Eperua leucantha Bentham (1870: 225)

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 : 69-72

11. Eperua leucantha Bentham (1870: 225)

( Figures 11 , 40 , 41 )

Type (designated by Cowan 1975): — BRAZIL. Amazonas : Rio Negro , moist forest at Uanauaca, January 1852, Spruce R. 2021 (lectotype K [000555107] image!, isolectotypes P [00835936] image!, P [00835937] image!) .

Tree 6.0– 32.1 m tall. Trunk 6.0–50.0 cm in diameter, bark grayish to brown, smooth to striate, lenticellate. Stipules 2.5–4.0 × 1.2–3.5 mm, joined, non-foliaceous, caducous. Leaves 2–3(–4)-jugate; petioles 1.0– 5.9 cm long; rachis (2.0–)4.0– 15.5 cm long; petiolules 3.6–11.1 mm long; blades 6.5–19.0 × 3.1–9.0 cm, chartaceous, sometimes coriaceous, glabrous, pellucid-punctate, each areole has at least one conspicuous dot, not discolorous, slightly discolorous to discolorous, inequilateral, lower pair elliptic-falcate, middle pair elliptic-falcate, upper pair elliptic-falcate, apex acuminate, mucronate, base asymmetrical, lower pair base obtuse to rounded, rarely subcordate, middle pair base obtuse to cuneate, rarely rounded, upper pair base cuneate, sometimes obtuse, margin flat, sometimes slightly revolute, secondary venation with one intramarginal vein very close to the margin, main vein curved, prominent near the base, sometimes depressed on the adaxial surface, tertiary veins conspicuous, areoles larger, plane. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, panicle, main axis pendulous, lateral patent to erect, racemes main axis strigulose, puberulous to pubescent, lateral racemes strigulose to tomentulose, grayish-white, 46.5–300.0 cm long, lateral racemes 0.5–2.5(–3.1) cm long, alternate and spirally arranged; bracts 1.4 × 1.4 mm, ovate, apex gland absent, tomentose, grayish-white, caducous; bracteoles 1.6–5.1 × 0.8–1.2 mm, linear to ovate, apex gland absent, tomentulose, grayish-white, caducous, attached to the middle portion of the pedicels; pedicel (6.0–)8.7–17.0(–22.1) mm long, 1.1–1.8 mm in diameter, twisted, strigulose to tomentulose, rarely puberulous, grayish-white; buds 0.9–2.3 cm long, 0.6–1.9 cm in diameter, strigulose to tomentulose, rarely puberulous to glabrescent, grayish-white. Flowers: hypanthium 2.7–6.1 mm long, 3.4–6.4 mm in in diameter, cup-shaped, equilateral, strigulose to tomentulose, grayish-white; sepal 1.4–2.5 × 0.4–1.3 cm, oblong to elliptic, unequal, the outer ones larger, cucullate, apex gland absent, green to light-green, puberulous to strigulose, sometimes tomentulose, inner sepals scarious marginally, grayish-white; adaxial petal 1.9–3.3 × 2.9–6.3 cm, oblate, non-tubular, apex rounded, base truncate, white, rarely greenish-white, glabrous; petalodia (0.4–)0.8–2.3 × (0.2–)1.0– 1.8 mm; stamens exserted, joined basally in a diadelphous sheath, dorsal one free, longer filaments 1.1–3.7 cm long, shorter filaments 3.4–5.0 cm long, sheath equilateral, 3.0– 6.4 mm long, sheath sericeous, sometimes tomentose, free filaments glabrous, brownish-yellow, anthers 3.8–6.8 × 0.9–3.0 mm, rectangular; ovary 5.2–9.2 × 2.0– 3.5 mm, narrowly obovate, sericeous, brownish-yellow, 7 ovules, stipe 2.3–7.0 mm long, sericeous, style 3.0– 4.6 cm long, stigma capitate, papilate. Legumes 15.0–28.5 × 5.0–10.0 cm, stipe 0.3–1.0 cm long, elliptic-falcate, sometimes narrowly elliptic-falcate, apex acute, margin entire, brownish-yellow to reddish-brown, veins absent, sometimes with inconspicuous transversal veins, strigulose, sometimes puberulous, trichomes white. Seeds 2–7 per fruit, 2.9–6.3 × 1.5–2.6 cm, elliptic to oblong, dark-brown.

