Scientific name: Gnetum spp.
Vern: gnetum (En); ituá (BrP)
Local: srieba (Sr)
Indig: kasabora (Lok); towa (Tr); tulipio (Wayana); waya (Wayãpi)
Growth Form: Climber
Order: Gnetales
Family: Gnetaceae
Notes: In the Guiana Shield region (including Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana), the genus Gnetum L. represents a highly unique evolutionary lineage. While they are technically gymnosperms (sister to the Pinaceae or other conifers), they have completely adapted to life in the tropical rainforest canopy (Won & Renner, 2006). Instead of growing as needles and cones, they mimic woody angiosperm lianas with broad, net-veined leaves and drupe-like “fruits” (which are actually fleshy enclosed seeds) (Mota & Giulietti, 2016).
The two primary, wide-ranging species native to the lowlands and river systems of the Guianas are Gnetum nodiflorum and Gnetum urens, alongside less frequent occurrences of complex taxa like Gnetum paniculatum or Gnetum leyboldii (DEL RÍO, 2016; Duivenvoorden, 1994).