Guatteria auyantepuiensis 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 : 41

18. Guatteria auyantepuiensis Maas & Westra , sp. nov. — Fig. 17 , 13d ; Map 7

Foliis sparse verruculosis, coriaceis, apice obtusis vel breviter acuminatis, floribusque breviter pedicellatis distincta. — Typus: F. Cardona 2619 (holo US; iso VEN, not seen), Venezuela, Bolívar, Auyantepui (‘Cerro Auyan’), Alto Caroni , en pequeños bosques abrigados, lugares rocosos, 1600 m, Jan. 1949 .

Tree c. 6 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs densely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole c. 5 mm long, 2 mm diam; lamina elliptic, 9–12 by 3–4 cm (leaf index 2.5–3), coriaceous, sparsely verruculose, shiny, dark brown above, brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with appressed hairs below, base acute to attenuate, apex obtuse to shortly acuminate (acumen to c. 5 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins distinct, 8–10 on either side of primary vein, raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–4 mm, tertiary veins raised above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels c. 5 mm long, 2 mm diam, densely covered with appressed hairs, articulated at c. 0.3. from the base, bracts c. 6, soon falling, not seen; flower buds not seen; sepals basally connate, broadly ovate-triangular, 4–5 by 5–6 mm, appressed, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; petals colour in vivo unknown, oblong-elliptic, 10–12 by 5 –6 mm, outer side densely covered with erect and appressed hairs; stamens c. 2 mm long, connective shield papillate. Monocarps and seed not seen.

Distribution — Venezuela (Bolívar).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated forest, on rocky outcrops.At an elevation of c. 1600 m. Flowering: January; fruiting: not known.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Map 7 Distribution of Guatteria auyantepuiensis (●), G. ayangannae (£), G. blepharophylla (■), G. campinensis (P) and G. candolleana (u).

Note — Guatteria auyantepuiensis has been recorded by Johnson and Murray (see Steyermark et al. 1995) as Guatteria sp. A . It belongs to sect. Mecocarpus and shares some features with G. meliodora (e.g., the shiny and sparsely verruculose and obtuse to shortly acuminate leaves), but the leaves are much smaller (9–12 vs 22–35 cm long), have fewer secondary veins (8–12 vs 18–20) and the flowers have shorter pedicels (5 vs 10–20 mm long). Moreover, the leaves are quite distinct by the strongly reticulate tertiary venation.

Figures

Fig. 17 Guatteria auyantepuiensis Maas & Westra. Flowering branch (F. Cardona 2619; holotype US).

Fig. 13 a. Guatteria amapaensis Maas & Westra. Fruit. – b. Guatteria antioquensis Maas & Westra.Fruit. – c. Guatteria atabapensis Aristeg. ex D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray. Fruiting branch, detail. – d. Guatteria auyantepuiensis Maas & Westra. Detail of flower. – e, f. Guatteria beckii Maas & Westra. e. Flower; f. fruit. – g. Guatteria beniensis Maas & Westra. Young fruit, also note densely erect hairy juvenile parts in upper left. – h. Guatteria blainii (Griseb.) Urb. Detail of flower (a: Daly et al. 4028, U; b: E. Correa et al. 93, U; c: Wurdack & Adderley 42759, isotype US; d: F. Cardona 2619, holotype US; e, f: Beck & Haase 9895, holotype U; g: Nee 34593, holotype NY; h: Ekman 5920, S).