Chrysophyllum caucanum Londoño-Ech., 2025

Londoño-Echeverri, Yeison, 2025, New species in Chromolucuma, Chrysophyllum, Pouteria and Pradosia (Chrysophylloideae, Sapotaceae) from the Magdalena and Cauca Rivers basins in Colombia, Phytotaxa 697 (1), pp. 24-46 : 31-35

Chrysophyllum caucanum Londoño-Ech. , sp. nov. ( Figs. 4 , 5 , 6 )

Type:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia. Municipio de Sabanalarga: camino del pueblo hacia Los Llanos de Niquia , 617 m, 6°51'40.59"N, 75°49'34.21"W, 8 November 2018 (fl.), J. Jiménez, Á. Idárraga, L. Zapata, Y. Londoño & V. Guzmán 2379 (holotype: HUA, accession 231000 [!]; isotypes (to be distributed): COL [!], JAUM [!]) .

Diagnosis:— Chrysophyllum caucanum differs from C. parvulum Pittier (1923: 42) by leaves with 7–12 pairs of secondary veins and margin revolute or slightly so (vs. 12–16 pairs and only slightly revolute margin towards base), shorter flowering pedicels 1.4–2.2 mm long (vs. 3–5 mm long), shorter sepals 1.1–1.7 mm long (vs. ca. 2 mm long), campanulate corolla (vs. tubular), shorter corolla tube 2.0– 2.3 mm long (vs. ca. 3 mm long), expanded at apex, 1.8–2.2 times longer than corolla lobes (vs. not expanded at apex, 3 times longer than lobes), and seeds slightly laterally compressed (vs. not laterally compressed).

Shrubs or trees 4–12 m tall with white latex. Bark exfoliating in rectangular plates; indumentum reddish brown to golden; buds and branchlets pellicle-like, glabrescent. Leaves alternate, evenly spaced along branches, distichous; petiole 2.6–7.9 mm long, flat above, pellicle-like; blade (2.1–)3.3–7.6(–8.2) × 1.6–4.8 cm, broadly elliptic to nearly orbicular, rarely obovate, basally acute to obtuse and rounded to short-decurrent, apically obtuse and rounded to short-acuminate, often retuse at tip, entire, with scattered stalkless trichomes on the lower surface, early glabrescent, glabrous on upper, lustrous; translucent dots present; primary vein raised on the lower surface, flat to slightly impressed on the upper; secondary veins 7–12 on each side, flat to slightly raised on both surfaces, brochidodromous, usually weakly visible on both surfaces; intersecondary veins present, extending towards margin; tertiary veins admedially ramified and laxly reticulate towards margin, weakly visible on both surfaces; margin revolute or slightly so. Fascicles axillary in leafy branchlets or in leafless ones immediately below, 1–11 flowers at the time; bracts and bracteoles 0.3–0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, ovate, acute and straight apically, pellicle-like outside, glabrous inside, persistent in flowering and fruiting; pedicel 1.4–2.2 mm long (fruiting pedicels 2.7–4.8 mm long), pellicle-like. Flowers 5-merous, bisexual. Calyx quincuncial; sepals 1.1–1.7 × 0.8–1.6 mm, broadly ovate to nearly orbicular or elliptic, obtuse and rounded to straight apically, entire, with scattered stalkless trichomes outside, glabrous towards margin in inner ones, ciliolate, pellicle-like towards base inside, nearly glabrous towards apex; margin erose. Corolla campanulate, glabrous throughout or sometimes with scattered stalkless trichomes on lobe base and tube apex outside, early glabrescent, pale yellowish green; tube 2.0– 2.3 mm long, expanded apically; lobes 1.0–1.2 × 0.9–1.1(–1.4) mm, ovate to broadly so, obtuse and rounded apically, entire; margin revolute. Stamens inserted in the corolla tube apex, glabrous throughout; filaments 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.2 mm, ovate; anthers 0.3–0.4 × 0.2–0.3 mm, ovoid. Staminodes absent. Gynoecium 5-locular, 1.1–1.7 × 0.8–1 mm, conical, villous at base; stigma 5-lobate, glabrous. Fruits 1-seeded, 1.3–2.1 × 0.7–1.3 cm, ellipsoid, rounded at apex, with scattered stalkless trichomes, surface smooth, violet when mature. Seeds 1.2–1.7 × 0.7–1.1 cm, hood-shaped, slightly laterally compressed, glabrous; testa smooth, slightly lustrous, dark brown; seed scar basi-ventral, 6.0–9.5 × 5.0–9.0 mm, broad, cordate; cotyledons foliaceous; radicle exerted; endosperm thinner than cotyledons.

