Guatteria pakaraimae Scharf & Maas

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 : 126-127

116. Guatteria pakaraimae Scharf & Maas — Map 22

Guatteria pakaraimae Scharf & Maas in Scharf et al. (2005) 568, f. 3; Maas & Westra (2011) 137. — Type: Henkel et al. 4279 (holo NY; iso BRG, CAY, U, US), Guyana, Pakaraima Mts, W slope on subplateau near head of Mo-toy-mabaru Creek, 1150–1200 m, 11 Nov. 1993.

Tree 12–13 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs glabrous. Leaves: petiole 4–9 mm long, c. 2 mm diam; lamina elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 9–20 by 4–6 cm (leaf index 2.7–3.3), coriaceous, rather densely verruculose, somewhat shiny, greyish cream above, rusty brown below, glabrous above, covered with some scattered, appressed hairs below, base acute, apex acuminate (acumen 5–15 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins indistinct, 8–10 on either side of primary vein, raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 3–4 mm, tertiary veins slightly raised above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets; pedicels 50–60 mm long, c. 1 mm diam, finely lon- gitudinally grooved, fruiting pedicels c. 70 mm long, c. 1.5 mm diam, glabrous, articulated at c. 0.1 from the base, bracts c. 5, soon falling, not seen; flower buds not seen; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, c. 3 by 3–4 mm, appressed, outer side subglabrous; petals green in vivo, ovate-oblong, 10–12 by c. 5 mm, outer base densely covered with appressed hairs, towards the apex sparsely covered with curly hairs; stamens c. 2 mm long, connective shield hairy. Monocarps c. 10, green in vivo, shiny black in sicco, ellipsoid to obovoid, 13–15 by 6–7 mm, glabrous, apex often apiculate (apiculum <0.5 mm long), wall 0.2–0.3 mm thick, stipes 1–2 by c. 2 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 12–13 by 6–7 mm, shiny,reddish brown,rugulose, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Guyana (Pakaraima Mts).

Habitat & Ecology — In cloud forest, on sandstone, sand or grey sandy clay with thick layer of organic matter and peat (together with various woody plants including Annonaceae , Araliaceae , Arecaceae, Clusia , Euterpe , Melastomataceae , Moronobea ). At elevations of 1135–1200 m. Flowering: No- vember; fruiting: July.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Note — Guatteria pakaraimae is a distinctive species by its very long pedicels reaching up to 70 mm long in fruit, an indis- tinct secondary leaf venation, and shortly stalked monocarps with stipes only 1–2 mm long.