Coccoloba lasseri Lundell, Contr. Univ.

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 : 126-128

7. Coccoloba lasseri Lundell, Contr. Univ. Michigan Herb. 6: 10. 1941. ( Figs. 10A–F ).

Type:— PANAMA. Panamá: Río Pacora , 3 September 1940, Bartlett & Lasser 16946 (holotype MICH; isotype MO!) .

Description:—Trees hermaphrodites, functionally unisexual, 7–12 m tall; branch striate, glabrous, brown to greyish, sparsely punctiform; ochrea 8–10 mm long, striate. Leaves simple, alternate; petioles 5–8 mm long, 1.5–8 mm diameter, striate, glabrous to pulverulent, brown, arising near or above the base of the ochrea; leaf blades 13–19 (–32) cm long, 8–10.5 (–22) cm wide, obovate to oblanceolate–obovate, chartaceous to coriaceous, glabrous, margin entire to slightly undulate, apex rounded to slightly acute, base rounded to obtuse; venation brochidodromous, reticulate prominent, primary veins 8–12 pairs, prominent. Inflorescence terminal or subterminal, arranged in a small sympodial panicle, branches 3–4 (5), main axis reduced, 1.5–2 cm long; spiciform portion 20–35 cm long; glabrous to pulverulent; rachis 1–2 mm diameter, striate, pulverulent; bracteole and ochreola tiny or absent, membranous, pulverulent; pedicels 1–1.5 mm long in flowers, 1–1.5 in fruit, thicker. Flowers in two whorls, outer tepals 3, inner tepals 2, alternate; flowers functionally male 6–8 × fascicle; hypanthium 1–1.2 mm long, glabrous, turbinate, abruptly narrowed at the pedicel; outer tepals glabrous, coriaceous, inner tepals glabrous, papyraceous; tepals 1.2–1.5 mm long; stamens 7, 2.5 mm long, filaments filiform 2 mm long, anthers 0.5 mm long; ovary 0.5–0.8 mm long, trigonous, glabrous, style 3, 0.5 mm long; flowers functionally female not seen. Fruit acrosarcum, 6.5–8.1 mm long, 6–6.8 mm diameter, subglobose, apex obtuse, base rounded, abruptly contracted at junction with pedicel, dark brown to black, glabrous; hypanthium accrescent, succulent, almost completely enclosing achene, tepals accrescent, appressed at the apex mammiform of the achene; achene 5–6.4 mm long, 5.4–6.4 mm diameter, globose, base rounded, apex tuberculate, mammiform, slightly prominent, brown, smooth, glossy.

Etymology:—The specific epithet is dedicated to Tobias Lasser, collector of the type specimen.

Phenology:—Flowers from June to September; and fruits from July to December.

Distribution and ecology:—This species is endemic to Panama ( Fig. 10G ), inhabits humid areas, riverbanks, bordering mangroves and savannahs; at elevations from 0 to 300 m.

Provisional conservation status:—The EOO is 13,157.74 km 2, within the threshold for Vulnerable (VU) status under subcriterion B1, and the AOO is estimated as 76 km 2, which is below the threshold for Endangered (EN) status under subcriterion B2. There are 26 known occurrences of C. lasseri representing six to nine subpopulations. All occurrences are located outside of protected natural areas, most occurrences are located in or surrounded by vegetation severely fragmented by anthropogenic actions such as agriculture, livestock farming and urban growth. According to the IUCN methodology ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2024), if the EOO threshold is lower than the AOO threshold, the EOO should be set equal to the AOO to ensure consistency with the definition of AOO as an area within the EOO. Therefore, C. lasseri is assigned a preliminary status of Endangered [EN B2ab(iii)].

Specimens examined:— PANAMA. Canal Zone: Road beyond Fort Kobbe, near Indio Beach , 30 m, 12 July 1976, Sullivan 246 ( MO) . Coclé: between Penonomé and Coclé , 20, July 1959, Stern et al. 989 ( MO) ; Penonomé , 60 m, 26 August 1971, Lao 297 ( MO) ; Aguadulce, vicinity Aguadulce , 3 January 1971, McDaniel & Cooke 14804 ( MO) ; Penonomé-SICAP Nursery, 19 August 1961, Dwyer 1677 ( MO), Río Teta and ca Inter Amer hwy, 8 December 1965, Blum & Tyson 1871 ( MO) ; Anton , 4 September 1965, Dwyer 2900 ( MO) . Los Santos: Monagr-Los Santos , 11 October 1974, Gómez 31 ( MO) ; 1–2 miles west of Candelaria , 14 July 1967, Duke 12440 ( MO) . Panamá: Rio Teta, east of San Carlos, where it passes under Highway 1, 27 July 1970, Luteyn 1566 ( MO), Beach Nueva Góngora , 11 October 1978, D’Arcy 12263 ( MO) ; La Ermita San Carlos, 9 December 1972, Bernal 40 ( MO) ; Farfan Beach Road , 3 August 1967, Kirkbride & Elias 68 ( MO) ; Along road between Balboa and Chamé, 2 December 1934, Dodge et al. 16732 ( MO) . Veraguas: Rio Santa María along road to Santiago, 5 km S of Santa Fé , 18 November 1973, Nee 8108 ( MO), 2 km NW of Atalaya, 100 m, 19 November 1973, Nee 8226 ( MO) .

Figures

FIGURE 10. A. Specimen of Coccoloba lasseri (J.L. Luteyn 1566, MO); B. Portion of inflorescence, pedicel, ochreola and bracteole; C. Acrosarcum lateral view; D. Acrosarcum polar view; E. Achene lateral view; F. Achene polar view; G. Geographical distribution.