Phenology:— Flowering from January to May, in July, and from September to December, with a peak in October and November; fruiting from January to April, in June, July, and from September to December.

Distribution:— Likewise E. purpurea , E. leucantha occurs in the northwest of Amazonas state in Brazil, south of Amazonas state in Venezuela, and southwest of Colombia Amazonas, Guainía, Vaupés, and Vichada departments.

Habitat:— Very frequent in the Amazonian forests known as sabatena, varillal, or campinaranas on white and brown sand mixed soils, but also reported in terra-firme ( Aymard et al. 2009) and floodplains forests, from 50 to 370 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 268,709.161 km 2 and the estimated area of occupancy is 252.000 km 2.

Occurrence in protected areas:— Resguardo Indígena Atabapo ( Colombia, Guainía), Reserva Nacional Natural Puinawai ( Colombia, Guainía), Gran Resguardo Indígena del Vaupés ( Colombia, Vaupés), Reserva Natural Agua Linda ( Colombia, Vichada), Reserva Biológica do Morro dos Seis Lagos ( Brazil, Amazonas), Parque Nacional do Pico da Neblina ( Brazil, Amazonas), and Parque Nacional Serrania La Neblina ( Venezuela, Amazonas).

Etymology:— The specific epithet relates to the white color of its petals.

Vernacular names:— acan„ (Cavalcante P.B. 669, Rodrigues W.A. 905), dzawaka (Stropp J. & Assunção P. 200, 289, 342, 344, 345, 640), espadeira (Nascimento O.C. do et al. 29), iauácano (Rodrigues W.A. 1075), iuacan„ (Rodrigues W.A. 905), jauacaná (Spruce R. 2021), jauácano (Ducke W.A. s.n. RB23289), kanoneyoa-ke (Guanano) (Acero E. & Rodríguez R. 948), kieraiku (Landinez A. 7), o-k̂-ges (Kubeo) (Schultes R.E. & Cabrera I. 17872), palocolorado, palo-rojo (Landinez A. 7), shaquiparo (Delgado H. 30), t̂-ee (Puinave) (Schultes R.E. & Cabrera I. 17872), tuic (Imamoto M. 15), yaauaka (Stergios B. 18584), yabakaike (Kubeo) (Acero E. & Rodríguez R. 948), yacuana (Marcano-Berti L. & Salcedo P. 40-979), yaguácana (Clark H.L. 6983, Stergios B. 18409), yaguácana-blanco (Clark H.L. 7019, 7020, 7023), yaguácana rojo (Clark H.L.7021), yaguana (Williams L. 14390), yahuana (Baniba) (Williams L. 14390, 14942), yauácano (Ducke W.A. 164, s.n. RB23732), yaua-kuan„ (Trivellato C. & Gonçalves G.G. 31), yévaro blanco (Cárdenas-López D. 21951), yévaro sabanero (Cárdenas-López D. 21936).

Uses:— Venezuela: bridge construction (Williams L. 13939, 15801), poles (Williams L. 13939), the wood is very durable even when buried into the ground, and it is very heavy and not useful in watercrafts (Williams L.15801). Colombia: timber (Cárdenas-López D. 21951). According to Souza L.A.G. de et al. 28, it has ornamental potential especially because of its flowers.

Taxonomic notes:— Eperua leucantha is morphologically similar to E. falcata and E. venosa , with which it shares joined stipules, secondary venation with one intramarginal vein very close to the margin, long and pendulous inflorescences, non-tubular corolla, exserted stamens joined in a diadelphous sheath, and sericeous ovary ( Table 4 ). Additionally, E. leucantha shares multijugate leaves with E. falcata , and erect lateral racemes and sericeous sheath with E. venosa . Differences between E. leucantha and E. falcata are listed in the taxonomic notes of the last species. Eperua leucantha differs from E. venosa by its shorter [2.7–6.1 mm long] hypanthium (vs. longer [6.8–11.3 mm long] in E. venosa ), and white glabrous petal (vs. deep rose-colored petals basally sericeous in E. venosa ).

