Desmopsis verrucipes Chatrou, G.E.Schatz & N.Zamora

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 Desmopsis (Annonaceae), Blumea 63 (1), pp. 67-86 : 83

24. Desmopsis verrucipes Chatrou, G.E.Schatz & N.Zamora — Map 4

Desmopsis verrucipes Chatrou, G.E.Schatz & N.Zamora in Erkens et al. (2006) 216, t. 4. — Type: Chatrou, Oosterhof & Aguilar 102 (holo U; iso CR, INB, MO), Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Cantón Osa , 5 km from Bahia Chal , near mouth of Río Rincón , 50 m, 29 Nov. 1998.

Tree or shrub 3–8 m tall, 2–4 cm diam; young twigs and petiole glabrous. Leaves: petiole 5–20 mm long, 1–3 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic, sometimes elliptic, 16–40 by 5–17 cm, chartaceous, densely verruculose and shiny on both sides, glabrous above, glabrous below, but primary vein sometimes covered with some appressed hairs, base acute, rarely obtuse or attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen 5–20 mm long), primary vein slightly impressed above, secondary veins 7–14 on either side of primary vein, raised above, tertiary veins flat to slightly raised above, reticulate to somewhat percurrent. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts, sepals, and petals sparsely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous. Inflorescences 1–6-flowered perennating contracted rhipidia bearing 1 flower at a time, leaf-opposed or often produced from the main trunk; pedicels 10–40 mm long, c. 1 mm diam, 1–4 mm diam in fruit; basal bract usually scale-like or rarely leafy, 1–8 by 1–4 mm, upper bract scale-like, broadly ovate-triangular, 1–4 by 2–4 mm; sepals white with pink to red base, maturing red in fruit, ovate-triangular, 6–20 by 4–10 mm, distinctly veined; petals greenish yellow to white, subequal, narrowly triangular, 15–35 by 5–9 mm. Monocarps 5–40, green, yellow, orange, maturing red, ellipsoid-oblongoid to spherical, 8–30 by 8–15 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous, apex rounded, sometimes slightly constricted between the seeds upon drying, wall 0.3–0.5 mm thick, stipes 5–20 mm long, 1–2 mm diam. Seeds 2–7, in one row, discoid or hemispherical, 8–11 by 2–3 mm, slightly grooved, pitted.

Distribution — Costa Rica, Panama.

Habitat & Ecology — In primary or secondary forests.At elevations of 0– 500 m. Flowering: January, February and August to November; fruiting: August to January.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Field observations — ‘Flowers visited by small beetles’ ( Neill 5049A, Costa Rica).

Note — Desmopsis verrucipes is recognizable by its shiny, large leaves (16–40 by 5–17 cm) and large, persistent sepals of up to 20 mm long.