Guatteria chasmantha R.E.Fr., 1939

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 : 54-57

33. Guatteria chasmantha R.E.Fr. — Map 9

Guatteria chasmantha R.E.Fr. (1939) 513, f. 34a. — Type: Lawrance 422 (holo S; iso A, F, G, MO, US), Colombia, Boyacá, Alto Chapón , 100 km NW of Bogotá, high forest front, 6000 ft, 9 Aug. 1932.

Tree 9–25 m tall, to c. 1.2 m diam; young twigs densely or rather densely covered with small, appressed, more or less curly hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 8–15 mm long, 1.5–2 mm diam; lamina elliptic to mostly narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate-elliptic, 12–20 by 4.5–7.5 cm (leaf index 2.4–2.9), chartaceous, sparsely or not verruculose, greyish black and more or less shiny above, brownish black to dark brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with small, appressed hairs to glabrous below, base acute to rounded, extreme base attenuate, apex acute to acuminate (acumen to c. 5 mm long), primary vein flat to slightly raised above, secondary veins distinct, 10–15 on either side of the primary vein, shortest distance between loops and margin 2–3 mm, tertiary veins raised above, reticulate. Flowers in 1–2-flowered inflorescences in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets, pedicels 12–20 by 1–1.5 mm, fruiting pedicels to c. 2 mm diam, rather densely to sparsely covered with small, appressed hairs, becoming glabrous, articulated at 0.2–0.4 from base, bracts 5–6, soon falling, not seen; flower buds not seen; sepals free, broadly ovate, 3–4 by 4–5 mm, appressed, rather densely covered with small, appressed hairs, petals yellowish green or peachcoloured in vivo, elliptic-ovate, 7–13 by 7–10 mm, inner petals distinctly smaller than outer petals, densely (base) to rather densely covered with whitish hairs, stamens c. 1.5 mm long, connective shield papillate. Monocarps 10–15, green, maturing black in vivo, black in sicco, glabrous, ellipsoid, 12–15 by 7–10 mm, apex acute to obtuse, wall 0.5–0.7 mm thick, stipes 1–10 by 2 mm. Seed : no good seeds seen inside monocarps (eaten by insects or attacked by fungus?).

Distribution — Colombia (Antioquia, Boyacá).

Habitat & Ecology — In forest and montane forest.At eleva- tions of 1500–1900 m. Flowering: May and August; fruiting: August.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Note — Guatteria chasmantha is noteworthy by shiny almost blackish leaves in combination with short pedicels (12–20 mm long) and small sepals (3–4 mm long).