Guatteria castilloi 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 : 54

32. Guatteria castilloi Maas & Westra — Map 9

Guatteria castilloi Maas & Westra (2010) 264, f. 5. — Type: Castillo S. 5444 (holo VEN; iso MO), Venezuela, Amazonas, Mun. Autana, Río Sipapo, between community Monte Negro and Caldero , 250 m, 18 Aug. 1997.

Tree 8–20 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs rather densely covered with appressed, white hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 20–35 mm long, 1–2 mm diam; lamina narrowly oblong-elliptic to narrowly ovate, 12–19 by 4–8 cm (leaf index 2.4–3.7), coriaceous, not verruculose, shiny, greyish green to brown above, brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with appressed, white hairs below, base acute to obtuse, extreme base slightly attenuate, apex obtuse, sometimes shortly acuminate (acumen to c. 5 mm long), basal margins somewhat revo- lute, primary vein impressed above, secondary veins distinct, 13–15 on either side of primary vein, strongly raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 1–2 mm, tertiary veins raised above, strongly reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels 15–20 mm long, c. 1 mm diam, fruiting pedicels c. 22 mm long, 1–2 mm diam, sparsely covered with appressed, white hairs, articulated at 0.2–0.3 from the base, bracts 3–5, soon falling, upper bract c. 5 mm long; flower buds not seen; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 5–6 by 5–6 mm, appressed, rigid, margins somewhat revolute, outer side sparsely covered with appressed hairs; petals green in vivo, narrowly oblong-elliptic, 13–20 by 5–8 mm, outer side rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed hairs; stamens c. 2 mm long, connective shield papillate. Monocarps c. 10, green in vivo, brown in sicco, ellipsoid, 13–15 by 7–10 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, apex apiculate (apiculum <0.2 mm long), wall c. 1.5 mm thick, stipes 10–12 by c. 1 mm. Seed not studied (abortive?).

Distribution — Amazonian Venezuela (Amazonas).

Habitat & Ecology — In black water-flooded forest (‘bosque ribereño, influenciado por aguas negras’). At elevations of c. 250 m. Flowering: August to October; fruiting: October.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Note — Guatteria castilloi is unique by the combination of long petioles for the genus (20–35 mm), a raised, reticulate leaf venation, and a mostly obtuse leaf apex.