Piper bartlingianum

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Piper bartlingianum

Description

Shrub, subshrub or treelet, 1-4 m tall, somewhat nodose, glabrous. Petiole 0.5 cm long, glabrous, vaginate near or at base; blade glossy, coriaceous, not scabrous, not conspicuously glandular-dotted, elliptic-oblong, 13-30 x 5-8(-10) cm, apex acuminate, base equal or almost equally attached to petiole, acute, glabrous; pinnately veined, secondary veins 6-8 per side, flat to impressed above, prominent below, anastomosing well within margin, originating from throughout primary vein, tertiary veins widely reticulate. Inflorescence erect; peduncle 1 cm long, glabrous; spike 10-12 cm long, green, not apiculate; rachis hirsute; floral bracts cucullate, pilose on inner side. Fruits ovoid to tetragonous, separate, somewhat ridged or winged (at least when dried), glabrous may be somewhat papillose, stigmas 4, sessile.

Distribution

Guianas present, Matto Grosso present, S Venezuela present, SE Colombia present, Southern America: Brazil North (Amapá present, Amazonas present, Pará present, Roraima present)
The Guianas, S Venezuela, Brazil (Amazonas, Roraima, Amapá, Pará, Matto Grosso) and SE Colombia; ca. 185 collections studied (GU: 50; SU: 50; FG: 87).

Common Name

English (French Guiana): kaboye, pao pao, petpe, yemilã; English (Suriname): akamikini, man-aneise-wiwiri, petpe

Uses

According to Miquel, Artanthe warakabacoura — meaning knee of the Warakaba bird — was used in Guyana and Suriname as one of the constituents of the Ourali poison.

Notes

I agree with Trelease and Yuncker (1950: 410) that Piper warakabacoura and P. bartlingianum are conspecific. The differences used to separate the two, for instance by De Candolle, are on leaf size and shape and a few hairs on the fruits. With the large amount of collections studied, it can be concluded that the variation is such that it is not possible to maintain two species.
See also note to P. alatabaccum.