Eperua purpurea Benth.

Eperua purpurea Bentham

Eperua purpurea Bentham, Fl. Bras. 15(2):226, 1870.

Large tree (15−)20–50 (−70) m tall, the trunk columnar, 30–100 cm in diameter, the bark smooth gray, gray-black, or light sand-colored, the branchlets usually glabrous, rarely micropuberulous; stipule more or less fused in one intrapetiolar body, persistent to deciduous, broadly semicircular-ovate, 2–4 mm long and wide, ciliolate, usually glabrous externally, more or less sericeous on the inner surface; petioles 10–35 mm long, glabrous, the rachis glabrous, 13–80 mm long; leaflets 2- or 3-jugate, the petiolules (3.5−)5–7 (−9) mm long, glabrous, the blades pellucid-punctate, thinly to rigidly coriaceous, the margins plane or narrowly revolute, thicker than the remainder of the blade, glabrous, (4.5−)6–10 (−11.5) cm long, 3–6 cm wide, ovate to oval or elliptic, sometimes only the basal pair ovate and the others elliptic, the base rounded-obtuse, sometimes slightly cordate, the apex bluntly acute to acuminate, often slightly retuse at the tip, the upper surface glabrous, lucid, the lower rarely microstrigulose, densely ceriferous except on the thickened marginal vein, the wax bodies contiguous, minute, the venation obscure; inflorescence a mostly terminal, infrequently axillary, raceme of racemes (3−)5–7 (−10) cm long, the axes glabrous or rarely micropuberulous, the bracts thin, pellucid-punctate, persistent or deciduous, 1.5–2.5 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, triangular-ovate, acute, glabrous except ciliolate, the bracteoles persistent, similar to bracts in texture, pubescence, size, and shape, pellucid-punctate, arising at slightly different levels on the pedicels about one-third to one-half the length from its base; pedicels (9−)10–15 (−24) mm long, slender, glabrous, somewhat pellucid-punctate, the hypanthium cupular, glabrous, pellucid-punctate 2–3 mm long, 2.5–5 mm in diameter, the nectaries usually conspicuous; sepals glabrous except more or less ciliolate, pellucid-punctate, elliptic to oval, 9–11.5 mm long, 4–9 mm wide, the dorsal one broader, concave and cucullate; petal deep rose, pink-purple, purple, rose-purple, 2.5–4.5 cm long, (3.5−)4.5–6.5 cm wide, flabelliform, shortly attenuate basally, glabrous, the petalodia 0.5–0.7 mm in diameter, semicircular; stamens 10, 3 to 5 fertile, the filaments of 9 joined in an inequilateral villose tube 4–5.5 mm long on the shorter side, 5–8 mm on the longer side, the filaments of the fertile stamens 18–35 mm long, glabrous in the upper half, the sterile ones 12–27 mm long, villose almost to apex, the one free stamen with the filament 14–15 mm long, villose, the fertile anthers oval, 2 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, glabrous; gynoecium glabrous, the stigma capitate or capitellate, the style 25–35 mm long, the ovary 3–4 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, obovate, the apex truncate, the gynophore 2–3.5 mm long; fruits 15–17 cm long, 6–8 cm wide, oblong, flat, with a bluish bloom when young, the dorsal margins alate, the seeds flat, oval, lucid, red-brown.

TYPE COLLECTION.—R. Spruce 2577 (holotype K, isotypes BM, BR, F, G, GH, NY, P, RB, W) Panuré, Rio Negro-Rio Uaupés, Amazonas, Brazil, Sept 1852.

DISTRIBUTION.—Frequent to dominant in Savanna-scrub, “moist places of the upland rain forest” (Ducke, 1940) in the Rio Negro Basin of northwestern Brazil, and in similar areas in adjacent southeastern Colombia and southwestern Venezuela at 120–750 m elevation. Flowering most heavily in October and November; fruiting November to June.

