Cremastosperma brachypodum Pirie & Chatrou, 2018

Pirie, Michael D., Chatrou, Lars W. & Maas, Paul J. M., 2018, A taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Cremastosperma (Annonaceae), including five new species, PhytoKeys 112, pp. 1-141 : 1

4. Cremastosperma brachypodum Pirie & Chatrou sp. nov. Fig. 11 , Map 8

Diagnosis.

Most similar to C. pendulum , C. confusum and C. monospermum (all species also found in central and southern Peru, with glabrous flowers and fruit and smallish leaves), from which it differs in the unusually short stipes; further differs from C. monospermum in the shape of the flower bud (depressed ovoid, compared to broadly ovoid-triangular) and from C. monospermum and C. pendulum in the shorter pedicels.

Type.

PERU, San Martín: Huinguillo, 3 Mar 1962, Woytkowski, F. 7128 (holotype: MO! [MO-047731]; isotypes: GH, UC).

Description.

Tree ca. 8 m tall; young twigs and petioles glabrous. Leaves: petioles 4-7 by 1-2 mm; lamina elliptic to obovate, 11-17 by 4.5-7 cm (leaf index 2.3-2.4), chartaceous, olive green, more greyish above, glabrous, base acute to obtuse, apex acuminate (acumen 8-10 mm long), primary vein raised over entire leaf length, ca. 1 mm wide at widest point, glabrous, secondary veins 5-6, intersecondary veins ca. 1-2, distance between varying along length (15 mm to ca. 25 mm), angles with primary vein from ca.70° at the base to ca.60° closer to the apex, not branching, forming distinct loops, smallest distance between loops and margin 3-4 mm, tertiary veins reticulate. Inflorescence of single flowers, axillary; short axillary shoot, ca. 1 by 0.5 mm (in flower), ca. 2 by 1 mm (in fruit); pedicels 21-28 by 1 mm at the base, 2.5 mm at the apex (in flower), ca. 44 by 1-3 mm at the base, ca. 3 mm at the apex (in fruit), short axillary shoot and pedicels glabrous; 2 lower bracts, soon falling off; upper bract attached at between one third and half of the pedicel length, deltate, ca. 1 mm long by ca. 1 mm diam., apex rounded, ciliate; closed flower buds depressed ovoid; flowers creamy white in vivo, dark brown in sicco; sepals connate for ca. 1 mm, deltate, somewhat recurved, 2-2.5 by 2.5-3 mm, rounded, persistent, glabrous; outer petals ovate, 11-13 by 8-9 mm, inner petals elliptic to ovate, 8-12 by 4-5 mm, glabrous, ciliate; receptacle ovoid, apex concave; androecium ca. 3 mm diam., stamens ca. 100, 1.5-2 mm long, connective appendage ca. 1 mm wide; gynoecium ca. 2 mm diam., carpels ca. 15, glabrous. Monocarps ca. 13, ellipsoid, slightly asymmetrical, 7-9 by 6-7 mm, without apicule, blackish-brown in sicco; stipes ca. 2 by ca. 2 mm; fruiting receptacle elipsoid, 6 mm diam.; monocarps, stipes and receptacle glabrous. Seeds not seen.

Distribution.

Peru (San Martín).

Habitat and ecology.

Forest. At an elevation of ca. 500 m. Flowering and fruiting: March.

Notes.

Cremastosperma brachypodum , known only from the type, is distinctive within Cremastosperma due to the unusual shortness of the stipes, but otherwise typical of species of the southern/montane clade in the absence of indument on all parts.

Etymology.

The specific epithet " brachypodum " is derived from the Greek brachy (short) and podum (-stalked), referring to the short stipes.

Preliminary conservation status.

This new species is only known from a single collection dating back to 1962 in a non-protected, rural area. Critically endangered [CR] (Table 1 ).

Figures

Map 8. Distribution of Cremastosperma brachypodum Pirie & Chatrou, C. pendulum (Ruiz & Pav.) R. E. Fr.; and C. yamayakatense Pirie.

Figure 11. Cremastosperma brachypodum Pirie & Chatrou. Flowering and fruiting specimen (Woytkowski 7128).