( Roa T.A. 945), boo-ro-go (Desano), boo-toó-ke (Gwanano) (Schultes R.E. & Cabrera I. 19324), gebaro (Roosmalen M.G. M. van et al. 1305), gibarú (Lima H.C. de et al. 3221), guapa (Córdoba M.P. et al. 93, Etter A. 3, Stergios B. 18387), iacana (Nascimento O.C. do et al. 101), iebaro (Fróes R. de L. 21206, Maguire B. et al. 60112, Pires J.M. 468), jébaru (Spruce R. 2577), poé-koó (puinave), vá-pa (Kuripako) (Schultes R.E. et al. 17955), waapa (Stropp J. & Assunção P. 234), wapa-panari (Cárdenas-López D. 21898), yé-ba (Schultes R.E. et al. 17955), yebaro (Cárdenas-López D. et al. 15460, Liesner R.L. 4049, Schultes R.E. et al. 18268), yébaro (Ducke W.A. s.n. RB23288), yebaroh (Liesner R.L. 3742), yeberro (Marcano-Berti L. & Salcedo P. 65-979), yeiaro (Stergios B. et al. 9814), yevaro (Maguire B. et al. 41776), yévaro (Berry P.E. et al. 5737, Clark H.L. 7011, Huber O. 3376, Stergios B. & Matínez O. 9491, Stergios B. et al. 9967, Williams L. 13990), yévaro-morado (Cárdenas-López D. et al. 21916, 21937, 21946), yéparo (Baniba) (Huber O. 3376).

Uses:— Colombia: the bark is used for Yuruparí horns (Schultes R.E. et al. 17955), ashes from the bark is used to make pans and pots ( Roa A.T. 376); the sticky resin (colorless) in wood is used to catch birds (Schultes R.E. et al. 17955); ornamental use (Acero E. & Rodríguez R. 945), timber (Cárdenas-López D. 21898). Venezuela: very durable wood used for general construction and bridges (Williams L. 13990).

Taxonomic notes:— Eperua purpurea is the only species within Eperua with strongly discolorous and abaxially densely papillate-ceriferous leaflets, which, combined with the 3-jugate leaves straight leaflets, make it one of the most easily recognizable species. Among the species with tubular corolla, E. purpurea differs by the glabrous inflorescence, hypanthium and sepals, persistent bracteoles attached to the middle portion of the pedicels, and villous sheath (see Table 2 ).

Selected specimens:— BRAZIL. Amazonas, Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Tapuruquara , basin of rio Negro , 27 October 1971, Prance G.T. et al. 15609 ( INPA , K, MG, NY, P, R, U, US). S„o Gabriel da Cachoeira, rio Içana, próximo a Serra do Grilo , 05 November 1987, Farney C. de S. et al. 1899 ( HAMAB, INPA , K, NY, US); rio Marié, Tapuruquara Mirim , 16 October 1978, Madison M.T. et al. 319 ( INPA, RB ); Uaupés , R. Negro , estrada Perimetral Norte , 13 March 1975, Pires J.M. & Marinho L.R. 15783 ( IAN). Rio de Janeiro (cultivated), Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro , 1246 - XXVI-E, undated, s.c. s.n. RB89490 ( RB). COLOMBIA. Amazonas, Leticia , PNN Amacayacu, 12 August 1995, Etter A. 3 ( COAH). Guainía, Cacahual, comunidad indígena Cacahual , zona de rebalse del río Atabapo , 18 August 2004, Cárdenas-López D. et al. 15350 ( COAH). Inírida , río Atabapo , Caño Chaquita , localidad La Esperanza , 23 May 1979, Rodríguez R. & Acero E. 207 ( COL, UDBC). La Guadalupe , corremiento de San Felipe , comunidad El Porvenir, alto rio Negro, em cercanias de la Piedra del Cocui (zona limiftrofe entre Colombia, Brasil y Venezuela), 200 m elev., 1°19’12”N 66°53’4”W, 15 October 2009, Cárdenas-López D. et al. 24076 ( COAH, NY). Maimachi , Serrania de Naquen , alrededores del campamento La Planada , 320 m elev., 2°12’0”N 68°11’59”W, 14 August 1992, Cortés-Ballen R. et al. 336 ( COAH, COL, UDBC). Pana Pana, bosque ubicado a 15min, caminando desde la rivera del río Isana, a 15 min en lancha desde la comunidad de Punta Tigre, 09 May 2014, Aymard G. 14571 ( COAH). Puerto Colombia, corregimiento de Cano Colorado , medio rio Guainia, Cano Mahimachi , Serrania de Naquen , 300 m elev., 2°9’13.4”N 68°14’7”W, 20 October 2009, Cárdenas-López D. et al. 24415 ( COAH, US). San Filipe , rio Negro , below confluence of rio Guainia and rio Casiquiare , 192 m elev., 24 October 1952, Schultes R.E. et al. 17955 ( COL, U, US). Vaupés, Mitú, confluencia de los ríos Vaupés y Papurí , Yaravaté , bosque entre el río Vaupés y el caño Ardilla , 120 m elev., 0°37’0”N 69°12’0”W, 30 November 2004, Bernal R. et al. 3683 (COL). VENEZUELA. Amazonas, Casiaquire , pueblo de Maroa , 90 m elev., 2°43’0”N 67°32’0”W, 24 February 1979, Huber O. 3376 ( US). Maroa, rio Guainia, along trail to Guzman Blanco 1–5 km, Southeast of Moroa , 120–140 m elev., 09 October 1957, Maguire B. et al. 41776 ( IAN, RB, U, US). San Carlos de Río Negro, Neblina Base camp, rio Negro , Neblina Base camp, rio Mawarinuma , 140 m elev., 0°50’0”N 66°10’0”W, 28 November 1984, Boom B.M. & Weitzman A.L. 5185 ( F, INPA, MO, U, US ); 18 - rio Yatuá , 84 m elev., 1°16’33.3”N 66°6’51.1”W, 05 February 2005, Redden K.M. et al. 3560 ( US). Yavita, along road from Maroa to Yabita , ca. 700 m from Yabita, 2°54’42”N 67°26’55”W, 19 February 1998, Acevedo-Rodríguez P. et al. 10235 ( US).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Geographic distribution of Eperua purpurea, E. oleifera var. campestris, and E. oleifera var. oleifera.

FIGURE 46. Eperua purpurea: A. fruiting tree; B. joined stipules; C. leaflet, adaxial surface; D, E. leaflet, abaxial surface; F. pellucidpunctate blade; G. intramarginal vein, abaxial surface; H. inflorescence; I. flowers, front view; J. sheath indumentum. Specimen C, D: Stropp J. & Assunção P. 639; B, E–G, J: Ducke W.A. s.n. RB23288. Photos, A, H, I: H. ter Steege G–G: E.A. Fortes.

FIGURE 47. Eperua purpurea: A. flowering branchlet; B. adaxial petal; C. base of the stamens joined in a diadelhpus sheath; D. anther and filament; E. stigma; F. hypanthium and carpel. Specimens, A: Nascimento O.C. do 646; B–F: Maguire B. et al. 60112. Illustrated by Carlos Alvarez.