Sapranthus hirsutus van Rooden ex G.E.Schatz, 2018

Schatz, G. E., Maas, P. J. M., Kamer, H. Maas-van de, Westra, L. Y. T. & Wieringa, J. J., 2018, Revision of the Neotropical genus Sapranthus (Annonaceae), Blumea 63 (1), pp. 54-66 : 58-59

3. Sapranthus hirsutus van Rooden ex G.E.Schatz , sp. nov. — Fig. 1b ; Map 1

Sapranthus hirsutus is recognized by its densely hirsute young twigs,petioles, primary vein below, and both sepal and petal veins, and its large sepals 15–22 by 11–16 mm. — Type: L. O. Williams & Molina R. 18053 (holo MO [ MO105994 ]; iso BM, F, GH, US), Honduras, Comayagua, Barranca Trincheras, about 20 km N of Siguatepeque , 1200 m, 17 Apr. 1951 .

Tree 5–15 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs and petiole densely covered with erect and appressed, golden brownish hairs (hirsute) c. 2 mm long. Leaves: petiole 3–7 mm long, 1–3 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, 8–27 by 3–9 cm, rather densely to sparsely covered with erect, golden brown hairs (hirsute) above, densely so below, base acute to obtuse, apex acute to acuminate (acumen 5–10 mm long), venation weakly brochidodromous, primary vein impressed above, secondary veins 9–13 on either side of primary vein, slightly raised above, tertiary veins slightly raised above, percurrent to reticulate. Inflorescence and flower indument: pedicels and outer side of bracts, sepals, and petals densely to rather densely covered with erect and appressed, white hairs, and longer golden brown hairs above the veins on outer side of sepals and petals. Flowers solitary, leaf-opposed; pedicels 12–22 mm long, c. 2 mm diam; bract leafy, broadly ovate to ovate, 12–32 by 12–19 mm, base rounded to subcordate and somewhat ampexicaul and decurrent along the pedicel, apex acute; sepals distinctly veined, broadly ovate-triangular, 15–22 by 11–16 mm, spreading; petals membranous, dark maroon, 5–7-veined, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 40–70 by 10–25 mm, apex acute, inner petals bearing a corrugated food body at the base inside consisting of 6 ridges separated by 5 furrows, these connecting with the longitudinal veins; carpels c. 20, ovary densely covered with appressed hairs, ovules 7–12, in two rows, stigma subglobose to ellipsoid, c. 1 mm diam, obliquely attached to the ovary, sparsely covered with appressed hairs. Fruit and seeds unknown.

Distribution — Honduras, Nicaragua.

Habitat & Ecology — In semideciduous forest at elevation of 1050–1200 m. Flowering: May; fruiting: unknown.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Field observations — ‘Fls.…with a strong foetid odor’ ( Allen 6202).

Other specimens examined. HONDURAS, Comayagua, Barranca Trincheras, 1050 m, Allen 6202 (DS, F, GH); Barranca Trincheras, 3 km from Montañuela, 1200 m, Molina R. 13657 (F, LL, NY, US 2 sheets); 6 km after Siguatepeque, 3 km from Montañuela, near Canal 5 (radio station, 1100 m, Van Rooden 850 (COL, F, K, MO, NY, P, S, U, W, WIS, WU 2 sheets). – NICARAGUA, Zelaya, Reserva Bosawas, Falda oeste del Cerro Salaya, entre el Campamento Los Monos y la cima, Grijalva et al. 5948 (MO).

Note — Van Rooden used the epithet ‘ hirsutus ’ for this taxon in a paper on wood anatomy ( Ter Welle & Van Rooden 1982: 17), but never validly published the name. We here adopt his epithet for this rare species known from two localities in Honduras and Nicaragua. Sapranthus hirsutus is clearly most closely related to the widespread Pacific dry forest species S. violaceus , from which the new species differs most markedly by its dense hirsute indument, which covers not only the lamina, but also bracts, sepals, and petals. In addition, its sepals are distinctly larger (15–22 by 12–16 mm) than those of S. violaceus (6–18 by 5–12 mm), and in fact, are the largest in the genus.

Figures

Map 1 Distribution of Sapranthus campechianus (Kunth) Standl. (t), S. chiapensis Standl. ex G.E.Schatz (▲), S. hirsutus van Rooden ex G.E.Schatz (■), and S. viridiflorus G.E. Schatz (●).

Fig. 1 a. Sapranthus chiapensis Standl. ex G.E.Schatz. Vegetative branch and fruit. — b. Sapranthus hirsutus van Rooden ex G.E.Schatz. Flowering branch (a: Matuda 16420, type, MEXU; b: Williams & Molina R. 18053, type, MO).