Desmopsis subnuda (R.E.Fr.) 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

20. Desmopsis subnuda (R.E.Fr.) G.E.Schatz & Maas , comb. nov. — Fig. 3e ; Map 6

Desmopsis subnuda (R.E.Fr.) G.E.Schatz & Maas , comb.nov. — Desmopsis galeottiana (Baill.) Saff.var. subnuda R.E.Fr. (1930) 22. — Type: Liebmann 4 (holo C), Mexico, Veracruz, Mirador , Oct. 1841.

Tree or shrub 1–12 m tall, 7–10 cm diam; young twigs and petiole densely to sparsely covered with brown, appressed hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 2–10 mm long, c. 1 mm diam; lamina elliptic or narrowly so, sometimes ovate, 7–12 by 2.5–6 cm, chartaceous, shiny and glabrous above, but the primary vein often covered with appressed or erect hairs, glabrous below, except for appressed hairs along primary vein, base obtuse, acute, sometimes attenuate, rarely cordate, apex bluntly acute, primary vein impressed to flat above, secondary veins 5–10 on either side of primary vein, slightly raised above, tertiary veins slightly raised above, reticulate. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts, sepals, and petals sparsely to rather densely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous. Inflorescences 1- or 2-flowered, leaf-opposed, occasionally produced from the main trunk; flowering and fruiting pedicels 15–50 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam; basal bract leafy or less often scale-like, broadly ovate-triangular, 1–25 by 1–15 mm, upper bract scale-like to sometimes leafy, broadly ovate, 1–7 by 1–7 mm; sepals broadly ovate-triangular, 3–6 by 3–5 mm, spreading; petals greenish yellow to yellow, subequal, sometimes distinctly veined, ovate-triangular or narrowly so, 9–20 by 3–7 mm. Monocarps 2–8, green, maturing red, pulp yellow to orange, spherical, ellipsoid to oblongoid-ellipsoid, 8–17 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 3–7 mm long, c. 1 mm diam. Seeds 1–4, in one row, spherical, discoid or hemispherical, c. 8 by 4–5 mm, grooved, slightly pitted.

Distribution — Mexico (Oaxaca, Veracruz).

Habitat & Ecology — In deciduous and evergreen forest with Bernoullia sp. , Brosimum sp. , Bursera simaruba , Calophyllum sp. , Cedrela sp. , Dialium sp. , Ficus sp. , Manilkara sp. , Poulsenia sp. , Pouteria sapota , Robinsonella mirandae , Spondias sp. , Stemmadenia donnellsmithii , Schizolobium sp. , Tapirira sp. , Terminalia sp. , and Vatairea sp. , often on rocky soil. At elevations of 0–1050 m. Flowering: March to December; fruiting: all year through.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Field observations — ‘Flor con olor a anona verde’ ( Hernández G. 116, Mexico).

Notes — Whereas D. galeottiana (Baill.) Saff. (basionym: Trigynaea galeottiana Baill. typified by Liebmann 7) is considered a synonym of D. trunciflora , the taxon D. galeottiana var. subnuda described by Fries (1931) is typified by Liebmann 4, and is here considered to represent a distinct species for which the combination D. subnuda is proposed.

Desmopsis subnuda is characterized by glabrous leaves (except for appressed hairs along the primary vein), the presence of usually two leafy bracts, sepals 3–6 mm long, 2–8 monocarps, the wall of the monocarps 0.3–0.5 mm thick, and stipes 3–7 mm long.

Figures

Map 6 Distribution of Desmopsis lanceolata Lundell (t), D. guerrerensis González-Martínez & Jiménez-Ramírez (▲), D. mexicana R.E.Fr. (■) and D. subnuda (R.E.Fr.) G.E.Schatz & Maas (●).

Fig. 3 a, c. Desmopsis maxonii Saff. a. Flowering branch;c. fruiting branch.— b. Desmopsis nigrescens G.E.Schatz. Fruiting branch.— d. Desmopsis schippii Standl. Flowering and fruiting branch. — e. Desmopsis subnuda (R.E.Fr.) G.E.Schatz & Maas. Flowering branch (a: Maas et al. 9550; b: McPherson 20042; c: Maas et al. 9547; d: Schatz 1030; e: Schatz & Alverson 1191). — Photos by: a, c. P.J.M. Maas; b. J. Meerman; d, e. G.E. Schatz.