Guatteria japurensis Maas & Westra

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 : 99

85. Guatteria japurensis Maas & Westra — Map 20

Guatteria japurensis Maas & Westra in Erkens et al. (2008) 497, f. 12; Maas & Westra (2011) 131. — Type: Amaral et al. 518 (holo U; iso INPA, NY, RB), Brazil, Amazonas ,right bank of Rio Japurá , Villa Bittencourt, Serrinha, 100 m, 16 Nov. 1982.

Small tree c. 6.5 m tall, diam not recorded; twigs (no growth tip seen) glabrous. Leaves: petiole c. 10 mm long, 3–4 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic-ovate, 16–27 by 5–8.5 cm (index 3–4), chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, scabridulous above, not or sparsely verruculose along primary vein only, slightly shiny and brownish green above, dull brownish green below, glabrous on both sides, base obtuse, extreme base shortly attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen c. 10 mm long), primary vein flat above, secondary veins indistinct, 15–18 on either side of primary vein, raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 1–2 mm, tertiary veins flat to slightly raised above, reticulate. Flowers in 1–several-flowered inflorescences in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets, only seen in fruiting stage: fruiting pedicels 50–60 mm long, 1–1.5 mm diam, sparsely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous, articulated at c. 0.1 from the base, bracts 5–6, soon falling, not seen; flower buds, sepals, petals and stamens not seen. Monocarps 10–15, immature, colour not recorded in vivo, blackish brown in sicco, ellipsoid to narrowly ellipsoid, 17–20 by 7–8 mm, glabrous, apex apiculate (apiculum 0.2–0.4 mm long), wall c. 0.2 mm thick, stipes 11–17 by 1–1.5 mm. Seed narrowly ellipsoid, c. 18 by 7 mm, brown, shiny, longitudinally and transversely grooved, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Western Amazonian Brazil (Amazonas).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated forest, on stony soil covered with lichens and mosses. At an elevation of 100 m. Flowering: unknown; fruiting: November.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Note — Guatteria japurensis is most distinctive by the long and slender fruiting pedicels bearing rather long monocarps, a combination very uncommon in Guatteria . Another noteworthy feature is found in the leaves which are indistinctly veined and are scabridulous on the upper surface.