Clusia lopezii Maguire (1951: 61)

Cabral, Fernanda Nunes, Bittrich, Volker & Hopkins, Michael John Gilbert, 2017, Clusiaceae s. l. (Calophyllaceae, Clusiaceae s. s. and Hypericaceae) in the Viruá National Park, Roraima, Brazil, Phytotaxa 329 (1), pp. 1-27 : 10

3.3 Clusia lopezii Maguire (1951: 61) ( Fig. 3F–H )

Type:— COLOMBIA. Vaupes: Rio Negro, s.d., fl., Schultes & Lopez 9388 (holotype: NY, barcode 00380995, isotype: GH, barcode 00067427).

Shrubs, trees or small trees up to 7 m. Exudate white. Lamina subcoriaceous to coriaceous, oboval to elliptical, 6.4– 13.7 × 2.9–8 cm, apex obtuse and rounded, base attenuate and acute; exudate channels conspicuous on the abaxial surface, barely visible on the adaxial surface, distant 4.8–8.0 mm; secondary veins conspicuous on both surfaces, 18–48 pairs, distant 1.8–3 mm; petiole 14.6–30.9 mm long. Inflorescence: staminate plants with clustered flowers; pistillate plants with clustered or solitary flowers; pedicels 1.0–2.0 mm long. Sepals 4–6, 5.7–13.4 × 6.4–14.0 mm, white to slightly pink. Petals 4–8, 10.7–28.4 × 9.7–23.4 mm, pinkish-white to white. Staminate flowers with stamens more than 50, forming a synandrium with sessile anthers on top, 1.5–2 mm long, resin absent; androecium 7–8 mm wide, forming a circular, convex disk; staminodes numerous; pollen not mixed with oil or resin. Pistillate flowers with ca. 70 staminodes, 3–5 mm long, arranged around the base of the ovary, densely clustered, with resin at the apex; stigmas 4–6, 2.3–3.8 mm long, with a conspicuous space between them. Fruit ovoid to ellipsoid, 1.9–3.8 × 1.3–2.4 cm; sepals, petals, staminodes and stigmas persistent. Seeds 4.3–5.0 × 3.0– 3.3 mm (immature).

Phenology:—Flowering September to October; fruiting July, December to January.

Distribution and habitat:— Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. In Brazil, it occurs in the northern region (states of Amazonas and Roraima). In VNP, it is found in flooded areas and white-sand vegetation.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Roraima: Caracaraí, Viruá National Park , elevation 60 m, 1º23’33’’N, 60º59’08’’W, 4 December 2009, fr., Cabral et al. 113 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 21 July 2010, fr., Cabral et al. 265 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 16 September 2010, fl., Cabral et al. 290 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 11 October 2010, fl., Cabral et al. 293 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 20 January 2011, fr., Cabral et al. 363 ( INPA) .

Taxonomic notes:— Clusia lopezii has an androecium in the form of a circular, convex disk, somewhat similar as in C. microstemon Planchon & Triana (1860: 331) and C. nitida Bittrich & F.N. Cabral in Bittrich et al. (2013: 36), but is easily distinguishable by having resin-secreting staminodes in the center surrounded by the stamens arranged in a broad ring. Clusia microstemon and C. nitida , on the other hand, lack staminodes in the staminate flowers, and in these species, the pollen is mixed with fluid resin secreted by the stamens themselves, while in C. lopezii the pollen is separated from the viscous resin.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Clusia candelabrum (A. Staminate flower; B. Fruit), Clusia insignis (C. Habit with pistillate and staminate flower; D. Staminate flower; E. Fruit; photos from specimens collected in Gran Sabana, Venezuela, Amaral & Bittrich 91-26) and Clusia lopezii (F. Pistillate flower; G. Staminate flower; H. Fruit).