Clusia nitida Bittrich & F.N. Cabral (2013: 36)

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 : 13

3.6 Clusia nitida Bittrich & F.N. Cabral (2013: 36) ( Fig. 4F–H )

Type:— BRAZIL. Roraima: Caracaraí, Viruá National Park, elevation 59 m, 1º24’50.7”N, 60º59’16.5”W, 15 October 2010, fl., Cabral & Santos 298 (holotype: INPA, barcode 237546).

Trees, small trees or shrubs up to 6 m; sometimes with prop roots. Exudate white or cream. Lamina coriaceous, oblongelliptic, 4–8.5(–10.8) × (1.8–)2.1–4.9(–5.3) cm, apex rounded, base attenuate; exudate channels conspicuous on both surfaces, distant 0.3–1.0 mm; secondary veins conspicuous on both surfaces, (9–)12–26(–29) pairs, distant 1.5–4.0 mm; petiole 4.0–16.0(–17.0) mm long. Inflorescence: staminate plants with clustered flowers; pistillate plants with clustered flowers; pedicels ca. 2 mm long. Sepals 4–5(–6) × 4–8 mm, green-whitish. Petals 5–8, 6–13 × 6–12 mm, dark bordeaux or blood red. Staminate flower with stamens numerous, ca. 300, densely compact, 2.3–3.0 mm long, forming a flattened synandrium with sessile anthers on top, 3–6 mm wide, the lateral of the disk without anthers, covered with resin-pollen mix during anthesis. Pistillate flower with 3–4 series of staminodes around the base of the ovary, 1.3–2.0 mm long, secreting resin at the apex, without sterile anthers; stigma 4–5, ca. 2.5 mm long. Fruit oval to hemispherical, 1.5–2.2 × 1.3–1.9 cm; sepals and stigma persistent. Seeds 5.0–9.0 × 3.5–5.0 mm, with orange aril.

Phenology:—Flowering September to February; fruiting November to July.

Distribution and habitat:—Endemic to Brazil, in the north region (states of Amazonas and Roraima). In VNP, it mainly occurs in white-sand vegetation and river margins.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Roraima: Caracaraí, Viruá National Park , elevation 67 m, 1º29’11’’N, 61º02’44’’W, 26 November 2009, fr., Cabral et al. 23 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , elevation 65 m, 1º28’08’’N, 60º58’18’’W, 1 December 2009, fl., Cabral et al. 68 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , elevation 60 m, 1º24’58’’N, 61º12’27’’W, 22 January 2010, fl., Cabral et al. 168 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , elevation 58 m, 1º29’91’’N, 60º97’58’’W, 23 January 2010, fr., Cabral et al. 176 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 31 May 2010, fr., Cabral et al. 215 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 2 June 2010, fr., Cabral et al. 226 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 21 July 2010, fr., Cabral et al. 264 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 12 September 2010, fr., Cabral et al. 266 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 15 October 2010, fl., Cabral et al. 298 ( INPA) ; Ibid. , 14 January 2011, fr., Cabral et al. 332 ( INPA) .

Taxonomic notes:— Clusia nitida is most similar to Clusia microstemon , which sometimes occurs sympatrically. Clusia microstemon has a wide distribution in the Brazilian, Colombian and Venezuelan Amazon. The main difference between the two species is in the male androecium, which in C. microstemon has anthers around the androecial disk, whereas C. nitida anthers are on top of it. For more differences, see Bittrich et al. 2013.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Clusia microstemon (A. Habit; B. Pistillate flower; C. Staminate flower), Clusia nemorosa (D. Habit with staminate flower; E. Pistillate flower and fruit) and Clusia nitida (F. Staminate flower; G. Pistillate flower; H. Fruit).