Selected specimens:— BRAZIL. Amazonas, S„o Gabriel da Cachoeira , porto de Camanaús, 18 October 1978, Madison M.T. et al. 397 ( INPA ); S„o Felipe, rio Negro , 11 October 1952, Fróes R. de L. 28826 ( IAN); alto rio Negro , caatinga da Ilha das Flores , 17 February 1959, Rodrigues W.A. 905 ( INPA , U, US). COLOMBIA. Amazonas, El Encanto, corregimiento departamental de la Chorrera, comunidad de Santa Rosa , río Igará-Parana , 151 m elev., 1°45’40”N 72°37’16”W, 15 March 2020, Cárdenas-López D. & Marín N. 52950 ( COAH). Guainía, Cacahual, comunidad indígena Cacahual, río Atabapo sector cñ. Garza , 11 May 2007, Cárdenas-López D. 20677 ( COAH). Inírida , Puerto Inírida , via aeropuerto, vitina km 4, 05 March 2010, Castro F. 8510 ( COAH, UDBC). La Guadalupe , comunidad indígena El Porvenir, alto río Negro, zona limítrofe entre Colombia, Brasil y Venezuela , 14 October 2009, Cárdenas-López D. et al. 24050 ( COAH). Maimachi , Serrania de Naquen , Caño Ima , 350 m elev., 2°12’0”N 68°12’0”W, 26 July 1992, Cortés-Ballen R. et al. 149 ( COAH, COL, UDBC). Pana Pana, río Guaviare, Barranco Murciélago , 100–600 m elev., 25 November 1976, Delgado H. 30 ( UDBC). Vaupés, Mitú, rio Vaupés, Miriti , 01 November 1993, Martínez X. et al. 3476-2 ( COL). Yavaraté , Río Yutica , 0°49’57”N 69°37’9”W, 12 February 1979, Acero E. & Rodríguez R. 948 ( COL, UDBC). Vichada, Reserva Natural Agua Linda, afloramiento rocoso adyacente a la Reserva Morrocoy y Bosque de galería del Caño Morrocoy, 07 April 2008, Castro F. 5010 ( UDBC). VENEZUELA. Amazonas, Casiaquire, ríos Pacimoni - Yatua, Río Yatua near Cano Tauavaca , 100–140 m elev., 04 December 1953, Maguire B. et al. 36508 ( F). Maroa, rio Guainía , 127 m elev., 17 February 1942, Williams L. 14390 ( F, IAN, US). San Carlos de Río Negro, 20 km s of conf. of rio Negro and brazo Casiquiare, 4.3 km NNE of San Carlos on Solano road, 119 m elev., 1°56’0”N 67°3’0”W, 21 February 1979, Clark H.L. 7019 ( US); Neblina Base camp, rio Mawarinuma , 140 m elev., 0°50’0”N 66°10’0”W, 27 November 1984, Boom B.M. & Weitzman A.L. 5186 ( INPA , U, US). Yavita, along road from Maroa to Yavita, ca. 7 km from Maroa, 2°54’42”N 67°26’55”W, 25 February 1998, Acevedo-Rodríguez P. et al. 10408 ( US).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Geographic distribution of Eperua falcata, E. leucantha, and E. venosa.

FIGURE 40. Eperua leucantha: A. leaf; B. fruits in a pendulous inflorescence; C. inflorescence; D. pellucid-punctate leaflet; E. intramarginal vein, abaxial surface; F. base of the stamens and carpel; G. detail of the fruit indumentum. Specimens, D: Williams L. 13939; E: Maguire B. et al. 42610; G: Nascimento O.C. do et al. 29. Photos, A–C, F: F. Castro-Lima; D, E, G: E.A. Fortes.

FIGURE 41. Eperua leucantha: A. flowering branchlet; B. base of the stamens joined in a diadelphous sheath; C. anther and filament; D. capitate stigma; E. carpel and hypanthium; F. adaxial petal. Specimen, A–F: Fróes R. de L. 21104. Illustrated by Carlos Alvarez.