Ficus piresiana
Content
Description
Tree up to 30 m tall. Branchlets 2-6 mm thick, sparsely puberulous or glabrous. Stipules 1-2.5 cm long, minutely puberulous, caducous; petiole 0.8-3(-3.5) cm long, epidermis persistent; blade coriaceous, narrowly elliptic to elliptic or narrowly obovate to obovate, 6.5-14.5 x 2.5-6 cm, apex rounded to obtuse (to acuminate), base obtuse to rounded or to subacute, margin entire, glabrous above and beneath; secondary vein pairs ca. 20-50. Figs solitary in the leaf axils, globose2-3 cm in diam., puberulous, at maturity greenish; peduncle 0.8-1.2 cm long; basal bracts 3, 1.5-2 mm long; ostiole ca. 2.5 mm in diam., plane.
Distribution
French Guiana present, south-eastern Venezuela
French Guiana, probably also in south-eastern Venezuela.
Notes
Some collections (Berg 1565, Caraglio C4-92, and Halle 3068) made in French Guiana from a group of young trees in Arbocel, piste de St. Elie, suggest the occurrence of F. pulchella Schott , a species from East Brazil (Santa Catarina to Maranhao). It differs from F. piresiana , e.g., in the short (up to 1 cm long) petiole with the epidermis flaking off. Only part of the leaves of the young trees mentioned are similar to those of F. pulchella , the other part matches in shape those of F. piresiana .