Desmopsis maxonii Saff.

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 : 77-78

12. Desmopsis maxonii Saff. — Fig. 3a, c ; Map 4

Desmopsis maxonii Saff.(1916) 188,pl.8. — Type: Pittier 3154 (holo US;iso US 2 sheets), Panama, Chiriquí, near El Boquete, 1000–1300 m, 16 Mar. 1911.

Tree or shrub 1.5–10 m tall, 3–12 cm diam; young twigs and petiole glabrous. Leaves: petiole 3–8 mm long, c. 1 mm diam; lamina ovate to elliptic or narrowly so, 8–22 by 3–8 cm, chartaceous, glabrous above, glabrous or rarely sparsely covered with appressed hairs below, base acute to obtuse, rarely attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen 5–15 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins 6–8 on either side of primary vein, slightly raised above, tertiary veins raised to flat above, reticulate. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts glabrous or sometimes sparsely covered with appressed hairs, outer side of sepals and petals sparsely to rather densely covered with appressed hairs. Inflorescences 1–4-flowered, leaf-opposed; pedicels 25–110 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam, to 1.5–2 mm diam in fruit; basal bract leafy, broadly ovate, 5–25 by 5–20 mm, soon falling, upper bract scale-like, broadly ovate-triangular, 1–2 mm long; sepals broadly ovate-triangular, 3–8 by 3–6 mm, verruculose, spreading to reflexed; petals green, maturing yellow, subequal, inner ones slightly narrower than the outer ones, narrowly triangular, 15–35 by 3–9 mm, margins revolute. Monocarps 5–30, green, yellow, orange, maturing red and finally purple-black, spherical to oblongoid-ellipsoid, 7–21 by 7–16 mm, glabrous, apex rounded, slightly constricted between the seeds upon drying, wall 0.3–0.5 mm thick, stipes 10–27 by 0.5–1 mm. Seeds 1–5, in one row, spherical, discoid or hemispherical, 7–13 by 2–5 mm, grooved.

Distribution — Costa Rica, Panama.

Habitat & Ecology — In lower montane or premontane wet forests. At elevations of 600–2000 m. Flowering: all year through; fruiting: all year through.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Field observations — ‘Old flowers emit strong banana smell’ ( Mori & Kallunki 5317, Panama); ‘flores muy aromaticas’ (Rodríguez et al. 11801, Costa Rica).

Note — Desmopsis maxonii is recognizable by its mostly completely glabrous vegetative parts, usually very long pedicels (to 110 mm long) bearing a leafy lower bract, and often many monocarps (to 30) borne on relatively long and slender stipes (10–22 by 0.5–1 mm).

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.