Symplocos oreophila Almeda (1982a: 318)

Kelly, Lawrence M., Almeda, Frank & Fritsch, Peter W., 2016, A taxonomic revision of Mexican and Central American Symplocos (Symplocaceae), Phytotaxa 264 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

19. Symplocos oreophila Almeda (1982a: 318) . Type:— COSTA RICA. Cartago: Panamerican Hwy between Km 60 and 77, La Trinidad, Cordillera Talamanca, 3140 m, [09°40′01″N, 83°52′59″W], 26 February 1966, A. Molina et al. 17859 (holotype F!, isotypes CAS!, US!)

Trees ca. 5 m tall; juvenile branchlets and vegetative buds sparsely to moderately strigillose, trichomes 0.2–0.3 mm long, antrorsely spreading, brownish. Petioles 2–5 mm long; leaf blades bicolorous, elliptic to ovate, 1.7–3.6 × 1–1.9 cm, coriaceous, abaxially sparsely strigillose, occasionally glabrate, adaxially glabrous, secondary veins ± adaxially impressed, base obtuse to rounded, margins crenulate-denticulate, with persistent black marginal glands ca. 0.5 mm long, apex obtuse, rounded, or slightly emarginate. Inflorescences racemes 8–12 mm long, 3–5(–7)- flowered; peduncle 1–5 mm long; rachis 2–8 mm long, moderately strigillose, trichomes 0.2–0.3 mm long; bracts persistent, ovate to oblong, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, sparsely to moderately strigillose, margins ciliate, with vesicular glands; bracteoles persistent, 5–8, ovate to oblong, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, moderately to densely strigillose, margins ciliate, with vesicular glands; pedicels 0–1 mm long. Hypanthium glabrous. Calyx lobes 5, subrotund, 1–1.5 mm × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous, margins sparsely ciliate. Corolla pinkish white, 5-lobed, 5–6 mm long; tube 1–1.5 mm long; lobes adnate to filament tube for 1.5–2 mm, oblong, glabrous. Stamens 3–4-seriate; filament tube 2–3 mm; distinct portions of filaments 1.5–2.5 × 0.5–0.75 mm. Disk setose; style 5–6 mm long, sparsely pilose basally; stigma deeply 3-lobed. Fruits green maturing to dark bluish purple, subcylindrical to obovoid, 8–10 cm × 4–5.5 mm, glabrous, apex gradually narrowed to base of erect calyx lobes; disk convex, apex approximately equaling calyx lobes and well exposed apically; endocarp 3-locular, perimeter rounded.

Vernacular name —None.

Illustration — Almeda (1982a: 319).

Phenology —Flowering June; fruiting (with flower buds) February.

Distribution and habitat — Costa Rica (Cordillera de Talamanca), in cloud forests at 2500–3140 m elev. Figure 25.

A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SYMPLOCOS

Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 67

Conservation status —This species, known from the type and one other collection, was last collected in 1972. Efforts to relocate it since that time have been unsuccessful. It occurs in the higher elevations of Costa Rica’s Cordillera de Talamanca, where it appears to be endemic. Both collections occur just outside the northern boundary of Parque Nacional Los Quetzales. The AOO is 8 km ². Based on the limited AOO, evident rarity, and projected decline in area, extent, and quality of habitat, we assign a classification of Critically Endangered (CR): B2ab(iii) to this species.

Discussion — Symplocos oreophila is distinguished by the combination of small, elliptic to elliptic-ovate leaves with crenate-denticulate margins, racemose inflorescences, glabrous sepals, and small fruits.

Additional specimens examined — COSTA RICA. Cartago: ca. 16 km SE of El Empalme , 8200 ft, [09°40′12″N, 83°51′W], 8 June 1972, Wilbur & Almeda 17537 (CAS!, DUKE!, F!, LL!, MO!) .

Figures

FIGURE 25. Geographic distribution of Symplocos oreophila and S. tribracteolata.