Gnetum leyboldii

Tul. (1858)

Common names

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Taxonomic notes

Syn: Gnetum paraense Huber 1902 (Stevenson and Zanoni 1991).

Description

"Woody vine; branches articulate, bark of older stems deeply grooved. Leaves very coriaceous, without subepidermal fibers, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, up to 20 × 15 cm, abruptly acuminate at apex, cordate to rounded at base. Microsporangiate axes much branched, painiculate, ultimate units verticillate with congested internodes less than 2 mm long at anthesis. Microsporophylls clavate. Ovule-bearing axes sparsely branched, ultimate units with internodes less than 10 mm long. Mature seed deep red to vermilion, oblongoid, 45-50 mm long, 20 mm in diameter, acuminate at apex, outer layer fleshy and thick (3 mm)" (Stevenson and Zanoni 1991).

Distribution and Ecology

"Low elevations to 500 m in northern Brazil, Amazonas to Bolivar in Venezuela, and eastern Ecuador and Colombia. Not yet known from the Guianas but to be expected in the southern region" (Stevenson and Zanoni 1991).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Ethnobotany

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Observations

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Remarks

The epithet honors Friedrich (or Federico) Leybold (1827-1879), a German pharmacist who emigrated to Chile and actively explored the botany and zoology of his adopted country. He was the first to describe this species, as Gnetum dioicum, but the reason that name was invalid is a bit unclear (as it's given in Latin); it seems that Leybold may have described G. dioicum as the male of G. leyboldii, and a different species as the female.

Citations

Tulasne, L. R. 1858. Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, t.10:115. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2021.12.22.

See also

Carlquist, Sherwin. 1996. Wood, bark and stem anatomy of New World species of Gnetum. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 120:1-19.

Maheshwari and Vasil 1961.