Psychotria poeppigiana is a plant species in the family Rubiaceae; a common name is sore-mouth bush,USDA (2006) though it is not very often used. This species is currently accepted as Palicourea tomentosa based on a journal article published in 2011 (see #Taxonomy and names). It ranges widely in the tropical Americas, from Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco and Veracruz in Mexico to the very north of Argentina. It does not occur on the Pacific side of the American cordillera however, and is thus absent from El Salvador and Chile. It is probably also absent from Uruguay and Paraguay. P. poeppigiana is a large shrub. The inflorescences are carried upright or semi-erect and are surrounded by large bracts, colored a conspicuous red, that attract pollinators. The flowers themselves are inconspicuous, with the small yellow petals and sepals forming a narrow corollar tube. Pollinators are mainly hummingbirds, namely small hermit (Phaethornithinae) species like the black-throated hermit (Phaethornis atrimentalis), straight-billed hermit (P. bourcieri) and reddish hermit (P. ruber). They do not insert their bills deeply into the small flowers, and thus the pollinators of the sore-mouth bush include curved- and straight-billed species alike.Rodríguez-Flores & Stiles (2005)
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Habitat GIFTCampinarana, Floresta Ciliar ou Galeria, Floresta de Terra Firme, Floresta Estacional Perenifólia, Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, Savana Amazônica
Woodinesswoody
Physiology & chemistry7
Ldmc max238 mg/g
Ldmc min238 mg/g
Leaf dry-matter content (LDMC)238 mg/g
Leaf n25.59 mg/g
Nitrogen fixingnon_nitrogen_fixer
Specific leaf area (SLA)29.35 mm²/mg
Wood density500 mg/cm³
05DNA & barcoding19 eDNA hits
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Palicourea tomentosa has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
eDNA detections19
Countries4
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type5 621 records
Wild obs. + sensor3 568
Museum / vouchered2 053
Origin
Native74
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO11 452 km²
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy80% within 1 km
≤100 m 1 511≤1 km 713≤10 km 364>10 km 196
2 784 georeferenced · 784 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor3 568
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy29% within 1 km
≤100 m 8≤1 km 5≤10 km 30>10 km 2
45 georeferenced · 2 008 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence2 053
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions38 of 93 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Saint Louis, US
1 217
Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas - SINCHIlocation not on record
143
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
127
León, NI
56
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, BO
30
QCNElocation not on record
30
Loja, EC
28
Instituto para la Investigación y la Preservación del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural del Valle del Cauca - INCIVAlocation not on record
23
Universiti Sains Malaysialocation not on record
21
JBRJlocation not on record
20
La Paz, BO
19
HUT Culture Collectionlocation not on record
15
Cuiabá, BR
14
Aarhus, DK
12
Bronx, US
12
Cenargenlocation not on record
11
Herbario Selva Central Oxapampa - estación biológica del Jardín Botánico de Missourilocation not on record
11
San José, CR
11
HUAlocation not on record
10
Iquitos, PE
10
MAlocation not on record
9
Cochabamba, BO
8
UFMSlocation not on record
8
Brasília, BR
8
Brasília, BR
7
Cusco, PE
7
arosemena tola, EC
7
MEXUlocation not on record
6
UTPLlocation not on record
6
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)location not on record
6
Edinburgh, GB
6
Jataí / Setor Industrial, BR
6
IPA/SPlocation not on record
6
Embrapa Agrobiology Diazothrophic Microbial Culture Collectionlocation not on record
6
UEPAlocation not on record
5
Universidad Nacional Agrarialocation not on record
5
Durham, US
5
UNESP-ISlocation not on record
5
Jardín Botánico de Cartagena "Guillermo Piñeres" (JBC)location not on record
5
Lima, PE
5
Wlocation not on record
5
Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD)location not on record
4
Chicago, US
4
Mexico City, MX
4
Berlin, DE
4
Göteborg, SE
4
COLlocation not on record
4
Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Solid Waste Managementlocation not on record
4
San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record
4
Kew, GB
3
Ivano-Frankivsk, UA
3
St. Augustine, TT
3
Guatemala City, GT
3
UFPRlocation not on record
3
Institut fur Allgemeine Mikrobiologielocation not on record
2
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarinalocation not on record
2
UNESP-IBILCElocation not on record
2
UFMGlocation not on record
2
UFSClocation not on record
2
UTFPR-CPlocation not on record
2
Sucre, BO
2
Calabar, NG
2
Sociedad para el Estudio de los Recursos Bióticos de Oaxaca, A. C.location not on record
2
Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)location not on record
2
Campo Mourão, BR
2
Xiamen, CN
2
Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-UPF)location not on record
2
Universidade Federale do Rio Grande do Sullocation not on record
2
Alcaldía Municipal de Garzón en Huilalocation not on record
1
Wayland Universitylocation not on record
1
FLASlocation not on record
1
Universidad de los Llanos (UniLlanos)location not on record
1
UFESlocation not on record
1
Elocation not on record
1
BMlocation not on record
1
UNICAMPlocation not on record
1
Cambridge, US
1
Salem Collegelocation not on record
1
Fort Worth, US
1
Corrientes, AR
1
San Isidro, AR
1
MeiseBGlocation not on record
1
TULVlocation not on record
1
UFAClocation not on record
1
Federal University of Espírito Santolocation not on record
1
Claremont, US
1
Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldilocation not on record
1
Burlington, US
1
Jackson, US
1
UFRRJlocation not on record
1
IECOSlocation not on record
1
Clocation not on record
1
Sangmiung Universitylocation not on record
1
93 institutions · 2 051 of 2 053 vouchered records shown · 2 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA19 detections
Where the DNA of Palicourea tomentosa was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found19
Studies independent surveys2
Countries4
Signal confidence: moderateweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 19 detections have coordinates
Open the map4 countries0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median24.7 °C 19.5–26.5
Seasonal swing summer↔winter1.70 °C
Max temp (day)27.0 °C 22.7–29.8
Min temp (night)22.4 °C 16.7–23.3
Precipitation350 mm/mo 101–642
Air humidity70.5 % 67.3–73.2
Moisture balance200 mm/mo -44.5–534
Vapour deficit867 Pa 659–1,047
Wind speed1.70 m/s 0.5–5.00
Cloud cover44.6 % 18.9–45.6
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 12 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
