Sapranthus isae J.G.Vélez & Cogollo

Schatz, G. E., Maas, P. J. M., Kamer, H. Maas-van de, Westra, L. Y. T. & Wieringa, J. J., 2018, Revision of the Neotropical genus Sapranthus (Annonaceae), Blumea 63 (1), pp. 54-66 : 59

4. Sapranthus isae J.G.Vélez & Cogollo — Map 2

Sapranthus isae J.G.Vélez & Cogollo (2007) 230,f. 1. — Type: Vélez-Arango, Cogollo & Uribe 6668 (holo JAUM not seen; iso COL, CUVC, FMB, HUA, HUC, JBGP, TULV not seen), Colombia, Cesar, Mun. Curumani, Vereda El Champán, Cerro El Champán, 5 May 2005.

Tree 6–10 m tall, deciduous, diam not recorded; young twigs and petiole densely covered with yellow simple and stellate hairs. Leaves: petiole 8–10 long, 1–1.5 mm diam; lamina elliptic, 6.5–20 by 3.5–9 cm, with yellow simple and stellate hairs on both sides, base attenuate to acute to obtuse, apex acuminate, venation brochidodromous, primary vein impressed and cover- ed with yellow hairs above, secondary veins 10–14 on either side of primary vein, impressed above, tertiary veins percurrent. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts, sepals, and petals sparsely to rather densely covered with yellow hairs. Flowers solitary, leaf-opposed or opposite leaf scar; pedicels 5–8 mm long, 2.5–3 mm diam, fruiting pedicels 8–15 mm long, 5–7 mm diam; bracts two, distichous, ovate to broadly ovate, the lower one 4.5–6 by 4–6 mm, the upper one 9–11 by 7–8 mm; sepals broadly ovate (triangular), 7–8 by 7–9 mm, with indument more dense on the outer side; petals membranous, with evident venation at anthesis, green with a purple tint at the base inside and outside, with yellow indument more dense outside than inside, outer petals ovate, 15–30 by 8–16 mm, inner petals triangular, 21–37 by 11–15 mm, nar- rowed to a short claw with 4 or 5 rugose, strictly elliptic, black food bodies at the base inside. Monocarps 6–11, with odour of urine when dry, spherical to ellipsoid, 33–48 by 26–33 mm, (wall thickness not noted) with yellow indument coming off upon contact, exocarp black, mesocarp coffee-coloured; stipes absent. Seeds 4–7, in two rows, transversely broadly ellipsoid to spherical wedge-shaped, 19–23 by 6–13 mm, coffee-coloured to reddish coloured, pitted to slightly grooved.

Distribution — Colombia (Cesar).

Habitat & Ecology — In deciduous forest (‘bosque caducifolio’), on rocky outcrops, surrounded by swampy areas, in association with Astronium graveolens , Bonamia trichantha , Bursera simaruba , Lonchocarpus atropurpureus , Machaerium mutisii , Oxandra venezuelana , Platymiscium polystachium , Pradosia colombiana , Sorocea affinis and Sterculia apetala . At elevations of 46– 304 m. Flowering: May; fruiting: May,August to October.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Field observation — ‘Flowers con olor fragrante’ (Vélez-Arango, Cogollo & Uribe 6668, Colombia).

Note — Unfortunately, we were only able to see scans of S. isae , with all material of the species in Colombian herbaria. Based on the original description and our observations of the scans, S. isae is distinguished by its green flowers exhibiting venation at anthesis, borne on pedicels with two distichous bracts, and by its 6–11 sessile monocarps.

Figures

Map 2 Distribution of Sapranthus isae J.G.Vélez & Cogollo (■) and S. violaceus (Dunal) Saff. (●).