Trees or shrubs, perennial, from tuberous taproot. Stems erect, divaricately branching, unarmed, internodes without glutinous bands, glabrate (short-pubescent). Leaves petiolate; blade broadly lanceolate to obovate, thin, margins entire. Inflorescences in axils of leaves, compound cymose, loose, each flower subtended by 2–3 bracts. Flowers unisexual, (plants dioecious), chamogamous, narrow; staminate perianth 5-toothed, tubular to narrowly campanulate, limb not reflexed at maturity, stamens 5–10, exceeding perianth; pistillate perianth 5-toothed, tubular, closing over ovary, styles slender, barely exserted, stigmas tipped by fine hairs. Fruits bright-orange-red, becoming weakly 10-ribbed upon drying, obovoid to globose, fleshy, glandless.

Distribution

Neotropics.

Discussion

Species 10–50 (2 in the flora).

The genus is closely allied with Neea Ruiz & Pavón, another dioecious, fleshy-fruited, shrubby member of the Nyctaginaceae restricted to the Neotropics.

See E. L. Little Jr. (1968) for additional synonymy.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Guapira discolor, Guapira obtusata

Key

1	Leaf blades coriaceous, rigid when dry; young twigs, buds, and inflorescences glabrate or sparsely reddish pubescent	Guapira discolor
1	Leaf blades fleshy-chartaceous, thin and ± papery when dry; young twigs, buds, and inflo- rescences densely reddish pubescent	Guapira obtusata