Scottmoria austroccidentalis Cornejo, 2025

Cornejo, Xavier & Prance, Ghillean T., 2025, Two new species of Scottmoria (Lecythidaceae) from western Ecuador and six new combinations in the genus, Phytotaxa 696 (3), pp. 253-261 : 254-257

1. Scottmoria austroccidentalis Cornejo , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

New species of Scottmoria , the size and shape of leaf blades, short inflorescences on terminal leafy branches and size of flowers resemble those of S. integrifolia (Ruiz & Pav. ex Miers) Cornejo in Vargas et al. (2024:174), however, S. austroccidentalis differs from the latter species by the verruculose-papillose petioles (vs. smooth petioles) and calyx lobes imbricate along the lower half, with ciliolate margins (vs. calyx lobes valvate, with glabrous margins).

Type: — ECUADOR. El Oro: El Guabo, El Retiro, bosque nublado, pastizales abandonados, 3°12’S 79°49’W, 1755 m, 6 Jul 2017 (fl), E. Freire 12222 (holotype: QCNE-0241389!).

Tree to 20 m tall and ca. 20 cm DBH, the bark and trunk unknown. Stem glabrous, lenticellate, the lenticels orbicular to elliptic. Leaves petiolate, the petioles channeled adaxially, rounded abaxially, hemispherical in cross section, 5–10 × 1–2 mm, verruculose-papillose, glabrous; blades narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 7–15 × 2.5–6 cm, chartaceous (dry), with abundant black punctations abaxially, the base cuneate to broadly obtuse, revolute, the margins entire, the apex shortly acuminate; venation eucamptodromous towards base and brochidodromous towards apex, the midrib verruculose-papillose, and sulcate to impressed at base, costate to prominent for most of length adaxially, salient abaxially, glabrous, the secondary veins in 8–12 pairs, sulcate to impressed and prominulous adaxially, salient abaxially, the tertiary veins densely reticulate. Inflorescences axillary on leafy branches, a raceme, the rachis 1–10 cm × 1–2 mm at lower half, straight to slightly flexuose, glabrous, lenticellate; pedicels ca. 5 × 0.7–1.5 mm, lenticellate, glabrous, blackish (dry); floral bracts 2, triangular to deltoid, 1–2 mm long, deciduous; flower buds purple (fresh). Flowers ca. 4 cm in diam. (fresh), 2.5–3 cm in diam. (dry); hypanthium minutely verruculose, glabrous, truncate at summit, tapering at base, 5–6 mm long to articulation; calyx with 6 lobes, the lobes broadly ovate to deltoid, 1.5–3 × 1.5–3 mm (dry), divergent to patent at anthesis, smooth abaxially, the margins ciliolate, the bases imbricate, arising from fused calyx rim; petals 6, elliptic to obovate, 1–1.5 × 0.6–1 cm, pink or purplish red, the lower half not costate; androecial hood with three coils, 1–1.5 cm across, pink or purplish red (fresh), inner cleft present; vestigial stamens on outside of coils; staminal ring with ca. 110 stamens, the filaments ca. 1 mm long (fresh), clavate, the anthers ca. 0.5 mm long (fresh); the ovary summit slightly raised over hypanthium, surrounded by a plane intrastaminal ring scar, shallow depression between ring scar and summit of ovary present; the style ca. 1.5 × 1.5 mm, stout, distinguished from ovary summit, a stylar collar absent, the stigma pore transversely linear-oblong. Fruits and seeds not seen.

Discussion: — Scottmoria austroccidentalis resembles S. integrifolia , a species that occurs from western Ecuador to southwestern Colombia, but the new species differs from the latter by the characters discussed above in the diagnosis. The calyx lobes, which are imbricate in the lower half, and with ciliolate margins, are quite distinct from those of congenerics on the Pacific coast of northwestern South America.

Etymology: —The epithet austroccidentalis refers to the southern range of this new species within western Ecuador.

Common names: —Not recorded.

Habitat and distribution: —A medium-sized tree, persistent as a solitary individual surrounded by pastures or in small fragmented patches of secondary wet forest, in well-drained soils. Known only from the type locality and in the Buenaventura ecological reserve, both located in the province of El Oro, 1300–1755 m elevation, in evergreen southwestern Andean montane forests.

Phenology: — Flowers have been observed in May and July. No flower visitors have been observed in the field; however, it is expected that the flowers of this and those of the other new species of Scottmoria in this article are visited and pollinated by native bees.

Conservation status: —Based on georeferenced herbarium collections, the occurrence of Scottmoria austroccidentalis in two localities allows us to assign here the provisional category of Critically Endangered (CR B2 a, b) following the IUCN (2022) criteria.

Paratypes: — ECUADOR. El Oro: Piñas, buffer zone/border región of Reserva Ecológica Buenaventura ; 11 km (air km) north of the Entrada ¨ La Virgin ¨ or road towards Viron 3°33’28”S 79°46’12”W, 1300–1700 m, 13 May 2003 (fl), J. L. Clark, M. Mailloux & S. Seger 7984 ( NY!, QCNE!, US!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Scottmoria austroccidentalis. The holotype, Freire 12222 (QCNE). Photo courtesy of QCNE.

FIGURE 2. Scottmoria austroccidentalis. A. The verruculose-papillose petiole and base of midrib, adaxial view; B. Short, axillary inflorescences on terminal leafy branch, adaxial view; C. Flower bud, note the imbricate calyx lobes, lateral view; D. Rehydrated calyx, abaxial view; E. Two detached petals; F. Rehydrated androecium with hood extended displaying the inner side of ligule and staminal ring, and two attached petals (A–B, D–F, based on Freire 12222, QCNE, the holotype; C, based on Clark et al. 7984, QCNE). Photos by Xavier Cornejo.