Desmopsis microcarpa R.E.Fr.

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 : 78

14. Desmopsis microcarpa R.E.Fr. — Map 7

Desmopsis microcarpa R.E.Fr. (1930) 23, f. 3c. — Type: Pittier 16014 (holo B; iso F, GH, K, NY, Z), Costa Rica,‘le long de la côte entre Limon et Moin’ , Sept. 1899.

Desmopsis glabrata Schery in Woodson & Schery (1941) 428. — Type: Von Wedel 279 (holo MO), Panama, Bocas del Toro, vicinity of Bocas del Toro, alt. near sea level, 1 Aug. 1940.

Shrub or tree 2–8 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs and petiole rather densely to sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 4–10 mm long, 1–2 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 6–25 by 2–9 cm, chartaceous, both sides often verruculose, shiny and glabrous above, except for erect hairs along primary vein, subglabrous below, base acute to obtuse, or slightly attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen 5–25 mm long), the extreme tip obtuse, primary vein slightly impressed above, secondary veins 6–10 on either side of primary vein, slightly raised above, tertiary veins raised above, reticulate. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels sparsely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous, outer side of bracts, sepals and petals sparsely to rather densely covered with appressed hairs. Inflorescences 1-flowered, leaf-opposed; pedicels 20–100 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam, to c. 2 mm diam in fruit; basal bract leafy, broadly obovate to circular, 5–20 by 4–20 mm, upper bract leafy, broadly ovate-triangular, 2–5 by 2–5 mm, or scale-like; sepals with distinct venation, broadly ovate-triangular, 5–15 by 4–10 mm, reflexed; petals yellow, subequal, black in sicco, narrowly triangular, 20–40 by 5–12 mm, apex incurved. Monocarps 10–25, green, maturing yellow, orange, red, to black, ellipsoid to oblongoid-ellipsoid, 7–30 by 6–18 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous, apex rounded, slightly constricted between the seeds upon drying, wall c. 0.5 mm thick, stipes 7–25 mm long, 0.5–1 mm diam. Seeds 1–5, in one row, spherical, discoid or hemispherical, 7–13 by 2–5 mm, strongly grooved, pitted.

Distribution — Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama.

Habitat & Ecology — In wet, evergreen, tropical rain forests or premontane forests. At elevations of 0–1400 m. Flowering: January to August, November; fruiting: all year through.

Vernacular names — Nicaragua: Palanco (Salick 8046), Uva ( Rueda et al. 2685).

Field observations — ‘ Flores con olor a banano’ (Chávez 532, Costa Rica); ‘flowers full of staphilinid beetles’ (Chatrou et al. 96, Costa Rica); ‘flowers exhaling an aroma of green ap- ples or ripe bananas’ (Grayum et al. 7700, Costa Rica); ‘flowers fragrant’ (Penneys et al. 300, Costa Rica); ‘wood used for houses’ (Salick 8046, Nicaragua).

Note — Desmopsis microcarpa differs from D. bibracteata by various features:

1. The leaf apex is acuminate (acumen 5–25 mm long) in D. microcarpa vs acute to shortly acuminate with the extreme tip distinctly rounded in D. bibracteata (acumen to c. 5 mm long).

2. In D. microcarpa the sepals are larger (5–15 mm long vs 2–4 mm in D. bibracteata ).

3. In D. microcarpa the petals (20–40 mm long) are acute, thin and black in sicco whereas in D. bibracteata the petals (11–25 mm long) are distinctly rounded at the extreme tip, thicker and brown in sicco.

Figures

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