Sapranthus palanga R.E.Fr.

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 : 61

6. Sapranthus palanga R.E.Fr. — Fig. 2b, c ; Map 3

Sapranthus palanga R.E.Fr. (1930) 12. — Type: Oersted 158 (holo C; iso BM, C 2 sheets, US), Costa Rica (‘Nicaragua’), Guanacaste, 1845–48.

Sapranthus palanga R.E.Fr. var. santaerosae R.E.Fr. (1930) 13 (as ‘Santae Rosae’). — Type: Oersted 157 (holo C), Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Hacienda Santa Rosa , Mar. 1847 .

Tree or shrub 3–12 m tall, 6–60 cm diam; young twigs and petiole densely covered with erect and appressed, white hairs to c. 1 mm long. Leaves: petiole 4–16 mm long, 1–4 mm diam; lamina obovate to elliptic, the first leaves of a shoot sometimes orbicular, 8–34 by 4–18 cm, densely covered with erect and appressed, stiff, white hairs to c. 1 mm long, soon subglabrous above, except for the primary vein, densely (at last rather densely) so below and therefore somewhat rough (hispid-strigose), base obtuse, sometimes subcordate, rarely acute, apex acute to shortly acuminate (acumen to c. 10 mm long), venation eucamptodromous, primary vein slightly impressed above, secondary veins 8–13 on either side of pri- mary vein, slightly raised above, tertiary veins slightly raised above, percurrent. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts and sepals densely covered with white erect and appressed, curly hairs, outer side of petals densely to sparsely so mainly along the longitudinal veins. Inflorescences condensed rhipidia mostly on the main trunk (trunciflory) and occasionally on leafless branches; pedicels 15–40 mm long, 1–2 mm diam, 3–5 mm diam in fruit; bract broadly ovate to broadly ovate-triangular, 5–11 by 3–9 mm; sepals distinctly 3-veined, broadly ovate-triangular, 5–12 by 5–11 mm, reflexed; petals membranous, green, maturing dark purple to black, 6–8-veined, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, 70–110 by 15–40 mm, base rounded, concave, geniculate, the point of attachment c. 7 mm wide, apex acute to obtuse, inner petals narrowly elliptic to oblong, 80–100 by 30–35 mm, base cuneate and then abruptly narrowed to form a short claw, 4–7 mm broad, 1–2 mm thick at the point of attachment, concave, geniculate c. 3 mm from the base, the food body c. 7 mm at the middle to 6 mm at the margins, c. 3 mm from the base, i.e., just above the bend, consisting of 6 or 7 ridges separated by furrows, fleshy, cream to yellow, glistening, margins strongly revolute above the level of the food body, apex acute to obtuse. Monocarps 10–22, glaucous green, maturing red, globose, el- lipsoid to oblongoid and somewhat curved, 60–125 by 20–40 mm, sparsely covered with appressed to erect, curly hairs, wall c. 1 mm thick, stipes 5–22 mm long, 5–6 mm diam. Seeds 5–19, in one or two rows, spherical wedge-shaped, 15–33 by 5–19 mm, smooth, pale brown.

Distribution — Nicaragua, Costa Rica.

Habitat & Ecology — In tropical dry, deciduous forest. At elevations of 0– 700 m. Flowering: January to August; fruiting: January to July.

Vernacular names — Costa Rica: Guinea, Palanco ( Pittier 1519, Tonduz 13796, Van Rooden 866), Platano, Turru. Nica- ragua: Palanca/Palanco ( Coronado 5716, 5964, 6285, Grijalva 815, 2424, Sandino 2811, Velásquez 230).

Field observations — ‘Flowers smelling foetid’ (Burger 11388, Costa Rica); ‘flores..olor muy fuerte desagradable’ ( Chavarría 606, Costa Rica); ‘olor a animal descompuesto’ (Grijalva 2424); ‘flores con olor a excremento de perro’ (Hammel & Morales 22451, Costa Rica); ‘con olor fuerte y repelente’ ( Morales 2915, Nicaragua); ‘de olor nauseabundo’ (Sandino 1895, 1968, Nicaragua); ‘unpleasant odour like that of dirty socks’ ( Neill 3142, Nicaragua); ‘repumnante’ ( Moreno 15969, Nicaragua); ‘flor hedionda’ ( Soza 407, Robleto 438, Nicaragua); ‘flowers fetid smelling’ (Stevens 31353-A, Nicaragua); ‘flowers foul smelling’ (Stevens 32796, Nicaragua).

Note — Sapranthus palanga is unique among Sapranthus species in possessing a hispid-strigose indument that renders the lower surface of the leaves somewhat rough.Although other Sapranthus species occasionally bear flowers on older wood ( S. chiapensis ), S. palanga is remarkable for its high degree of trunciflory, bearing flowers primarily along the main trunk from ground level on up, as well as occasionally on older leafless horizontal branches (ramiflory), but never among the leaves.

Figures

Fig. 2 a. Sapranthus microcarpus (Donn.Sm.) R.E.Fr. Flowering and fruiting branches. — b, c. Sapranthus palanga R.E.Fr. b. Fruit at Santa Rosa NP; c. flowering trunk at Santa Rosa NP. — d, e. Sapranthus viridiflorus G.E.Schatz. d. Flower; e. fruiting branch (a: Schatz 1199; b, c: without voucher; d: Schatz 963; e: Schatz 1031). — Photos by G.E. Schatz.