COLOMBIA. Vaupés: Río Negro, San Felipe 13–25 Nov 1952, Humbert 27386 (US), 24 Oct 1952, Schultes et al 17955 (BM, BR, GH, NY, U, US); Río Guainía, Caño del Caribe between Isla del Venado and San José, 2 Nov 1952, Schultes et al 18268 (GH, U, US); Cerro de Tipiaca, between Mita and Javareté on Río Vaupés, 14–24 May 1953, Schultes if Cabrera 19324 (GH, NY, US). VENEZUELA. Amazonas: Yavita, Río Atabapo, 19 Oct 1950, Maguire 29311 (NY, RB); Playa Alta, Río Cunucunuma, 9 Nov 1950, Maguire et al 29486 (F, NY, US); 1 km east of Maroa, 120–140 m elev., 25 Nov 1953, Maguire et al 36398 (NY); just south of Maroa, Río Guainía, 28 Nov 1953, Maguire et al 36452 (GH, NY, U, W); trail to Guzman Blanco 1–5 km SE of Maroa, Río Guainía, 9 Oct 1957, Maguire et al 41776 (GH, NY, RB, U, US); Río Guainía, island at Las Isletas, 16 Oct 1957, Maguire et al 41922 (F, NY, US); Yavita, 26 Jan 1942, Ll. Williams 13990 (A, F, G, RB, US). BRAZIL. Amazonas: upper Rio Negro, June 1932, Ducke 52 (F, NY); Rio Negro above Rio Curicuriary, 19 Nov 1929, Ducke 23288 (G, P, RB, U, US); Rio Negro, Ferreira s.n. (P); Jauareté, Vaupés, Rio Negro, 19 Oct 1945, Froes 21206 (F, IAN, NY, US); Rio Negro, Içana, Santana, 5 May 1947, Froes 22317 (GH, IAN, U); Rio Cauaburi between Cachoeira Jacamin and Manajos, 6 Nov 1965, Maguire et al 60112 (F, NY, US); Rio Negro-rio Cauaburi, 27 Nov 1965, Maguire et al 60421 (NY, US); Rio Negro, Marabitanas, 20 Apr 1947, Pires 468 (IAN, NY, INPA, US); Rio Uneiuxi, 200–300 km above mouth, 22 Oct 1971, Prance et al 15513 (GH, M, NY, U, US); Tapuruquara, 27 Oct 1971, Prance et al 15609 (GH, M, NY, U, US); Rio Curicuriari, 22–24 Jan 1948, Schultes & Lopez 9657-B (GH, IAN, US); Rio Negro, São Felipe, Serrinha opposite mouth of Rio Issana, 4–7 Apr 1948, Schultes & Lopez 9779 (IAN, R, US); Igarapé do Chuva, Taracua, Rio Vaupés between Ipanoré and confluence with Rio Negro, 12 Nov 1947, Schultes & Pires 9066 (IAN, US); Panuré, Rio Vaupés, Feb 1853, Spruce 2577-A (K).

LOCAL NAMES AND USES.—Cupaúba-rana (Spruce 2577), iebaru (Maguire et al 60112), iobaro (Pires 468), jébarú (Spruce 2577), pega-pega (Ll. Williams 13990), poo-koo (Schultes et al 17955, wapa (Schultes et al 17955), yeba (Schultes et al 17955), yebaro (Ducke 23288), yebero (Schultes et al 18268), yevaro (Ll. Williams 13990). Wood heavy, used for bridges and general construction. Spruce records the following information on the holotype-label:

This tree, called Jébaru by the Indians, is the loftiest tree in the Caatingas and their greatest ornament throughout the summer months. It is very frequent in the Rio Negro and Uaupés, and when sailing on these rivers its red crown is conspicuous from afar, wherever the ground is rising. The juice is very viscid and the Indians use it as birdlime for taking toucans and parrots. The bark is tough and does not decay under water: it is of a red colour. A strip of this bark, 30 ft. or more long, 11 or 12 inches broad & 1/8 inch thick is wrapped round a tube, 1 to 3 ft. long, formed of a portion of a young trunk of the Paxuiba palm (Iriartea enorrhiza Mart.) in a slightly oblique direction, so as to form a widening spiral which extends considerably below the tube, & forms a musical instrument which is blown into like a trumpet and gives a deep sound that is heard from afar. These instruments, called Juruparís, or devils, are in use throughout the Uaupés (and anciently it would seem throughout the Rio Negro) in the Doboxuris, or feasts, of the Indians. I cannot find that they are objects of actual adoration, but they certainly are of fear & respect, and several curious observances are connected with them.

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