Coccoloba montana Standl. J.

Ancona, Juan José, Ortiz-Díaz, Juan Javier, Gutiérrez-Alonso, Eduardo & Ledesma, Patricia Hernández, 2025, A taxonomic revision of Coccoloba sect. Paniculatae (Polygonaceae, Eriogonoideae), Phytotaxa 704 (2), pp. 106-152 : 137-139

12. Coccoloba montana Standl. J. Washington Acad. Sci. 13: 368. 1923. ( Fig. 15A & B ).

Type: EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapan: Sierra de Apaneca at Finca Colima. 17–19 January 1922, Standley 20061 (holotype US!; isotype GH!) .

Epitype (designated by Ortiz-Díaz & Ancona, 2024: 93):— EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapán: San Benito al N del Pocito. 13°49´N, 89°56´W, 02 February 1993, Sandoval & Sandoval 988 ( LAGU! accession ES: 00988).

Description:— Trees hermaphrodites, functionally unisexual, (4–) 9–15 m tall; branches striate, glabrous, brown to pale gray, scarcely lenticeled; ochrea 5–10 mm long, tubular, glabrous, puberulent, dark brown, apex irregular, truncated, caducous, basal portion persistent, with or without glandular punctate. Leaves simple, alternate, petioles 10–15 (31 when young) mm long, 1.8–2.5 mm diameter, canaliculated, with or without glandular punctate, dark brown, arising at the base of the ochrea; leaf blades 10–15 (– 26 in adventitious shoots) cm long, 6.4–8 (12 in adventitious shoots) cm wide, ovate, membranaceous rarely subcoriaceous, smooth, glabrous, lower surface glabrous, spreading to densely hirsute to hairy in axils of median vein, margin entire or revolute, apex attenuate to short acuminate, base rounded to subcordate, asymmetric, venation brochidodromous, reticulate, primary veins 7–9 pairs, prominent. Inflorescence terminal, paniculate 12–18 cm long, pendulous; rachis striate, sparsely hirtellous; bracteole, 0.5–1 mm

long, cymbiform, membranous, pulverulent; ochreola 0.5–1 mm long, membranous, glabrous; pedicels 1–1.5 mm long, thicker in the fruit, glabrous to pulverulent. Flowers in two whorls, outer tepals 3, inner tepals 2, alternate; flowers functionally male 2–3 × fascicle; hypanthium 0.5 mm long, glabrous, campanulate, abruptly narrowed at the pedicel; outer tepals glabrous, coriaceous, inner tepals glabrous, papyraceous; tepals 0.8–1 mm long; stamens 8, 1.5–2 mm long, filaments filiform 1–1.2 mm long, anthers 0.5 mm long; ovary 0.5 mm long, trigonous, glabrous, style 3, 0.2 mm long; flowers functionally female solitary; hypanthium 0.5–1 mm long, glabrous, campaniform, abruptly narrowed at the pedicel; outer tepals glabrous, coriaceous, inner tepals glabrous, papyraceous; tepals 0.8–1 mm long; stamens 8, 1.4 mm long, filaments filiform 1–1.2 mm long, anthers 0.2 mm long; ovary 1–1.2 mm long, trigonous, glabrous, style 3, 1 mm long. Fruit acrosarcum, 7–8.5 mm long × 6.5–7.5 mm diameter, ovoid to subglobose, with prominent ribs, apex rounded, base rounded, black, glabrous; achene not dissected, almost completely covered by the succulent hypanthium, tepals accrescent and appressed at the apex of the achene.

Etymology:—The specific name of this species is possibly due to the first colonial references to Apaneca (type locality) who described it as a region with high humidity and cold, similar to the montane climate.

Phenology:—Flowers from November to December; and fruit from January to February.

Distribution and ecology:—This species is distributed in Guatemala and El Salvador ( Fig. 15C ), in cloud forests, at elevation of 1200 to 1500 m.

Provisional conservation status:—The EOO is 2,844.40 km 2, within the threshold for Endangered (EN) status under subcriterion B1, and the AOO is estimated as 28 km 2, which is below the threshold for Endangered (EN) status under subcriterion B2. There are seven known occurrences of C. montana representing four subpopulations. However, occurrences are located in conserved areas, but this does not indicate that in the future they will be severely fragmented. Under the IUCN Red List criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2024), we propose a preliminary IUCN Red List Assessment of Endangered [EN B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)].

Specimens examined:— GUATEMALA. Sacatepéquez: Alotenango , 1200 m, 12 September 1995, Véliz 95.5017 ( MEXU) . Quetzaltenango: along hwy, Cito, N of junction with Ca 2 toward Quezaltenango in Watershed Reserve INDE ( Inst. Nac. de Elec. Guatemala ). “Santa María”. vicinity km 199, S of Quetzaltenango, 14°45´N 91°32´W, 1200–1300 m, 22 January 1987, Croat & Hannon 63474 ( MEXU, MO) . EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapan: San Benito, Parque Nacional El Imposible, 13°49´N, 89°56´W, 11 December 1989, Sermeño AS 026 ( LAGU, MO) ; San Francisco Méndez, montañas Las Oscuranas , 13°49´N, 89°56´W, 14 December 1995, Castillo & Magandi ISF00831 ( LAGU, MO) ; San Benito , al N del centro de la Montaña de Tacho López , 13°49´N, 89°56´W, 5 March 1993, Sandoval & Sandoval 1089 ( LAGU, MO) ; Tacuba, cerca del Parque Nacional El Imposible, Cerro La Campana , 135 m, 22 April 1993, Berendsohn & Sandoval 1503 ( LAGU, MO) ; Concepción de Ataco, Cantón El Arco , finca La Esperanza, cascada de Don Juan, Sector El Mirador, 13°49ʹ42ʺN, 89°51ʹ22ʺW, 1049 m, 13 February 2013, Rodríguez et al. 3977 ( LAGU) ; San Benito, al N del Posito , 8 February 1993, Sandoval & Sandoval 988 ( LAGU) .

Figures

FIGURE 15. A. Specimen of Coccoloba montana (E. Sandoval & M. Sandoval 988, LAGU); B. Portion of inflorescence and fruits; C. Geographical distribution.