Desmopsis talamancana G.E.Schatz & Maas, 2018

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 : 81

21. Desmopsis talamancana G.E.Schatz & Maas , sp. nov. — Fig. 4a ; Map 7

Desmopsis talamancana is recognized by its relatively small, glabrous leaves (5–9 by 2–5 cm), and a small number (5) of large monocarps (20–30 by 14–20 mm) with seeds in two rows. — Type: Aguilar & Jiménez Madrigal 4317 (holo MO; iso INB, U), Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Cantón de Buenas Aires, R.I. Ujarrás, Cordillera de Talamanca, Reserva Biológica Dúrika, 1500 m, 6 Sept. 1995.

Tree 4–7 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs and petiole sparsely covered with appressed hairs, very soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 3–5 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic, 5–9 by 2–5 cm, chartaceous, verruculose below, dull (but ‘brillantes’ in vivo), greenish above, greenish below, glabrous above, except for some hairs along the primary vein above, glabrous below, base attenuate, apex acute to acuminate (acumen c. 5 mm long), primary vein strongly impressed above, secondary veins indistinct, 6–10 on either side of primary vein, flat to slightly raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 1–2 mm, tertiary veins flat to slightly raised above, reticulate. Inflorescence and flower indument: outer side of bracts and pedicels sparsely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous. Inflorescence: flowers not seen. Infructescence bearing 1 fruit, leaf-opposed; fruiting pedicels 30–40 mm long, 1–2 mm diam; basal bract leafy, ovate, 10–15 by 8–10 mm, usually absent in fruit, upper bract scale-like, 1–1.5 mm long. Monocarps c. 5, green, maturing orange in vivo, black in sicco, ellipsoid to slightly ovoid, 20–30 by 14–20 mm, sparsely cover- ed with appressed hairs when young, soon glabrous, apex rounded, not constricted between seeds upon drying, wall 1–1.5 mm thick, stipes 3–7 mm long, 2–3 mm diam. Seeds c. 10, in two rows, hemidiscoid or quartispherical, 10 by 3–5 mm, pale brown, slightly grooved.

Distribution — Costa Rica.

Habitat & Ecology — In submontane forest. At elevations of 1450–1500 m. Flowering: not recorded; fruiting: September.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Other specimen examined. COSTA RICA, Puntarenas, Cantón de Buenas Aires, Ujarrás, cabeceras de Río Kuiyé , siguiendo las Filas que dan a Olán, 1450 m, 20 Sept. 1989, G. Herrera 3498 ( U 2 sheets) .

Note — Desmopsis talamancana can be distinguished by its relatively small (5–9 by 2–5 cm), glabrous leaves with an attenuate base and acuminate apex, a leafy lower bract on the pedicel, and fruits with seeds in two rows. Its leaves are much smaller than other species with biseriate ovules, and it occurs at much higher elevation in Costa Rica than D. biseriata and D. heteropetala .

Figures

Map 7 Distribution of Desmopsis heteropetala R.E.Fr. (▲), D. microcarpa R.E.Fr. (●) and D. talamancana G.E.Schatz & Maas (■).

Fig. 4 a. Desmopsis talamancana G.E.Schatz & Maas. Fruiting branch. — b. Desmopsis uxpanapensis G.E.Schatz. Flowering branch. — c. Desmopsis wendtii G.E.Schatz. Flowering branch (a: Aguilar & Jiménez Madrigal 4317, type, U; b: Wendt et al. 4838, MO; c: Wendt et al. 4053, type, WIS).