Caraipa pilosa J.R. Grande & F.N. Cabral, 2016

Allende, José Ramón Grande & Cabral, Fernanda Nunes, 2016, Manipulus Guttiferarum, I. Caraipa pilosa (Calophyllaceae), a new species from the Parú massif, Venezuelan Guayana, Phytotaxa 261 (1), pp. 82-86 : 83

Caraipa pilosa J.R. Grande & F.N. Cabral , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 , 2 )

Typus: VENEZUELA: Amazonas: Departamento de Atures [presently municipio Manapiare]: Serranía Parú, planicie central, SW sector, open savanna and forest patches, edge of savanna with narrow forest along stream, 04º25’N, 65º32’W, 1200–1250 masl, 5–7 March 1991, Paul E. Berry, Otto Huber & Judith Rosales 4993 (Holotype: MO 5344347!, isotype: VEN 329488!).

A reliquis congeneribus speciebus perfacile distinguenda caulibus, foliis, axibus inflorescentiarum, bracteis, bracteolis, ovariis sepalisque tomentosis, fructibus pilosis, indumento 0.15–1 mm longo ex pilis simplicibus, stellato-stipitatis et stellato-sessilibus constituto.

Branched shrubs ca. 1.5 m tall; stems ferrugineous, densely pilose toward apex, bark detachable and light brown, liber light sepia, wood cream-reddish. Leaves spiral, patent, tightly disposed along stems, subsessile; petioles canaliculate, swollen in the abaxial side, densely tomentose, scarcely reaching ca. 0.8 cm long; leaf blades conspicuously coriaceous, oblong-ovate, rarely elliptic-ovate, apex acute to obtuse, rarely rotund, basally cordate, margins entire and revolute, 5– 8.2–(12.5) × 2.4–3.9–(6.9) cm, abruptly reduced to 2.7–3.7 × 0.9–2.3 cm toward base of inflorescences and branchlets, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface densely tomentose, abaxial leaf surface with stipitate and sessile stellate and long simple trichomes 0.15–1 mm long, main vein on adaxial surface with trichomes specially towards the base, on abaxial surface tomentose, abaxial surface with bulliform cells; secondary veins conspicuous on both surfaces, 11–22 pairs; tertiary veins conspicuous on both surfaces, parallel. Inflorescence a panicle, only the central flower, or the central plus one lateral flower of the ramulet developing, composed of 2–20 flowers, tomentose, axis 3–14 cm long; bracts ca. 0.7 × 0.37 cm, with a manifest petiole. Mature flower buds tomentose, with long simple trichomes, ovoid, before anthesis 11 × 7 mm, the bracteoles early caducous, inserted in the middle or above the middle of the pedicel. Sepals tomentose, with long simple trichomes inside and outside, ferrugineous, sepal ovate, apex acute, 2–3 × 2–3 mm. Petals white, pubescent, with simple trichomes on the inside edges, tomentose, with long simple trichomes outside, petal ovate, apex rounded, 0.9–1.0 × 0.7–0.9 cm. Stamens numerous, glabrous, more than 100, 3–4 mm long; anthers ca. 0.7 mm long, yellowish, glands cup-shaped, positioned at the end of the connective, over the top of the thecae. Ovary ca. 3 mm across, tomentose, with long simple trichomes, ferrugineous, style glabrous. Fruits dry, pyramid-shaped, truncate to subcordate at the base, densely pilose, 1.3–1.7 × 1.4–1.5 cm, beaklet ca. 0.5 cm long, exocarp probably not separating from endocarp. Seeds flattened, winged in the upper half, ca. 1 cm long.

Caraipa pilosa (figure 1) is morphologically similar to Caraipa aracaensis Kubitzki (1987: 158) , endemic to Serra do Aracá and its surroundings, but it differs from that species by its larger leaf blades, 5–8.2–(12.5) cm long, versus 2–5 cm long in C. aracaensis ; its long trichomes of ca. 1 mm long on the abaxial leaf lamina, versus small trichomes of ca. 0.1 mm long in C. aracaensis . The number of secondary veins are 11 to 22 pairs in C. pilosa , while it is 6 to 12 pairs in C. aracaensis . The inflorescence axis is 3–14 cm long in C. pilosa , while it is 2–2.3 cm long in C. aracaensis . The pedicel is 6–11 cm long in C. pilosa , versus axis 1–2.5 mm long in C. aracaensis . Finally, the two species can be distinguished by the fruit shape, as it is pyramid-shaped and truncate at the base in C. pilosa , whereas it is ovoid to fusiform-elongated and indistinctly trigonous in C. aracaensis .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Line drawing of Caraipa pilosa. A: Habit. B–C. Stamens: B. Front view, C. Dorsal view. D. Mature fruit. E–F. Pubescence of the abaxial leaf lamina: E. Pubescence, as seen under magnification of 10X, F. Trichome types (stipitate stellate and long simple trichomes).

FIGURE 2. Localization of the type locality of Caraipa pilosa (blue star), Cerro Parú, NW Guayana Shield (base map from Huber & Foster 2003). Dotted line indicates geologic Guayana Shield.