Cecropiaceae: Coussapoa and Pourouma, with an ... - CNCFlora

112 Flora Neotropica
Leaf texture varies from chartaceous or subcoriaceous
to coriaceous, and leafindument from
flowers. A subumbellate pistillate inflorescence
is characteristic for Pourouma minor. Staminate
dense (with the three types of trichomes repre- inflorescences are often more or less dorsivensented)
to sparse.
trally flattened.
The venation varies from pinnate in entire The flowers of the staminate inflorescences are
leaves to subpalmate in incised leaves. In species more or less closely clustered at the end of the
in which palmately incised leaves occur, the bas- branches. In several species the flowers form
al lateral veins even of entire leaves are normally (sub)globose heads.
branched, while in species in which incised leaves The inflorescences are mostly ebracteate, alare
not formed, the basal lateral veins are often though minute bracts are found in staminate and
unbranched or only faintly or sparsely branched. pistillate inflorescences of P. cucura, and some-
The tertiary venation is scalariform.
what larger (caducous) bracts at the base of the
The leaf margin is entire or often more or less peduncle are sometimes found in other species.
faintly crenate. In most species the petioles are Staminate Flowers. -Staminate flowers are
relatively long, with a considerable variation in pedicellate or sessile and tetramerous, or somelength
on the same twig. Relatively short peti- times trimerous. The tepals are free, basally conoles,
only slightly varying in length, are found in nate, or almost entirely connate, and then they
a few species (e.g., P. formicarum). In P. for- form an urceolate or infundibuliform perianth.
micarum and P. myrmecophila the base of the The stamens are short in species with free or
petiole is swollen and has an abaxial slit. These basally connate tepals, but in species with almost
two species are myrmecophilous.
entirely connate tepals the filaments are longer
The mostly large stipules are connate and fully than the tepals. Probably in connection with the
amplexicaul, and appear to be of importance for rather narrow opening of the urceolate perianth,
the protection of young inflorescences-espe- the anthers are outside the perianth (long?) before
cially staminate inflorescences with flowers with anthesis. The filaments are free, sometimes baa
connate (more or less urceolate) perianth and sally connate, but in Pourouma melinonii subsp.
the anthers already exserted before anthesis, as glabrata they can be entirely connate, thus largely
in P. tomentosa. In some species the stipules are similar to the androecium characteristic for
short, e.g., P. ovata. While in most species the Coussapoa. In the center of the flower one can
stipules are caducous, they are (sub)persistent in usually find a tuft of hairs, which might represent
P. myrmecophila, P. oraria, and P. stipulacea. a pistillode.
The stipules leave a horizontal annular scar, not Pistillate Flowers. -Pistillate flowers are aloblique
as in Coussapoa. This feature may help ways pedicellate. The perianth is tubular with an
to distinguish sterile specimens of the two genera, entire or slightly lobed margin. The ovary is free
of which the leaves can be very similar. from the perianth. The short style bears a stigma
The leaf characters mentioned are more or less that is subpeltate or peltate to knob-like, in Poucorrelated.
In taxa with incised leaves the leaves rouma minor.
tend to be large, often subcoriaceous and densely Fruits and Seeds.- The fruit has a dry pericarp
hairy, with relatively long petioles, often quite and is completely enclosed by the enlarged perivariable
in length, and often with long stipules. anth. The inner layer of the fruiting perianth be-
Contrariwise, in taxa with entire leaves, the leaves comes soft and whitish and the other layer (skin)
tend to be medium-sized, usually coriaceous and ? leathery and at full maturity often purple to
often rather sparsely hairy. They have relatively black or red-brown. The whole (fruit and perishort
petioles, more or less constant in length, anth) can be indicated as a pseudodrupe (or funcand
the stipules tend to be small.
tional drupe).
Inflorescences. -The inflorescences are nearly The pedicel under mature fruits may become
always ramified, basically with three branches reddish (a contrasting color against black?).
departing from the top of the peduncle. Further Whether this color is caused by a change of color
ramification is usually (sub)dichotomous. The of tissues of the pedicel or by the presence of redprimary
ramification can be dichotomous as well. brown pluricellular hairs is not clear.
In pistillate inflorescences the ramification is often The fruiting perianth is reported to be aromore
reduced than in the staminate ones, with matic for some species (e.g., Pourouma bicolor).
a tendency to a subumbellate arrangement of the Pourouma and the African Myrianthus are