Guatteria verruculosa 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 : 183

171. Guatteria verruculosa R.E.Fr. — Fig. 70h, i , 85 ; Map 34

Guatteria verruculosa R.E.Fr.(1956) 434,pl. 1. — Type: Fosberg 19126 (holo S; iso P, US 2 sheets), Colombia, Norte de Santander, Cordillera Oriental, hills E of Valegrá , S of Quebrada Valegrá , Con. Chucarima , Mun. Chitagá , 2000 m, 16 Nov. 1942.

Tree c. 6 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs sparsely cov- ered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 5 –10 mm long, 2–3 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, 13–28 by 5–12 cm (leaf index 2.3–3.3), chartaceous, densely and minutely scabridulous, dull, dark grey to greyish green above, green to brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, but soon almost glabrous below, base acute to slightly attenuate, apex bluntly acuminate (acu- men 5–10 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins distinct, 12–16 on either side of primary vein, impressed above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2 – 5 mm, tertiary veins slightly raised above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels 10–25 mm long, 1–2 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 3 mm diam, densely to rather densely covered with appressed hairs, articulated at 0.2–0.3 from the base, bracts 5–6, soon falling, not seen; flower buds depressed ovoid; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 3–6 by 4–6 mm, ap- pressed, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; petals yellowish green in vivo, elliptic to oblong-elliptic or narrowly so, 10–20 by 3–8 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; stamens c. 2 mm long, connective shield papillate to glabrous. Monocarps 10– 25, colour in vivo not recorded, black to brown in sicco, ellipsoid, 15–18 by 7–8 mm, sparsely cover- ed with appressed hairs, soon glabrous, apex apiculate (apicu- lum <1 mm long), wall 0.5–0.8 mm thick, stipes 2–3 by c. 3 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 13–17 by 7–8 mm, brown, transversely and longitudinally grooved, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Colombia (Norte de Santander), Venezuela (Barinas, Trujillo).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated (‘tall forest on gently sloping ground’, ‘selva’) forest or on steep forest slopes along stream. At elevations of 850–2000 m. Flowering: February, June, November; fruiting: November.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Notes — Guatteria verruculosa , only known from the type collection, can be recognized by its scabridulous leaves. Other features are the very short stipes (to c. 3 mm long), the relatively thick monocarp wall and the very distinct secondary veins.

Guatteria verruculosa was placed by Fries (1956) in sect. Chasmantha and he compared it with G. slateri . It was, surprisingly, not included in the revision of sect. Chasmantha by Sánchez S. (1986).

Figures

Fig. 70 a. Guatteria saffordiana Pittier. Fruits, note connate sepals. – b. Guatteria slateri Standl. Fruit. – c. Guatteria synsepala Maas & Westra. Fruit. – d. Guatteria tacarcunae Maas & Erkens. Fruit. – e. Guatteria ucayalina Huber. Detail of leaf venation, lower side. – f. Guatteria vallensis Maas & Westra. Loose flower from below and above. – g. Guatteria venezuelana R.E.Fr. Flowers. – h, i. Guatteria verruculosa R.E.Fr. h. Flower and young fruits; i. fruit (a: Riina et al. 265, U; b: McPherson & Merello 8295, U; c: Betancur et al. 811, isotype MO; d: Gentry et al. 16953, MO; e: Hill 12959, U; f: Monsalve B.685, isotype MO; g: Van der Werff 3624, U; h: Fosberg 19126, holotype S; i: Fosberg 19126, isotype US).

Fig. 85 Guatteria verruculosa R.E.Fr. Fertile branch (Fosberg 19126, holotype S).