Couepia osaensis Aguilar & D. Santam.

Santamaria-Aguilar, Daniel & Lagomarsino, Laura. P., 2015, Synopsis of Couepia (Chrysobalanaceae) in Costa Rica, with a description of two new species, Phytotaxa 233 (1), pp. 69-79 : 75-77

3. Couepia osaensis Aguilar & D. Santam. , (2014–64: 2). ( Fig. 4 )

Type:–– COSTA RICA. Puntarenas: Cantón de Osa. Distrito Sierpe. Reserva Forestal Golfo Dulce, Rincón, camino a Rancho Quemado, desde el punto más elevado del camino a Rancho hasta llegar a la plantación de Gmelina , 08°40’52”N, 83°32’57”W, 292 m, 13 September 2009 (fl), R. Aguilar 12287 (holotype: CR!; isotypes: GH!) .

Tree 35–45 × 0.50–0.60 m; external bark white-gray to reddish, very lenticellate, the lenticels corky, sometimes falling in small sheets; internal bark reddish.Twigs cylindrical or sometimes more or less angulate, reddish, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, lenticellate, lenticels small and whitish; sap reddish. Stipules narrowly triangular, caducous. Leaves with petioles 0.4–0.5 cm long, rugose, eglandular, pulverulent, rounded below, flat above; lamina 6.5–9.0 × 2.5–3.1 cm, elliptic, obtuse to cuneate at base, acute at apex, the acumen ca. 0.3–0.5 cm long, glabrous above, densely tomentose to glabrescent below, trichomes whitish-brown when dried, generally with small and inconspicuous flat glands along the midrib; midrib inconspicuously elevated above, prominent and rounded below; lateral veins 10–13 per side, flat and inconspicuous above, weakly elevated below; tertiary veins inconspicuous on both surfaces. Inflorescences 5.5–9.5 cm long, terminal and axillary, paniculate; rachis and branches more or less cylindrical, slightly striated, covered with brown trichomes; bracts not seen; bracteoles ca.1.0– 1.5 mm, subulate, densely pubescent outside, caducous. Flowers with pedicels 1.3–3.0 mm long, densely pubescent, articulated; receptacle 3.0–5.0 mm long, cylindrical, densely pubescent outside, longitudinally striate, the trichomes pale brown, glabrous inside, except with hairs around throat; calyx lobes ca. 1.5–3.0 × 1.0–2.0 mm, oblong-obovate or obovate, apex obtuse to rounded, densely pubescent on both surfaces, eglandular, persistent; petals 2.0–3.0 × 1.2–2.0 mm, white, similar in shape to calyx lobes, apex obtuse, densely pubescent outside, sparsely pubescent close to the base and margin, glabrous, caducous; stamens 17–22, inserted in a nearly complete circle, glabrous; ovary densely pubescent; style sparsely pubescent in the proximal half, trichomes ca. 0.5 mm long, whitish or colorless, distally glabrous. Fruits 5.5 × 2.4 cm (in fresh material), ellipsoid, yellow outside; epicarp smooth and glabrous; mesocarp fleshy; endocarp thin, fibrous in texture.

Distribution and Habitat:–– Couepia osaensis is endemic to Costa Rica. It has been collected in very wet forests on the Pacific slope of the Osa Peninsula, Puntarenas. It is reported from roadsides and edge forest, at 216– 292 m in elevation.

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the locality of the type collection.

Phenology:— This species has been collected in flower in September and in fruit in May.

Vernacular name:— Unknown.

Notes:— Couepia osaensis is a large tree with dense brown pubescence covering the rachises and branches of the inflorescences, receptacle, and calyx lobes and relatively small leaves with 10–13 lateral nerves that are indistinct adaxially and elevated abaxially. Densely pubescent petals also characterize this species, although this character is shared with C. janzenii . For differences between these two species, see the notes for C. janzenii and the included key to all Costa Rican species of Couepia .

Additional Specimens Examined:–– COSTA RICA. Puntarenas: Cantón de Osa, Distrito Sierpe,Reserva Forestal Golfo Dulce, Rincón, Rancho Quemado, 1.5 km al sur del pueblo, en el bosque plano, 08°40’20”N, 83°34’05”W, 216 m, 13 May 2014 (fr), R. Aguilar et al. 14876 (INB).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Couepia osaensis Aguilar & D. Santam. A. Branch with inflorescence. B. Inflorescence. C. Abaxial leaf surface. D. Adaxial leaf surface. E. Fruit. F. Fruit with exocarp (yellow) and with exocarp removed showing fibrous texture. A–D. From the holotype. E–F. From R. Aguilar et al 14876. Photos by R. Aguilar.