Fridericia egensis ( Bureau & K. Schum.) L. G. Lohmann

Kaehler, Miriam & Lohmann, Lúcia G., 2022, Taxonomic revisions in Fridericia (Bignonieae, Bignoniaceae) II: the “ Neomacfadya ” clade, Willdenowia 52 (2), pp. 247-271 : 254-256

3. Fridericia egensis ( Bureau & K. Schum.) L. G. Lohmann in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 99: 437. 2014 ≡ Arrabidaea egensis Bureau & K. Schum., Fl. Bras. 8(2): 65. 1896. – Lectotype (designated by Lohmann in Lohmann & Taylor 2014: 437): Flor. Amazon. in sylvis Ega [Brasiliae provÍncia do Alto Amazonas in silvis prope Teffe olim Ega], Dec. 1821 [s.d.], E. F. Poeppig 2895 (W accession code W-0002736!; isolectotypes: F accession code F-875317 [image!], W accession code W-0002737!). – Fig. 2, 3A–E.

– “ Bignonia egensis ” Poepp. ex Bureau & K. Schum., Fl. Bras. 8(2): 66. 1896. Designation not validly published, pro syn. (Art. 36.1(b)).

– “ Fridericia egensis ” (Bureau & K. Schum.) L. G. Lohmann in Forzza & al., Cat. Pl. Fung. Brasil 1: 765. 2010. Designation not validly published (Art. 41.1).

Morphological description — Lianas, evergreen, up to 20 m high. Branches terete, striate and lenticellate, brown with ferruginous trichomes when dry, villous, with simple trichomes; with inconspicuous interpetiolar ridge, with interpetiolar glandular fields; prophylls of axillary buds triangular, long apiculate, 3–5(–8) mm long. Leaves 2(or 3)-foliolate; petiole 1.8–4.1(–15) cm long, villous, with simple trichomes; petiolules in two lengths, central c. 3.7 cm (only one measured), lateral 0.4–1.9 cm, villous, with simple (sometimes bifid) trichomes; blade chartaceous, bullate, margin revolute, central leaflet elliptic, c. 23.5 × 14 cm (only one specimen measured), base rounded, apex rounded, lateral leaflets elliptic to ovate, (6.5–)9–13(–22.3) × (4.5–) 8.8–16.5 cm, base cordate, subcordate, rounded or slightly asymmetric, apex acuminate (sometimes rounded or obtuse), adaxially not vernicose, puberulous and hispid, with simple trichomes throughout, abaxially puberulous to villous, with simple trichomes throughout, venation palmate actinodromous basal, secondary veins raised, tertiary veins raised, without pocket and trichome tuft domatia. Inflorescences axillary, thyrsoid, with 2 or 3 orders, first-order peduncles 0.7–3.5 cm long, second-order 0.3–0.8 cm, third-order 0.17–0.4 cm, puberulous to villous, with simple trichomes; bracts linear, 2–6 mm long, caducous; bracteoles linear, 1.4–2.5 mm long, caducous; pedicels 0.1–0.4 cm long. Calyx tubular, not costate, bilabiate (sometimes irregularly split), 1.6–3 × 0.6–1 cm, lepidote with glandular peltate trichomes, chartaceous, white or pink, with patelliform glands and glandular areas evenly distributed. Corolla infundibular, strongly zygomorphic, furrowed, 4.7–6.7 cm long, 1.2–2.2 cm wide at tube mouth, externally pubescent, without glands, lobes 0.7–1.1 × 0.7–1.8 cm, margin rounded and undulate, light purple or pink. Androecium with all stamens included; longer filaments 1.7–2 cm long, shorter filaments 1–1.6 cm; staminode c. 3 mm long; anthers c. 2.7 mm long, connectives not protruding. Gynoecium with ovary cylindric, 3.5–3.8 × 1.1–1.3 mm, furrowed, lepidote, style 3.2–3.9 cm long; stigma lanceolate; nectar disk annular and smooth un- der ovary, c. 0.7 × 1.5 mm. Fruit linear, flat, margin not raised, central ridge slightly raised, valves woody, rough and sticky, 22.5–36.5 × 2.3–2.7 cm, glabrous; septum coriaceous. Seeds oblong, body elliptic, 1.2–1.8 × 3.9– 4.4 cm, wings hyaline, 0.2–0.4 cm wide, margins crisped. Phenology — Produces flowers from June to January. Fruits were collected from July to November.

Distribution and habitat — Fridericia egensis is broadly distributed in lowland and pre-montane Amazonian wet forests. It is distributed in Brazil (Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso and Pará), Colombia (Chocó and Narino), Ecuador (Morona-Santiago and Napo), French Guiana (Cayenne and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni), Guyana (Rapununi), Peru (Loreto) and Venezuela (Amazonas).

Conservation status — Fridericia egensis is categorized as Least Concern (LC) based on its Extent of Occurrence (3,753,715 km 2) and Area of Occupancy (47,500 km 2).

Remarks — Even though Fridericia egensis is broadly distributed, it has been poorly collected. During this study, we were only able to locate 26 gatherings, half of which are sterile. Fridericia egensis has only been treat- ed in the Flora brasiliensis ( Bureau & Schumann 1896) and Flora of Venezuela ( Gentry 1982a) and was listed without a description in the Flora of the Ducke Reserve ( Lohmann & Hopkins 1999). In the Flora brasiliensis , the species was described based only on the two duplicates of Poeppig 2895 both with an old inflorescence and calyces but lacking corolla and fruit. In the Flora of Venezuela, the species was described based on the types and two sterile and young gatherings. Notwithstanding, both Bureau & Schumann (1896) and Gentry (1982a) indicate the conspicuous villous indumentum as a diagnostic feature of F. egensis . Besides, the species is easily characterized by its triangular and long apiculate prophylls of axillary buds 3–5(–8) mm long, the bullate surface of the leaflets and the flat, woody, rough and sticky capsules.

Fridericia egensis shares the indumentum and shape of the young leaves with F. arthrerion . These two species can be easily distinguished because F. arthrerion has small and triangular prophylls (1.1–2.3 mm long, vs long apiculate (3–5(–8) mm long in F. egensis ), smaller calyx (0.4–0.7 × 0.3–0.4 cm, vs 1.6–3 × 0.6–1 cm) and corolla (2.3–3.5 cm long, vs 4.7–6.7 cm long) and narrower fruits (1–1.4 cm wide, vs 2.3–2.7 cm wide). When sterile, this species can be also confused with F. cinnamomea and F. nigrescens because of the long petiole and villous indumentum. However, both species have branched trichomes (vs simple trichomes in F. egensis ) and the lateral leaflets are strongly asymmetric (vs elliptic to ovate in F. egensis ).