Desmopsis schippii Standl.

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 : 80-81

19. Desmopsis schippii Standl. — Fig. 3d ; Map 8

Desmopsis schippii Standl. (1932) 130. — Type: Schipp 960 (holo F; iso A, BM, F, G, GH, K, MICH, MO, NY, UC, Z), Belize, Nineteen Mile, Stann Creek Valley , along creek bank in forest, 75 m, 28 June 1932.

Desmopsis brevipes R.E.Fr. (1941) 107. — Type: Standley & Valerio 44576 (holo US; iso S (fragment)), Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Tilarán, El Silencio , moist forest, 13 Jan. 1926.

Tree or shrub 1.5–20 m tall, 5–30 cm diam; young twigs glabrous or sparsely covered with appressed hairs. Leaves: petiole 2–8 mm long, 1–2 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 8–22 by 3–9 cm, chartaceous, glabrous above, glabrous, but sparsely covered with appressed hairs along the primary vein below, base acute to obtuse, rarely attenuate, apex acute to acuminate (acumen 5–20 mm long), the extreme tip obtuse, primary vein impressed above, secondary veins 6–8 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 densely covered with appressed hairs. Inflorescences 1- or 2-flowered, leaf-opposed, sometimes produced from the main trunk; pedicels 10–80 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam, 1–2 mm diam in fruit; basal and upper bracts scale-like, broadly ovate-triangular, 1–2 mm long; sepals broadly ovate-triangular, 1–3 by 1.5–4 mm, spreading; petals green, maturing yellow, subequal, narrowly triangular to linear, 15–45 by 4–6 mm, apex often incurved, margins revolute. Monocarps 2–8(–11), green, maturing red to purple-black, pulp orange, spherical, broadly ellipsoid, less often oblongoid-ellipsoid, 10–27 by 10–25 mm, rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous, apex rounded, rarely slightly constricted between the seeds upon drying, wall 0.5–1 mm thick, stipes 1–5 mm long, 1–3 mm diam. Seeds 1–4, in one row, spherical, discoid or hemispherical, 8–15 by 3–5 mm, strongly grooved.

Distribution — Mexico (Tabasco), Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.

Habitat & Ecology — In lowland, evergreen or premontane forests. At elevations of 0–1400 m. Flowering: all year through; fruiting: all year through.

Vernacular names — Guatemala:Anona. Nicaragua:Anono ( Rueda et al. 3779), Botín de reina ( Little 25180), Canjura (Grijalva 3776), Palanca (Sandino 3349), Palanco ( Rueda & Coronado 6461).

Field observations — ‘Flowers with peculiar ‘plastic’ scent’ (Nee & Vega 27898, Nicaragua); ‘pulp of fruits orange and sweet’ (W.D. Stevens 4783, Nicaragua); ‘flores aromáticas’ (G. Herrera 2066, Costa Rica).

Note — Desmopsis schippii is distinguished by a low number (2–5) of shortly stipitate (1–5 mm long) monocarps, minute bracts, short sepals (1–3 mm long), and the almost complete absence of hairs on the vegetative parts. Material from Costa Rica tends to have relatively shorter pedicels.

Figures

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.