Cremastosperma panamense Maas, 1986

Pirie, Michael D., Chatrou, Lars W. & Maas, Paul J. M., 2018, A taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Cremastosperma (Annonaceae), including five new species, PhytoKeys 112, pp. 1-141 : 1

27. Cremastosperma panamense Maas Figs 36a, b , 7 , Map 2

Cremastosperma panamense Maas, Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetensch. Ser. C 89: 254, f. 5 & 6.1986.

Type.

PANAMA. Canal Zone: NW part of Canal Zone, area W of Limon Bay, Gatun Locks and Gatun Lake, Maru Towers, 7 Apr 1956, Johnston, I.M. 1812 (holotype: MO! [MO-047502]; isotypes: A! [00072231], MICH! [MICH1256197]).

Description.

Tree or shrub 1.5 –7(– 20) m tall, 3-10 cm diam.; young twigs and petioles glabrous. Leaves: petioles 2-10 by 1-2.5 mm, caniculate above, verrucose or furrowed; lamina narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 8-22 by 2-7 cm (index 2.7-4.7), chartaceous, green, brownish-green or greyish-green (or brown) above, (pale) green, (pale) brownish-green (or brown) below, shiny on both sides, glabrous on both sides, base acute to obtuse, decurrent, rarely narrowly cuneate, apex acuminate (acumen 5-25 mm long), primary vein occasionally shallowly grooved at the base, 1-1.5 mm wide at widest point, verrucose below, secondary veins 5-10, intersecondary veins 1-4, distance between from 5-20 mm at the base to 15-25 mm closer to the apex, angles with primary vein from 35 –55(– 70)° at the base to 60-75° closer to the apex, not branching, forming mostly distinct loops, smallest distance between loops and margin 2-5 mm, tertiary veins largely reticulate. Inflorescence of single, solitary flowers, on leafy or leafless twigs; peduncles 1-3 by 0.5-1 mm (in flower), 1-3 by 1.5-2 mm (in fruit), sparsely covered with erect whitish to golden hairs to 0.1 mm long; pedicels 12-20 by 0.5-0.8 mm at the base (in flower), 13-22 by 1-2 mm (in fruit), glabrous; (1 –)2– 3(-several) lower bract(s), deltate, ca. 0.5 by 0.5 mm, obtuse, mostly soon falling off, sparsely covered with erect whitish to golden hairs to 0.1 mm long; upper bract halfway along the pedicel, ovate to depressed ovate, 1-1.5 by 0.7-1mm, acute, obtuse or emarginate, glabrous; closed flower buds very broadly ovoid, opening in development; flowers green when immature, maturing to white, cream, or (pale) yellow in vivo, yellow brown, dark brown or blackish brown in sicco, sepals and petals glabrous; sepals free, broadly to very broadly ovate, appressed or patent, 1.5-3 by 1.5-3 mm, obtuse, soon falling off or persistent; outer petals narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 7-18 by 4-6 mm, obtuse, inner petals narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 10-25 by 3-5 mm, obtuse; androecium diam. unknown, stamens 1.2-1.5 mm long, connective appendage 0.7-0.9 mm wide; gynoecium diam. unknown, carpels ca. 35, 2 mm long, glabrous. Monocarps (2 –)8– 30, more or less globose, slightly asymmetrical, 8-13 by 7-11 mm, green maturing to yellow, orange, red or black in vivo, pale brown, reddish-brown or brown in sicco, with an excentric apicule; stipes 7-21 by 1 –1.5(– 3) mm; fruiting receptacle 3-8 mm diam., monocarps, stipes and receptacle glabrous. Seeds broadly ellipsoid, globose or transversally ellipsoid, light brown, pitted, 7-12 by 6-10 mm, raphe sunken, regular.

Distribution.

Panama ( Coclé, Colón, Panamá and San Blas).

Habitat and ecology.

Evergreen tropical wet forest, cloud forest or low swampy places or in disturbed areas. At elevations of 0-800 m. Flowering: April, May, July and August; fruiting: throughout the year.

