Guatteria gentryi Maas & Erkens

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 : 89-90

72. Guatteria gentryi Maas & Erkens — Map 16

Guatteria gentryi Maas & Erkens in Erkens et al. (2008) 495, f. 10, pl. 3. — Type: Gentry 12444 (holo MO 2 sheets; iso U), Ecuador, Sucumbíos, 17 km W of Lumbaque (70 km W of Lago Agrio ), 1130 m, 4 Nov. 1974.

Guatteria sp. 8 Chatrou et al. (1997) 110.

Tree 5–40 m tall, 10–40 cm diam; young twigs sparsely cover- ed with appressed hairs, very soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 6–12 mm long, 2–3 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic, 14–25 by 4–8 cm (leaf index 2.8–4), chartaceous, not verruculose, dull, greenish brown above, not or sometimes slightly verruculose below, brownish below, glabrous above, rather densely covered with appressed hairs in the youngest stages but very soon becoming almost completely glabrous below, base acute to obtuse, apex acuminate (acumen 5–15 mm long, its apex itself obtuse), primary vein slightly raised above, secondary veins distinct, 10–13 on either side of primary vein, raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–3 mm, tertiary veins flat to slightly raised above, reticulate. Flowers in 1–2-flowered inflorescences in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets; pedicels 4–8 mm long, 1.5–2 mm diam, fruiting pedicels 5–10 mm long, 3–4 mm diam, densely covered with appressed hairs, articulated at 0.5–0.6 from the base, bracts 5–7, soon falling, the two uppermost ones broadly ovate, to c. 8 mm long; flower buds broadly ovoid; sepals free or basally con- nate, broadly ovate, 5–6 by c. 5 mm, appressed to spreading, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; petals green, maturing dull yellow, yellow or cream in vivo, ovate, elliptic to oblong-ovate, 12– 20 by 6 – 9 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; stamens 1.5–2 mm long, connective shield papillate to hairy. Monocarps 10–30, green, maturing black in vivo, black, rarely brown in sicco, ellipsoid, 15– 20 by

Map 16 Distribution of Guatteria fractiflexa (●), G. friesiana (£), G. galeottiana (■), G. gentryi (P), G. goudotiana (u) and G. herrerana (✸).

8–14 mm, rather densely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous, apex apiculate (apiculum <1 mm long), wall 0.5–1.5 mm thick, stipes 7–18 by 1–2 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 15–19 by 8–10 mm, brown, longitudinally and transversely grooved to rugose, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Amazonian Ecuador (Napo, Pastaza, Sucum- bíos), Peru (Amazonas).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated, primary, sometimes premontane, wet forest, on clayey, red soil. At elevations of 300–1300 m. Flowering: March to May, September to Novem- ber; fruiting: throughout the year.

Vernacular name — Ecuador: Cara huasca (Quichua) (Freire & Cerda 165).

Note — Guatteria gentryi can be recognized by a primary vein which is slightly raised on the upper side of the lamina, a feature very rarely met with in species of Guatteria . Further noteworthy aspects are the strongly grooved seeds, which makes them resemble miniature brains. The flowers and fruits are very shortly pedicellate.