VERNACULAR NAMES: 
Topiro, tupiro, tupiru (Orinoco-Rio Negro basin). 
Bo-po amongst the Camaratas Indians, Amazonas 
Territory, Venezuela (Schultes, 1958, 242). 
Betdka, in Kubeo, Vaupés River, Colombia; detwa in 
Tatuya, Apaporis River, Colombia (ibid., loc. cit.). 
As suggested above, the lulo mentioned by Zamora in 
1701 may refer to topiro, from some of the western tribu- 
taries of the Orinoco River; this region, if not often 
visited at that time, at least was not unknown through 
the activity of missionaries of different religious orders 
in touch with Bogota.’ 
The Jesuits from the eastern plains of New Grenada 
mentioned sundry native fruits that are probably Sola- 
num Topiro or related species. Gumilla, using a name 
perhaps already spread far from its place of origin (as in 
the case of lulo), lists amongst the wild fruits date palms 
(in a generic sense, meaning ‘‘palms’’) and ‘‘naranyillas, 
of a bittersweet taste and very wholesome; they are of 
the same color, although something smaller, than ordi- 
nary oranges’’ (Gumilla, 1841, 197; Gumilla, 1944, I, 
266; Gumilla, 1955, 174). 
During his second survey of the Padamu River, an 
affluent of the upper Orinoco, in March and April of the 
year 1760, Apolinar Diez de la Fuente of the staff of the 
Commission of Boundaries between the Spanish and 
Portuguese colonies organized a few years before, travel- 
ling from Guaharibos Falls as far as the Casiquiare- 
Orinoco confluence, found a cultivated field (conuco), 
started the year before, in which maize, beans and tupi- 
ros were almost mature (Ramos Pérez, 1946, 407). This 
7 Cuatrecasas collected Solanum Topiro (No. 7558) along the Guaya- 
bero River, 240 m. altitude, November 8, 1939. (Personal communi- 
cation). The Guayabero and Ariari Rivers are the principal sources 
of the Guariare. (See footnote 6.) 
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