Ceratozamia mirandae Vovides, Perez-Farr . & Iglesias, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 137: 81. 2001

Martinez-Dominguez, Lili, Nicolalde-Morejon, Fernando, Vergara-Silva, Francisco & Stevenson, Dennis Wm., 2022, Monograph of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales): an endangered genus, PhytoKeys 208, pp. 1-102 : 1

20. Ceratozamia mirandae Vovides, Perez-Farr. & Iglesias, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 137: 81. 2001

Fig. 7G

Type.

Mexico. Chiapas: Mun. Villa Flores, Ejido La Sombra de la Selva, 880 m, 20 Sep 1997, J. De La Cruz Rodriguez 66 (lectotype, designated here: MEXU! [MEXU00934924, MEXU00934907, MEXU00934905]) .

Description.

Stem 20-60 cm long, 20-30 cm in diameter, epigeous, erect and decumbent. Cataphylls 3-8.0 × 1.5-4.0 cm wide at the base, persistent, triangular, reddish brown, densely brown tomentose at emergence, partially tomentose at maturity, apex acuminate. Leaves 2-50 (150), 46-242.5 cm long, ascending, brown at emergence with whitish gray trichomes, glabrous at maturity. Petiole 16-98 cm long, terete, linear, brown in mature leaves; with 11-46 thin prickles, 0.30-0.40 cm long. Rachis 26-144.5 cm long, terete, linear, brown to greenish brown in mature leaves, lower 2/3rds with prickles. Leaflets 28-94 pairs, opposite to subopposite, insertion in one plane, linear to lanceolate, in general longitudinally planar, not basally falcate, papyraceous, lightly involute, green with adaxial and abaxial sides glabrous, distal end with entire margins, acuminate and symmetrical at the apex, attenuate at base, with conspicuous and light-green veins; median leaflets 10-40 × 0.4-0.9 cm, 0.2-1.6 cm between leaflets; articulations 0.12-1.20 cm wide, brown. Pollen strobili 16-55 cm long, 4.0-7.7 cm in diameter, solitary, cylindrical, erect, yellowish green with brown trichomes at emergence, yellowish cream with blackish trichomes at maturity; peduncle 5-11 cm long, 0.8-1.4 cm in diameter, pubescent, reddish brown to brown; microsporophylls 1.23-1.80 × 0.62-0.86 cm, elliptic with a non-recurved distal face and a lobate fertile portion, infertile portion 0.62-0.81 cm long and linear with straight horns 0.17-0.39 cm long, 0.56-0.95 cm and an obtuse to acute angle between the horns. Ovulate strobili 13.5-35 cm long, 7-12.6 cm in diameter, solitary, cylindrical, erect, yellowish green with abundant blackish trichomes at emergence, glaucous green with reddish brown to blackish trichomes at maturity, acuminate apex; peduncle with trichomes scarce, brownish, 4.5-12 cm long, 1.0-2.2 cm in diameter, erect; megasporophylls 42-72, 6-8 orthostichies with 7-10 sporophylls per orthostichy, 2.0-3.0 × 2.8-6.1 cm, with a prominent distal face, horns straight and 0.29-1.47 cm long, 1.55-2.09 cm between horns with an obtuse angle between the horns. Seeds 1.9-2.9 cm long, 1.2-2.5 cm in diameter, spherical, sarcotesta whitish pink when immature, light brown at maturity.

Distribution and habitat.

Ceratozamia mirandae is widely distributed in Chiapas State, Mexico from "Tres Picos" hill and Sierra Morena to a mountain range in Mun. Jiquipilas (Fig. 20D ); it occurs on karstic rocks with abundant organic material in oak forest and transitional oak forest between pine oak forest and cloud forest between 850 and 1,500 m.

Etymology.

This species was named in honor of Dr. Faustino Miranda for his untiring contributions to the flora of Chiapas ( Vovides et al. 2001).

Common names.

Mexico. Chiapas: Amenduai (L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 1428; M.A. Pérez-Farrera 1261A), Espadaña de cochi (M.A. Pérez-Farrera 26A), Peinetilla (M.A. Pérez-Farrera 37).

Uses.

The mature seeds are used as food (U. Bachem C. & R. Rojas 579).

Conservation status.

( IUCN 2021). Ceratozamia mirandae is listed as “Endangered” under criteria C1.

Discussion.

Ceratozamia mirandae is similar to C. alvarezii . However, in C. mirandae , the leaves and ovulate strobilus are larger at the population level than in C. alvarezii , which is a more diminutive species overall.

In the original publication of C. mirandae , there were no isotypes cited, only the holotype in CHIP. Because no holotype of C. mirandae has been found in CHIP, despite intensive searches, we designate the uncited isotype found in MEXU as the lectotype.

Specimens examined.

Mexico. Chiapas: Mun. Jiquipilas , 1,170 m, 19 Jun 2018, F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 2749-2759 (CIB); 1,015 m, 8 Mar 1995, J.J. Castillo-Hernández 548 (CHIP); 1,170 m, 19 Jun 2018, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 1312-1316, 1318, 1320, 1321 (CIB), 1317 (CIB, MEXU), 1319 (CIB, MEXU); 1,270 m, 25 May 1995, M.A. Pérez-Farrera 465 (CHIP). Mun. Villa Corzo, 1,320 m, 12 Jul 2004, A. Reyes-García et al. 7134 (MEXU); 1,500 m, 9 Feb 1972, D.E. Breedlove 23999 (MEXU, MO); 1,170 m, 16 Mar 1989, U. Bachem & R. Rojas C. 579 (CHIP, MEXU, SLPM). Mun. Villaflores, 960 m, 6 Apr 1995, A.P. Vovides & M.A. Pérez-Farrera 1261 (XAL); 1,157 m, 7 Jul 2004, D. Álvarez 9809 (MEXU); 1,277 m, 25 Jun 2018, F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 2854-2863 (CIB); 1,195 m, 20 Jun 2019, F. Nicolalde-Morejón & L. Martínez-Domínguez 3208-3213 (CIB); 1,350 m, 21 Jun 2019, F. Nicolalde-Morejón & L. Martínez-Domínguez 3215-3224 (CIB); 1,015 m, 5 Aug 1994, J.J. Castillo-Hernández 230 (CIB, MEXU, USCG); 1,250 m, 5 Apr 1995, J.J. Castillo-Hernández 595 (CHIP); 1,140 m, 6 Aug 2002, L. Alvarado C. et al. 368 (MEXU); 1,195 m, 20 Jun 2019, L. Martínez-Domínguez & F. Nicolalde-Morejón 1808-1813 (CIB); 1,350 m, 21 Jun 2019, L. Martínez-Domínguez & F. Nicolalde-Morejón 1814-1825 (CIB); 1,277 m, 25 Jun 2018, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 1428, 1429, 1431-1438 (CIB), 1430 (CIB, MEXU); 940 m, 22 Dec 1993, M.A. Pérez-Farrera s/n (XAL), 26 (CHIP, XAL); 910 m, 28 Apr 1994, M.A. Pérez-Farrera 37 (CHIP, XAL); 1,460 m, 16 Sep 1994, M.A. Pérez-Farrera 126 (CHIP); 950 m, 12 Apr 1996, M.A. Pérez-Farrera 1480 (CHIP).

Figures

Figure 7. Plants of Ceratozamia in habitat A C. kuesteriana B C. latifolia C C. leptoceras D C. matudae E C. mexicana F C. miqueliana G C. mirandae H C. mixeorum I C. morettii J Epiphytic C. morettii.

Figure 20. Distribution of Ceratozamia species A C. matudae B C. mexicana C C. miqueliana D C. mirandae.