Xylopia longicaudata Maas & Westra, 2019

Maas, Paul J. M., Westra, Lubbert Y. Th., Chatrou, Lars W., Verspagen, Nadja, Rainer, Heimo, Zamora, Nelson A. & Erkens, Roy H. J., 2019, Twelve new and exciting Annonaceae from the Neotropics, PhytoKeys 126, pp. 25-69 : 49-51

Xylopia longicaudata Maas & Westra sp. nov. Fig. 23

Diagnosis.

Xylopia longicaudata closely resembles X. uniflora R.E.Fr. mostly in the leaf size (leaf index 3.5-4.5 for both species), subglabrous stems and young twigs, solitary flowers with basally connate sepals (ca. 2 mm long in X. longicaudata and 3-4 mm long in X. uniflora ), but it differs by the strongly shiny (vs. dull) leaves of which the apex is caudate vs. acuminate, and of which the leaf venation is strongly (vs. hardly) raised.

Type.

COLOMBIA, Guainía: Maimachi, Serranía del Naquén, por el camino a Cerro Minas , 02°12'N, 68°13'W, 455 m, 9 Apr 1993, Madriñan & Barbosa 974 (holotype: NY!; isotype: L!) .

Description.

Tree 15-20 m tall, to ca. 35 cm diam.; young twigs glabrous. Leaves: petioles 3-10 by 0.5-1 mm; lamina narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, 8-18 by 2-5 cm (leaf index 2.5-3), chartaceous, strongly shiny above in vivo, dark brown in sicco, pale green below in vivo, brown below in sicco, glabrous on both sides, base acute, apex caudate (cauda 10-40 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins hardly countable, ca. 10 on either side of primary vein, strongly raised on both sides, not loop-forming, tertiary veins strongly raised on both sides, strongly reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels 2-3 mm by 1 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs; bracts 4-5, depressed ovate, 1-2 mm long, outer side sparsely covered with appressed hairs; flower buds not seen; sepals basally connate, ovate-triangular, ca. 2 by 3 mm, outer side sparsely covered with appressed hairs; petals creamy yellow in vivo, narrowly triangular, 12-13 by 2-3 mm, inner petals narrowly triangular, 7-8 by 1-2 mm, outer side of petals densely covered with appressed, greyish hairs; stamens 1.5-2 mm long, apical prolongation of connective broadly ellipsoid. Monocarps and seeds not seen, but indicated on the label: "Fruto immaduro verde claro vinosos, maduros externamente rubescente lustroso, internamente, rojo salmon. Semillas negras con arilo basal blanco".

Distribution.

Colombia ( Guainía and Vaupés) (Fig. 3 ).

Habitat and ecology.

In high rain forest or high caatinga forest. At elevations of 250-500 m. Flowering and fruiting: April.

Notes.

Xylopia longicaudata is easily distinguished from other species by the caudate leaf apex. It slightly resembles X. uniflora R.E.Fr., described from caatinga forests in Amazonian Brazil (Ducke RB 29017, Brazil, Amazonas, Rio Curicuriary, Cajú cataracts, 29 February 1936), but the leaf venation in the latter species is much less raised than in X. longicaudata and the apex acuminate instead of caudate.

Preliminary IUCN conservation status.

NT. EOO (35.750 km2) was too large to classify as threatened, but AOO (20 km2) would classify as Endangered. It was determined that this species has 5 locations, none of them in national parks and some in slightly fragmented areas of which the habitat is expected to decline in the near future. Overall, however, this species occurs in large stretches of pristine forest and although no information is available on the current population size and population trend of this species, we expect the population size to be rather large. Therefore this species was classified as Near Threatened.

Other specimens examined.

COLOMBIA. Guainía: "Mitad del camino", 2°51'127"N, 65°38'339"W, 500 m, 25 Feb 1995, Córdoba et al. 678 (COL); Sabana Nabuquén, 2°43'188"N, 68°55'312"W, 1 Mar 1995, Córdoba et al. 769 (COL); Mun. Maimachi, Serranía de Naquen, alrededores del campamento La Planada , 2°12'N, 68°12'W, 320 m, 14 Aug 1992, Cortés et al. 372 (COL) . Vaupés: Serrania del Taraira , 10 km al N-W del raudal de la Libertad, 0°58'S, 69°45'W, 250 m, 29 Jul 1993, Cortés & Rodriguez 646 (COL) .

Figures

Figure 3. Distribution map of Annona caput-medusae, A. oleifolia, Guatteria attenuata, G. kamakusensis, G. pseudoferruginea, Klarobelia rocioae, and Xylopia longicaudata.

Figure 23. Xylopia longicaudata Maas & Westra. (Madrinan & Barbosa 974, isotype L).