Guatteria rubrinervis R.E.Fr.

Maas, P. J. M., Westra, L. Y. T., Guerrero, S. Arias, Lobão, A. Q., Scharf, U., Zamora, N. A. & Erkens, R. H. J., 2015, Confronting a morphological nightmare: revision of the Neotropical genus Guatteria (Annonaceae), Blumea 60 (1), pp. 1-219 : 151

139. Guatteria rubrinervis R.E.Fr. — Map 30

Guatteria rubrinervis R.E.Fr. (1952a) 395; Steyerm.et al. (1995) 447,f. 373. — Type: Forest Department British Guiana 5816 = Wilson-Browne 417 (holo NY; iso FDG, K, NY), Guyana, Kanuku Mts, Wabu-ak, 600 m, Oct. 1948.

Tree 5–18 m tall, to c. 45 cm diam; young twigs densely covered with erect, whitish brown to yellowish brown hairs 1–2 mm long. Leaves: petiole 1–4 mm long, c. 1 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic, 7–18 by 1.5–4 cm (leaf index 3.5–4.8), chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, not verruculose, shiny, grey to greyish black above, brown to greyish green below, glabrous above, but primary vein densely covered with erect, whitish brown to yellowish brown hairs and the base with some appressed hairs, rather densely covered with appressed to erect, whitish brown to yellowish brown hairs 1– 2 mm long below, base acute, apex acuminate (acumen 10–15 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins distinct, 9 –15 on either side of primary vein, raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 1–3 mm, tertiary veins raised above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels (15–) 25–60 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 2 mm diam, sparsely covered with erect, golden hairs, articulated at 0.2–0.3 from the base, bracts c. 5, soon falling or upper ones sometimes persisting till flowering time, basal ones (only one seen) elliptic, c. 2 mm long, the 2 upper ones elliptic, 5–10 mm long; flower buds ovoid, pointed; sepals basally connate, broadly ovate-triangular, 6–8 by 5–7 mm, reflexed, outer side rather densely covered with erect, golden hairs; petals green or orange in vivo, narrowly oblong-obovate to oblong-obovate, 8–25 by 5–8 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; stamens c. 1 mm long, connective shield glabrous. Monocarps 20–100, green, maturing purple-black to black in vivo, black in sicco, ellipsoid, 6–8 by 4–5 mm, glabrous, apex rounded to apiculate (apiculum <0.5 mm long), wall 0.1–0.2 mm thick, stipes 15–25 by 0.5–1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 5–7 by 3–4 mm, shiny, reddish brown, smooth to pitted, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Amazonian Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar, Delta Amacuro), Guyana, Suriname, Brazil (Roraima).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated forest. At elevations of 100– 600 m. Flowering: March to June, August, October; fruiting: March, April, June, July.

Vernacular names — Brazil: Envira-preta (Ratter et al. 5705). Venezuela: Copito ( Bernardi 7406), Fruto de burro negro (Ll. Williams 12938), Kunwatâ (Yekuana name) ( Rosales et al. 1573), Maiagua verde (Chaviel 48), Majaguillo montañero ( Rosales et al. 1573).

Notes — Guatteria rubrinervis is recognizable by its long pedicels with foliaceous bracts sometimes persisting till flowering time, by erect hairs to c. 2 mm long on most of its parts, and basally connate sepals.

Fries (1952a) placed it in sect. Stenophyllum , a section which was united by him (1959b) with sect. Trichoclonia .

Guatteria rubrinervis comes quite close to G. hirsuta and upon closer research may prove not to be specifically distinct from it. For the time being it can be recognized particularly by the much smoother seed coat (not deeply pitted as in G. hirsuta ). The pedicels in G. rubrinervis are invariably long and slender, whereas pedicels in G. hirsuta are generally shorter and more stout (but there is some overlap). Dried leaves in G. rubrinervis are blackish or greenish black while in G. hirsuta they show normally a rather more brown colour.