Eperua rubiginosa Miq. var. grandiflora Pulle (1906: 211)

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 : 91-92

17b. Eperua rubiginosa Miq. var. grandiflora Pulle (1906: 211)

Type : — SURINAM. Fluv. Gonini, August 1903, Versteeg G. M. 48 (holotype U [0003236] image!) .

Stipules 1.3–7.7 × 3.0–5.0 mm, joined at the base. Leaves (3–)4–5-jugate; rachis 7.3–25.0 cm long; secondary venation with two intramarginal veins, sometimes one, the vein closer to the margin continuous or not. Inflorescences 40.0–150.0 cm long; pedicel 2.0– 3.3 mm in diameter. Flowers: hypanthium 4.9–7.0 mm in diameter; sepal 1.7–2.3 × 0.6–1.0 cm.

Phenology:— Flowering in March, May, June, August, and October; fruiting in January, February, March, and October.

Distribution:— Previously known in Surinam (Marowijn and Sipaliwini), here we recognize two collections occurring in French Guiana (Redden K.M. et al. 6005, Schnell R.A.A. 11456).

Habitat:— Floodplains (riparian vegetation and riverbanks) forests on loamy sandy soil, below 100 m elev.

Occurrence in protected areas:— Unknown.

Etymology:— The specific epithet relates to its flower that is larger than the type variety.

Vernacular names:— panga (Andel T. R. van et al. 4979).

Uses:— Surinam: used with Pikin fóo kaka in herbal baths for protection from cutlass slashes (Andel T. R. van et al. 4979).

Taxonomic notes:— The most noticeable difference between the two varieties is in the pedicels’ diameter. Eperua rubiginosa var. grandiflora has a thicker pedicel (> 2 mm in diameter), and the type variety has a thinner pedicel (> 2 mm in diameter, mainly bellow 1.5 mm). The flower of E. rubiginosa var. grandiflora looks more robust and it has generally larger sepals. Vegetatively, although there is no precise difference, var. grandiflora has bigger joined stipules (vs. free in var. rubiginosa ), generally 4 or 5, rare 3, leaflets pairs (vs. generally 3, sometimes 4, in var. rubiginosa ), larger rachis (vs. shorter in var. rubiginosa ), and in most of the cases, secondary venation with two intramarginal veins (vs. one in var. rubiginosa ).

Selected specimens:— FRENCH GUIANA. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni , Maroni River near St. Larent. , 59 m elev., 5°28’45”N 54°3’43”W, 05 May 2007, Redden K.M. et al. 6005 (CAY, US). GUYANA. Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Mazaruni River, unnamed falls (possible Carin Crow Falls ), 0.25 miles NW of base camp, 59 m elev., 5°57’23.2”N 59°18’43”W, 09 October 2004, Redden K.M. et al. 3261 ( INPA, COL, US ); Mazaruni River , small islands around falls, 49 m elev., 5°55’57.9”N 59°6’35.3”W, 12 October 2004, Redden K.M. et al. 3286 ( US); Mazaruni River , 1.15 miles NE of base camp, 16 m elev., 6°06’50.1”N 58°53’53.9”W, 14 October 2004, Redden K.M. et al. 3304. SURINAM. Marowijne, Albina, Bigiston, Gonkíiki / Poitikondée , 0?°52’26”N 54°7’48”W 09 March 2006, Andel T. R. van et al. 4979 (U). Sipaliwini, Jacob Kondre , Saramacca river , 16 June 1944, Maguire B. 23804 ( F, U, US). Gonini , 25 February 1918, Gonggrijp J.W. 3700 ( U); fluv. Gonini , 11 August 1903, Versteeg G.M. 48 ( CAY, U).