J. M. Pires (holotype, US).” No flowering material is yet 
available for this species. The voucher collection for this study 
was made on July 16, 1979, near the end of the rainy season. The 
specimens were collected from a tree 15 m. tall; the trunk was 
clear of branches for about two-thirds of its height. The tree has 
alternate imparipinnate (usually 2- to 3-jugate) compound leaves 
with axillary inflorescences. The mature fruits are oblong- 
ellipsoid, about 20-25 mm. long and 13 mm. in diameter. 
Natives of the Rio Kubiyu, with whom I spent several weeks, 
provided the following information regarding “Ibapichuna.” It is 
a medium-sized tree of the forest understory, said to be relatively 
rare in mature forests, found growing on non-inundated sandy 
soil. Furthermore, it is reported that not all of the trees produce 
fruit, suggesting that the species is dioecious. The local 
inhabitants claim that it flowers in February or March. 
The manner of fruit collection is destructive. Trees are felled, 
and all of the mature fruits (deep violet to black) are gathered and 
carried back to the habitation in a woven palm leaf basket. The 
trees that are felled are visited repeatedly over several weeks as 
additional fruits become mature.’ A normal tree yields 3 to 4 kg. 
of fruit in the initial gathering. No use is made of the wood, but it 
was pointed out that the trees produce a resin which can be used 
for torches. After the fruits are washed thoroughly, they are put 
into a large vessel, covered with water, and placed over a fire to 
heat slowly to near the boiling point; this takes approximately 30 
minutes. The fruits can now be eaten, but they are usually 
crushed and extracted to prepare an after-dinner beverage. To 
make this drink, the warm fruits are placed upon a loosely woven 
sieve basket, with an appropriate container below to catch the 
extracted pulp. The fruits are then crushed by hand, and warm 
water is repeatedly added to the mass of pericarp, pulp, and bony 
endocarp to extract the green pulp. The kneading process 
continues until most of the pulp has passed through the sieve. The 
resulting liquid is a resinous, bright green beverage with an 
appearance similar to thin spinach purée. 
> This repeated gathering of fruits from a felled tree has previously been observed by 
the author in the case of Couma macrocarpa Barb. Rodr. (Apocynaceae), known in 
the Colombian Amazon as “Juansoco” and as “Sorva” in Brazil. 
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