Guatteria esperanzae Couvreur, J.N.Zapata & Loor, 2022

Couvreur, T. L. P., Cornejo, X., Zapata, J. N. & Loor, A., 2022, Two new magnoliid (Annonaceae, Lauraceae) tree species from Manabí, western Ecuador, Blumea 67 (2), pp. 97-108 : 104-107

Guatteria esperanzae Couvreur, J.N.Zapata & Loor , sp. nov. — Fig. 1 , 7 , 8

Etymology. This species is named after the privately owned La Esperanza reserve near El Carmen where this species was first collected and the type locality (see Introduction).

Guatteria esperanzae resembles G. darienensis (known from the northern Chocó region of Colombia and Panama) by the shape of its leaves being narrowly elliptic with prominent secondary veins above, the generally single flower in the axis of foliate leaves and the size (9–11 by 4–6 mm in G. esperanzae ) and shape (ellipsoid with an acute apex) of the monocarps.However, it differs by its much shorter pedicel (15–18 mm vs 30–75 mm long), the petals maturing red vs yellow in G. darienensis , and the stipes being shorter in G. esperanzae (6–9 mm vs 7–15 mm). — Type: T.L.P. Couvreur & A. Loor 1271 (holo QCA(QCA244028);iso P,WAG (WAG.1973005,WAG.1973006, WAG.1973007)), Ecuador, Manabí, Reserva privada La Esperanza de Anelio Loor, 3 km after San Ramon Del Tigrillo, 15 km on Via Venado from El Carmen, lowland rain forest, - 0.385365S - 79.61967W, 14 Feb. 2020 (fl, fr).

Tree 4–9 m tall, 8–15 cm dbh, one primary stem and sometimes several secondary trunks emerging from the base, trunk grey; young twigs sparsely covered with appressed hairs soon becoming glabrous. Petiole 5–8 mm long, 3–5 mm diam, canali- culated but not winged, blackish when dry, glabrous; leaf lamina narrowly elliptic, 19–25 by 6.5–9 cm; 2.2–3.1 times longer than wide, chartaceous, shiny above, glabrous above, not verruculose, bullate, sparsely covered with appressed hairs below, mainly along midrib; base acute or attenuate; apex acuminate, acumen 20–24 mm long, margins not revolute; primary vein impressed above, forming a small channel, distinct and raised below; secondary venation brochidodromous, 16–19 veins on either side of primary vein, looping 4–6 mm from margin; tertiary venation reticulate, raised and very prominent below. Flowers axillary, solitary on leafless branches or in the axils of leaves; bracts caducous, not seen; flowering pedicels 15–18 mm long, 1– 2 mm diam, blackish, densely covered with appressed hairs, articulated; flower buds spherical, slightly flattened at top; sepals ovate-triangular, 4–5 by 5–7 mm, densely covered with appressed pale brown hairs on both sides, apical part of sepals recurved in vivo, green in vivo; outer and inner petals similar in size and shape, ovate, 11–21 by 9–14 mm, densely covered with appressed pale brown hairs outside, glabrous but with appressed pale brown hairs towards the apex inside, margins folded outwards in vivo, colour varying from green to yellow turning red when mature. Stamens 180–190, c. 2 mm long, connective shield papillate, orange in vivo. Carpels 30–35, c. 3 mm long, covered with erect, golden brown hairs; stigma umbonate, pubescent, red in vivo at maturity. Monocarps 16–30, ellipsoid, 9–11 by 4–6 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous, apex acute, white to pinkish when immature turning red to black when mature; stipes 6–9 mm long, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, white in vivo when immature, turning light red in vivo when mature; seed 1 per monocarp, ellipsoid, 7–8 by 4–5 mm, rugose, reddish brown in vivo, black when dried.

Distribution — Guatteria esperanzae is endemic to Ecuador and only known from the El Carmen canton in the Manabí region ( Fig. 1 ). To date it has been collected in several forest fragments around La Esperanza. One sterile collection (T.L.P. Couvreur 1250) from a forest patch in the Tinalandia Hosteria (Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas) might also belong to this species based on the similarity of its leaves. More fertile material is needed to confirm its presence in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas region.

Habitat & Ecology — The species grows in lowland rain forests on tierra firme soils and documented to occur between 200 and 320 m a.s.l. Up to 15 mature individuals are documented from the La Esperanza reserve.

