WOOD ANATOMICAL DISTINCTION OF LIANAS (Banisteriopis caapi (SPRUCE EX GRISEB.) MORTON (MALPIGHIACEAE)) USED IN RITUALISTIC CEREMONIAL OF AYAHUASCA

Julia O. Sonsin1, Gabriel de Oliveira Bezerra2; Camila Behrens1; Sueli Maria Gomes1; Christopher William Fagg3 & Regina Célia de Oliveira1

1Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Depto de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Brasília, DF, Brasil. 2 UNB, Faculdade de Tecnologia – Eng. Florestal. 3 UnB, Faculdade de Ceilândia. [email protected]

In the ritualistic ceremonial of Ayahuasca, a tea is prepared with stems of some “types” of lianas reported as Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton. Usually, the identification of these types is based on the external morphology of the stem, being some of them recognized by the stem shape and bark features. The circumscription of B. caapi is being evaluated within a larger project for characterization of these types. The lianas recognized by the members of the Ayahuasca Religion were collected in Brasília, Brazil, by means of a non-destructive methodology. Two samples of Caupuri or Gabi, distinguished by having stems with cylindrical node in some regions, were collected from two different Ayahuasca groups, and three samples of Tucunacá were collected in two plantations and a gallery forest, and they were recognized by having a 3-9 lobed stem with asymmetrical conformation. The wood was analysed both macro and microscopically. The secondary xylem similarities of the two liana types were: vessel dimorphism on the outside layers, but near the pith the vessels were smaller with similar diameter; vessels pits were vestured; fewer thick fibres; high quantity of axial parenchyma cells - sometimes non-lignified (mostly when in bands), in addition, scanty, vasicentric, diffuse axial parenchyma occurs; also we observe a variation near the pith in axial parenchyma type, in which irregular lines occur before the marginal bands; prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells, in radial chains and sometimes aggregated; cambial variants. The lianas were separated by: Caupuri has the small vessels in a greater quantity and more clustered near the pith; smaller axial parenchyma series were observed in Caupuri (2 to 4 cells per parenchyma strand), while in Tucunacá were up to 8 cells; few druses were found in non-lignified parenchyma in Tucunacá, while a great number of druses of different sizes were only present in the interxylary phloem cells of Caupuri; in Tucunacá we observed variation in ray width in different samples, being mostly uniseriate or 1-3 seriate and also prismatic crystals in enlarged cells were found in only one sample. The wood of these two liana “types” of Ayahuasca are related mostly due to qualitative similarities, but we are able to separate them by the cambial variants and mostly by quantitative features. (FAPDF, 0193.000881/2015)

Keywords: Banisteriopsis caapi; circumscription; interxylary phloem; liana; wood anatomy.