Guatteria esmeraldae Maas & Westra, 2015

Maas, P. J. M., Westra, L. Y. T., Guerrero, S. Arias, Lobão, A. Q., Scharf, U., Zamora, N. A. & Erkens, R. H. J., 2015, Confronting a morphological nightmare: revision of the Neotropical genus Guatteria (Annonaceae), Blumea 60 (1), pp. 1-219 : 81

62. Guatteria esmeraldae Maas & Westra , sp. nov. — Fig. 38 ; Map 14

Foliis pro genere parvis 15 cm non superantibus atque pedicellis longitudine mediocris monocarpiis brevistipitatis cognita. — Typus: Neill & QCNE botany interns 12741 (holo U; iso MO, QCNE), Ecuador, Esmeraldas, Muisne, Re- cinto Palma Junta , 10 km E of Muisne, near road to Tonchique, ridge above Estero La Pedorrera, 1 km N of highway, 100 m, 19 May 2000.

Tree c. 8 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs sparsely cover- ed with appressed to erect, white hairs to c. 0.2 mm long, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 2–4 mm long, 1 mm diam; lamina nar- rowly elliptic, 10–15 by 3–5 cm (leaf index 3–3.3), chartaceous, not verruculose, dull, greyish above, greyish brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with appressed hairs below, mainly along primary vein and to c. 0.5 mm long, base acute, apex acuminate (acumen 10–15 mm long), primary vein im- pressed above, secondary veins distinct, 10–12 on either side of primary vein, impressed above, smallest distance between loops and margin 3–4 mm, tertiary veins raised above, reticu- late. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; flowering and fruiting pedicels c. 20 mm long, c. 1 mm diam, sparsely covered with appressed hairs to c. 0.3 mm long, articulated at c. 0.2 from the base, bracts 5–6, soon falling, not seen; flower buds not seen; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, c. 3 by 3 mm, appressed, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; petals pale green in vivo, ovate-triangular, 7–9 by 4–5 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed, white hairs; stamens c. 1.5 mm long, connective shield papillate. Monocarps c. 40, bright red in vivo, black in sicco, ellipsoid, 8–9 by 4 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous, apex rounded, wall c. 0.1 mm thick, stipes 4–6 by 1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, c. 8 by 4 mm, brown, transversely grooved, rugose, raphe slightly raised.

Distribution — Ecuador (Esmeraldas).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated, tropical wet forest. At an elevation of c. 100 m. Flowering: May; fruiting: May.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Note — Guatteria esmeraldae , only known from the type collection, is the smallest-leaved species in the area as far as known. It is best characterized by the combination of relatively small leaves (to c. 15 cm long), fairly long pedicels (to c. 20 mm long), monocarps with stipes less than the monocarp body in length, and the transversely grooved to rugose seeds.

Figures

Fig. 38 Guatteria esmeraldae Maas & Westra. Fruiting branch (Neill et al. 12741, holotype U).