Distribution and habitat:— Chrysophyllum caucanum is considered endemic to central Colombia, occurring in the Cauca Valley biogeographical region ( Fig. 3 ). It has been collected in the department of Antioquia. Chrysophyllum caucanum inhabits lowland dry forests from 415–1165 m elev., under “equatorial savannah with dry winter” climate (Aw).

Phenology:— Flowers observed in June–July and September–January; fruits in September and December– January.

Etymology:— The epithet “ caucanum ” is composed of the name in Spanish “ Cauca ” and the Latin suffix “anus” (pertaining to), indicating that this species occurs in Cauca River Basin.

Common names:— “Media cara” or “Caimito”.

Preliminary conservation status:— Chrysophyllum caucanum is here proposed under “Endangered” EN category following the criteria B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) because to its small both AOO and EOO, the few recorded subpopulations and the continuous decline of its habitat quality. Chrysophyllum caucanum has an AOO of 48 km 2, an EOO of 1344 km 2, and eight known subpopulations. All subpopulations are outside of protected areas and located less than 10 km from urban centers. Specimens are recorded from very small and fragmented forest patches (<15 km 2) or in areas of null forest cover. In fact, the dry forests where C. caucanum inhabits are considered as one of the most disturbed ecosystems in Colombia with only about 8% of its original cover ( García et al. 2014).

Additional specimens examined:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia. Municipio de Betulia: cañadas y márgenes del Río San Mateo, 741 m, 6°12'0.80"N, 75°52'17.23"W, 6–15 June 2015 (bud), M. Montoya et al. 2649 ( HUA). Municipio de Briceño : hacienda Capa Rosa, quebrada Chirí, 415 m, 7°6'21.3"N, 75°40'1.9"W, 23 July 2006 (st.), D. Córdoba & D. Botero 652 ( JAUM). Municipio de Concordia : Puente Piedra, 2000 m, 6°2'0"N, 75°55'0"W, [640 m, 5°57'44.98"N, 75°51'49.11"W], 19 September 2007 (fl.), Estudiantes Herbario MEDEL (a partir de 2002) 945 ( MEDEL). Municipio de Hispania : vereda Zarzagueta, 839 m, 5°49'37.44"N, 75°54'18.03"W, 16 September 2020 (bud), N. Foronda et al. 36 ( JAUM). Municipio de Liborina : 660 m, 25 February 2014 (st.), D. Benítez & O. D. Uribe 2665 ( JAUM) ; quebrada Mondrullito, 545 m, 6°45'10.6"N, 75°50'48.2"W, 4 October 2006 (st.), D. M. López & J. R. Duque 39 ( JAUM). Municipio de Olaya: Remolinos, 19 July 2013 (fl.), O. D. Uribe-Valencia 15 ( MEDEL). Municipio de Peque : vereda Barbacoas, El Llano, 462 m, 6°55'45.2"N, 75°49'50.2"W, 4 December 2019 (fl.), J. Jiménez et al. 2975 ( HUA). Municipio de Sabanalarga : camino del pueblo hacia Los Llanos de Niquia , 617 m, 6°51'40.59"N, 75°49'34.21"W, 6 November 2018 (fl.), Á. Idárraga et al. 6986 ( HUA, JAUM) ; ibid., 3 November 2017 (fl.), J. Jiménez et al. 2109 ( HUA, JAUM) ; ibid., 9 October 2018 (bud), J. Jiménez et al. 2363 ( COL, HUA, JAUM) ; ibid., 19 January 2019 (fr.), J. Jiménez et al. 2557 ( COL, FMB, HUA, JAUM, MEDEL) ; bajando desde el alto Llanos de Niquia , 620 m, 6°51'41.72"N, 75°49'29.57"W, 6 November 2018 (fl.), Y. Londoño et al. 286 ( HUA, JAUM) ; ibid., 19 January 2019 (fr.), Y. Londoño et al. 292 ( HUA, JAUM) ; vereda Membrillal, quebrada Quiasesco, camino que conduce al Jagüe , 740 m, 6°54'54.04"N, 75°48'10.81"W, 18 May 2014 (st.), D. A. Zapata & D. Molina 541 ( JAUM). Municipio de Santa Fe de Antioquia: sector La Vaca de Oro , La Sapera, cerca del camino de María Centeno antigua ruta desde Santa Fe de Antioquia hacia Urabá, Cañón del Río del Cauca, 1089 m, 6°34'29.92"N, 75°51'04.84"W, 13 March 2013 (st.), D. A. Zapata 54 ( JAUM) ; sector La Sapera, 930 m, 6°34'12.28"N, 75°50'54.50"W, 30 October 2017 (fl.), D. A. Zapata 2075 ( JAUM) ; sector La Sapera, camino de María Centeno, 913 m, 6°34'27.56"N, 75°50'47.61"W, 8 January 2018 (fr.), D. A. Zapata 2080 ( JAUM) ; finca La Vaca de Oro, sector La Sapera-El Volcán , 932 m, 6°34'11.93"N, 75°50'54.86"W, 7 June 2020 (fl.), D. A. Zapata & W. Ariza 2315 ( JAUM) ; ibid., 13 September 2020 (fr.), D. A. Zapata & W. Ariza 2393 ( JAUM) ; sector La Chorquina, vía que conduce al corregimiento de Cativo, 1165 m, 6°36'0.22"N, 75°50'58.11"W, 31 January 2021 (fl.), D. A. Zapata 2531 ( JAUM). Municipio de Sopetrán: vereda San Nicolás, 549 m, 6°27'49.23"N, 75°47'41.71"W, 27 September 2017 (bud.), P. Lalinde et al. 50 ( HUA). Municipio de Venecia : 655 m, 5°9'10.35"N, 75°48'10.35"W, [5°58'41.75"N, 75°49'53.01"W], 9 December 2016 (fl.), T. De la Hoz et al. 59 ( HUA) ; corregimiento Bolombolo , 700 m, 5°57'43.72"N, 75°50'3.32"W, December 2014 (st.), Grupo Biótico SAG 154 ( HUA) ; ibid., 5°57'31.9"N, 75°50'4.9"W, December 2014 (fr.), Grupo Biótico SAG 159 ( HUA) .

