Sapranthus viridiflorus G.E.Schatz

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 : 63-64

8. Sapranthus viridiflorus G.E.Schatz — Fig 3d, e ; Map 1

Sapranthus viridiflorus G.E. Schatz (1998) 436. — Type: Schatz 963 (holo MO; iso CR, DUKE, NY, WIS), Costa Rica, Heredia, La Selva Biological Station of the Organization for Tropical Studies , 4 km S of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí , 35 m, 15 Feb.1984.

Tree or rarely shrub 3–12 m tall, 10–25 cm diam; young twigs and petiole densely covered with erect and appressed, white hairs to c. 0.5 mm long, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 4–10 mm long, 1–2 mm diam; lamina elliptic to obovate, 8–29 by 3–13 cm, sparsely covered with erect and appressed, white hairs to c. 0.5 mm long above, densely to rather densely so below, base acute to obtuse, or somewhat truncate, apex acuminate (acumen 10–20 mm long) to acute, venation weakly brochidodromous, primary vein impressed above, secondary veins 10–12 on either side of primary vein, slightly raised above, tertiary veins slightly raised above, more or less percurrent. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts and sepals densely covered with erect and appressed, white hairs, petals sparsely so to glabrous. Flowers solitary, leaf-opposed, sometimes produced from leafless branches or from the main trunk; pedicels 10–15 mm long, 1–2 mm diam, to c. 20 mm long and c. 5 mm diam in fruit; bract leafy, ovate to elliptic, 4–9 by 3–5 mm; sepals 6- or 7-veined, triangular, 6–8 by 4–7 mm, reflexed; petals membranous with evident venation when young, becoming thick and fleshy and lacking evident venation at anthesis, green with a reddish purple tint at base inside, faintly 3–6-veined when dry, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, 20–29 by 5–15, base cuneate, margins strongly revolute, apex acute, food body c. 2.5 by 4.5 mm, broadly tri- angular, vestigial, i.e., lacking fleshy ridges, white. Monocarps 1–6, greyish green, pulp orange, oblongoid to ellipsoid, 50–100 by 30–60 mm, wall 1–5 mm thick, stipes 0–5 mm long, 3–6 mm diam. Seeds 7–12, in one or two rows, spherical wedge-shaped, 15–30 by 3–10 mm, smooth, pale brown.

Distribution — SE Nicaragua (Madriz, Río San Juan), Costa Rica (Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas), Panama (Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, Los Santos, Veraguas).

Habitat & Ecology — In moist to wet evergreen forest; from 0–1700 m. Flowering: January, February, July, September, October; fruiting: all year through.

Vernacular name — Panama: Hueve de caballe (Holdridge 6231).

Field observations — ‘Frutos con olor de guanabana’ ( Alfaro 53, Costa Rica), ‘frutos con olor como Anona’ ( Bello 1385, Costa Rica), ‘flores de aroma fuerte muy agradable’ (Herrera 1564, Costa Rica), ‘flowers with ‘horrible’ smell of bananas’ (Maas 7961, Costa Rica); ‘flowers with strong smell of bananas’ (Maas 7956, Costa Rica).

Note — Sapranthus viridiflorus differs from all other Sapranthus species by its green petals lacking visible venation at anthesis (which, however, clearly exhibit venation in bud and when dry), and the low number of monocarps (1–6).

Figures

Map 1 Distribution of Sapranthus campechianus (Kunth) Standl. (t), S. chiapensis Standl. ex G.E.Schatz (▲), S. hirsutus van Rooden ex G.E.Schatz (■), and S. viridiflorus G.E. Schatz (●).

Fig. 3 Sapranthus violaceus (Dunal) Saff. Flowering branches (a: Torner Collection 1814, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation; b: Torner Collection 1791, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, lectotype; c: Dunal (1817): t. 25; d: Schatz & Stevens 587). — Photo d by G.E. Schatz.