Vernacular names.

Panama: Palo santo (Panamanian name), Sate wawa (Kuna; Nevers 4898), Waras gid (Kuna; Nevers 6513).

Notes.

Cremastosperma panamense appears similar to C. magdalenae , but can be distinguished by the smaller size of the sepals, which additionally persist less frequently into fruiting. C. pacificum and C. chococola are both geographically close (Pacific coast of Colombia) and share the characters of glabrous pedicels (flowers) and fruits. However, the pedicels of C. chococola are considerably longer and the shape of the larger monocarps of C. pacificum (ellipsoid as opposed to roughly globose), as well as the larger leaves, allow easy distinction in both cases. The colour of the relatively small leaves (drying consistently green), the relatively large distance between the loops of their secondary veins and the margin and the reticulate and indistinct nature of tertiary and quaternary venation of C. panamense are also distinctive.

Preliminary conservation status.

Cremastosperma panamense has been described as common in the San Blas region of Panama. It has been collected fairly frequently near roads in the surrounding region, but not within protected areas and with an EOO that would be sufficiently small as to qualify as Vulnerable. Given its apparent local abundance but restricted distribution: Near Threatened [NT] (Table 1 ).

Selected specimens examined.

PANAMA. Coclé: Caño Blanco del Norte, Cano Sucio, 8°42'N, 80°36'W, 200-400 m a.s.l., 3 Oct 1983, Davidse et al. 23634 (MO). Colón: Santa Rita Ridge road, 9°20'N, 79°46'W, 300 m a.s.l., 16 Jun 1994, Galdames et al. 1162 (US); Parque Nacional Lorenzo, road to Sherman Crane, 9°16'N, 79°58'W, 150 m a.s.l., 7 Jun 2004, Maas et al. 9559 (U); Teck Cominco Petaquilla mining concession, 8°50'58"N, 80°38'53"W, 180 m a.s.l., 25 Jun 2008, McPherson 20670 (WAG). Panama: El Llano-Cartí road, 9°15'N, 79°00'W, 350 m a.s.l., 22 Aug 1986, McPherson 9957 (MO, U). San Blas: Mountain range opposite Nargana island, 9°22'N, 78°34'W, 65 m a.s.l., 12 Aug 1994, Galdames et al. 1585 (NY); Yannuadi, 9°22'N, 78°35'W, 50-100 m a.s.l., 23 Oct 1992, H. Herrera et al. 1231 (MO); Nusagandi, Sendero Wedar, 9°18'N, 78°58'W, 300-400 m a.s.l., 19 Jul 1985, McDonagh et al. 181 (MO); Nusagandi, 9°19'N, 78°15'W, 300 m a.s.l., 31 Jul 1984, De Nevers et al. 3601 (MO); Lower Río Cangandí, 9°27'N, 79°08'W, 0-20 m a.s.l., 14 Jan 1985, De Nevers & H. Herrera 4571 (MO, U); Río Cangandi, 9°24'N, 79°24'W, 0-100 m a.s.l., 17 Feb 1985, De Nevers et al. 4898 (MO, U).

Figures

Map 2. Distribution of Cremastosperma alticola Pirie & Chatrou, C. antioquense Pirie, C. chococola Pirie, C. dolichopodum Pirie & Maas, C. longipes Pirie, C. novogranatense R. E. Fr., C. osicola Pirie & Chatrou, C. panamense Maas and C. stenophyllum Pirie

Figure 7. Illustrations of diagnostic characters used in the identification key to species of Cremastosperma, by Hendrik Rypkema, adapted from Pirie et al. (2005). Leaf shape: a acuminate b caudate. Flower buds: c with open development d loosely open e flower bud with closed development, depressed ovoid f flower bud with closed development, broadly ovoid-triangular g the unique pattern of indument on the petals of C. awaense. Monocarp shape h narrowly ellipsoid, symmetrical i globose, symmetrical j strongly asymmetrical.

Figure 36. Cremastosperma panamense Maas. a fruiting specimen b flowers (a Johnston 1812 b Perez 832).