Recognition:— This new species belongs to Chrysophyllum because its morphology displays several features as defined by Swenson et al. (2023a). It combines leaves with translucent dots, admedially ramified tertiary leaf venation and laxly reticulate towards margin, 5-merous flowers, campanulate corolla, glabrous stamens inserted in the corolla tube apex, no staminodes, hood-shaped seeds with broad basi-ventral seed scar, foliaceous cotyledons, endosperm and exserted radicle.

Chrysophyllum caucanum resembles species that Pennington (1990) placed in C. sect. Chrysophyllum , particularly C. parvulum . These two species share leaf blades glabrous to nearly so on the lower surface, pedicels ≤ 5 mm long, corolla glabrous or nearly so, with lobes shorter than tube, fruits ≤ 2 cm long, and pellicle-like indumentum on young parts, fascicles, and primary leaf vein on the lower surface. However, C. caucanum is distinguished as indicated in the diagnosis.

Chrysophyllum caucanum can also be confused with C. revolutum Martius & Eichler (1863: 104) , because of its leaf blades with apex rounded or short-acuminate, and margin revolute. A number of features allow to distinguish these two species: C. caucanum has pellicle-like indumentum on young parts and fascicles (vs. tomentose), leaf blades with scattered stalkless trichomes on the lower surface, caducous (vs. scattered short erect and spreading trichomes, persistent), flowering pedicels 1.4–2.2 mm long (vs. up to 0.5 mm long), corolla often glabrous throughout (vs. often pellicle-like throughout), campanulate with tube expanded at apex, 1.8–2.2 times longer than corolla lobes (vs. tubular with tube not expanded at apex, 3–4 times longer than corolla lobes).

Notes:— The specimen from Concordia municipality has wrong coordinates and elevation. The label indicates a place nearly 2000 m of elevation, which has highland humid forest very distinct from the habitat of Chrysophyllum caucanum . These wrong data correspond to the central town of Concordia. Fortunately, the specimen label indicates a key locality: “Puente Piedra”; which is an easily georeferenceable touristic place under the typical habitat of C. caucanum .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Geographical distribution of Chromolucuma pentagona Londoño-Ech., Chrysophyllum caucanum Londoño-Ech., Pouteria karsticola Londoño-Ech. and Pradosia tomentirostris Londoño-Ech.

FIGURE 4. Holotype of Chrysophyllum caucanum Londoño-Ech. (HUA).

FIGURE 5. Illustration of Chrysophyllum caucanum Londoño-Ech.: A. Fruiting branchlet, B. Lower leaf surface, C. Fascicle of flowers, D. Entire corolla, E. Open corolla showing insertion of stamens at corolla tube apex, F. Pedicel and gynoecium, G. Fruit, H. Seed, side view at left and seed scar view at right. (A, B, G–H from Jiménez et al. 2557; C from De la Hoz et al. 59; D–F from the holotype.).

FIGURE 6. Field photographs:A–D Chrysophyllum caucanum Londoño-Ech.; A. Bark, B. Flowers, lateral view, C. Flowers, upper view, D. Immature fruit; E–F Pouteria karsticola Londoño-Ech.; E. Flowering branchlet, F. Flower, upper view. (A, D from Londoño et al. 292; B–C from Londoño et al. 286; E–F from the holotype. A–D by Y. Londoño; E–F by Diego Suescún.).