Preliminary IUCN conservation assessment — The EOO of Guatteria esperanzae is estimated to be 27 km 2 (much smaller than the 5000 km 2 upper limit for Endangered status under the criterion B1) and its minimal AOO is estimated to be 20 km 2 (much smaller than the 500 km 2 upper limit for Endangered status under the criterion B2). Guatteria esperanzae is, to date, endemic to the canton of El Carmen in the Manabí province, and has not been collected in a protected area. It does occur, however, in several privately owned forest patches less than 15 km apart ( Fig. 1 ). The species is known from seven specimens (collected between 2018 and 2021) representing one subpopulation and five ‘locations’ (sensu IUCN 2019, see Materials and Methods), within the limit of the Endangered status. Moreover, in La Esperanza reserve around 15 individuals have been located and are tracked for phenological studies (Anelio Loor, pers. obs.). As the wet forests of the province of Manabí are severely fragmented and under steady pressure by the expansion of agricultural and cattle farming frontiers we project a continuous decline of mature individuals, locations and EOO or AOO. Guatteria esperanzae is therefore assigned a preliminary status of EN B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v).

Phenology — Flowering: February, September and December; fruiting: June, September and December.

Paratypes. ECUADOR, Manabí,Reserva privada La Esperanza,3 kmafter

San Ramon Del Tigrillo, 15 km on Via Venado from El Carmen, - 0.374621S

- 79.604718W, 205 m, 15 July 2018 (st), T. L. P . Couvreur , A . Loor , R. J . Montúfar & S. P . Escobar 1189 (!- P, QCA, WAG); Reserva privada La Esperanza, 3 km after San Ramon Del Tigrillo, 15 km on Via Venado from El Carmen , - 0.374621S - 79.604718W, 205 m, 19 Feb.2020 (fl), T. L. P . Couvreur & A . Loor 1267 (!- GUAY, P, QCA, WAG); private forest fragment, c. 7 km after San Ramon Del Tigrillo, 22 km on Via Venado from El Carmen city , - 0.411619S - 79.616165W, 209 m, 15 Sept. 2020 (fr), T. L. P . Couvreur & A . Loor 1275 (!- P, QCA, WAG); 2 km south of El Mono ( N38 road) , - 0.38308S - 79.70758W, 317 m, 8 June 2021 (st), T. L. P . Couvreur , A . Loor & N . Zapata 1400 (!- P, QCA, WAG); some 5 km southeast of El Mono village ( N38 road) ,- 0.37745S - 79.66074W, 215 m, 9 June 2021 (fr), T. L. P . Couvreur , A . Loor & N . Zapata 1417 (!- P, QCA, WAG); Reserva privada of Don Horacia, c. 12 km after San Ramon Del Tigrillo, c. 25 km on Via Venado from El Carmen , - 0.406767S - 79.650801W, 300 m, 29 Dec. 2021 (fl.), T. L. P . Couvreur , A . Loor & L. J. V . Couvreur 1523 (!- QCA, WAG) .

Notes — Guatteria esperanzae is distinguished from the other species in the region (see key too) by its large (> 19 cm long) membraceous leaves, with a distinct acumen (> 2 cm long), bullate above with a prominent secondary and tertiary venation below, its flowers with a medium sized pedicel (15–18 mm long), deep red petals at maturity, and it fruits with numerous monocarps that are red turning black at maturity. The red petals at maturity have rarely been reported for Guatteria ( Maas et al. 2015, P. Maas pers. comm.).

Figures

Fig. 1 Distribution map of Aniba ecuadorica (purple) and Guatteria esperanzae (yellow) in the El Carmen canton in western Ecuador. Satellite image from Google Earth (15/12/2021). The insert shows the larger area of western Ecuador with altitude variation across the region (red for lower areas to yellow to higher areas). The yellow rectangle indicates the study site in Ecuador. The finer black lines represent the different regions in Ecuador.

Fig. 7 Guatteria esperanzae Couvreur, J.N.Zapata & Loor. a. Base of the trunk, note the several smaller stems arising from the base with a main larger one; b. lower side of leaf, showing prominent tertiary venation; c. upper side of leaf, showing bullate texture; d. a foliate branch; e. flower at anthesis, top view, showing red carpels; f. flower at anthesis, side view, showing red petals, g. flower, immature, bottom view, showing reflexed sepals; h. immature flower, top view and mature fruits in the background (a–c, g–h: Couvreur 1271; e–f: Couvreur 1267; all WAG). — Scale bars: b–c = 2 cm; e–h = 1 cm. — Photos by Thomas L.P. Couvreur.

Fig. 8 Guatteria esperanzae Couvreur, J.N.Zapata & Loor. a. Immature flower and mature fruits, showing black colour of monocarps and reddish stipes;b. fruit, side view; c. fruit on branch;d. fruit, near maturity, stipes starting to turn reddish;e. detail of mature monocarps, longitudinal section of a monocarp revealing the single seed (a, c–e: Couvreur 1271; b: Couvreur 1417; all QCA, WAG). — Scale bars: b–c = 1 cm; d = 2 cm; e = 0.5 cm. — Photos by Thomas L.P. Couvreur.