Nectandra guadaripo Rohwer
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Authority
Rohwer, Jens G. 1993. Lauraceae:
. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 60: 1-332. (Published by NYBG Press) -
Family
Lauraceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Ecuador. Esmeraldas: Confluence of Río Hoja Blanca and Río Hualpi, 50 km S of Borbón, 75 m, 16 Sep 1965 (ft), Little & Dixon 21078 (holotype, US; isotypes, F, MO, NY).
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Description
Latin Diagnosis - Species insignis, foliis in sicco discoloribus margine basi conspicue revoluto, floribus aliquantim inter Nectandramet 0 coteam ambiguis facile dignoscenda.
Species Description - Tall trees, to 50 m. Branchlets 5 cm below terminal bud 3-6.2 mm in diam., strongly angular, initially densely covered with very short, ± appressed, brown hairs, on older twigs becoming greyish but very slowly wearing off; terminal buds elongate, ca. 10-22 mm long, 3.3-5 mm thick, densely covered with very short, tap-pressed, light brown hairs. Petioles 7-20 mm long but often appearing longer because of the revolute leaf base, 2.5-5.5 mm thick, broadly roundish to triangular below, slightly longitudinally ridged, broadly and sometimes deeply canaliculate above, indument ± as on twigs. Leaves alternate, ± elliptic, widest at the middle or slightly above, (10.5-)13-22 cm long, (5-)6-12 cm wide, 1.4-2.2 times longer than wide, tip ± obtuse but usually with a very short, indistinct acumen, base attenuate due to the broadly and conspicuously inrolled margin, midrib broadly impressed above and often slightly convex, at least at the base with a distinct central furrow, very prominent below, secondary veins convex above in a ± distinct impression, prominent below, 9-11 pairs, diverging at 40-50°, often almost straight, in mid-lamina running at an angle of 30-50° to the midrib, tertiary venation densely and regularly percurrent, sometimes almost scalariform, distinctly raised on both sides. Indument on both surfaces consisting of very short, + appressed hairs, even in young leaves sparse or initially up to moderately dense below, usually much denser on veins, quickly glabrescent above except for the base of the midrib, ± slowly becoming sparser below. Gland dots not seen. Inflorescences in the axils of distal leaves, 1.8-3.3 mm in diam. at the base, on a twig of 2.2-4.7 mm diam., 3.5-14 cm long, reaching ca. 1/4 to slightly more than the length of its subtending leaf; peduncle 0.2-2.5 cm long, i.e., ca. 1/8-1/4 the length of the inflorescence, lateral branches 6-14 below the terminal cyme, branched (0-)2-3 times, the lower ones not entirely cymose, indument dense, brownish, similar to that on twigs (only slightly longer and more spreading). Pedicels ca. 1.5-3.5 mm long, ca. 0.5-0.9 mm thick. Flowers ca. 4.2-5.5 mm in diam., tepals rarely fully spreading, ± elliptic, ca. 2 mm long and ca. 1-1.5 mm wide, distinctly papillose on the inside surface. Stamens ca. 0.8 mm long including a filament of ca. 0.3 mm, anthers scarcely if at all papillose, in all three whorls ± roundish-trapeziform, broadly rounded to slightly emarginate at the tip, in the first whorl wider than long, in the third longer than wide. Staminodes reaching ca. half the length of the stamens or slightly more, distinctly capitate (glandular?), with a few hairs at the filament, free. Pistil ca. 1.9 mm long, ovary ± ellipsoid or (inversely) pear-shaped, glabrous, style slightly shorter than the ovary, glabrous or with a few hairs near the tip. Receptacle broadly hemispherical, glabrous inside, relatively open above. Berry ellipsoid, 22-28 mm long and 12-14 mm in diam., cupule ± funnel-shaped, or bowl-shaped and merging into a ± distinctly thickened pedicel, 15-18 mm in diam., 6-9 mm deep, with six thick ridges corresponding to the midveins of the tepals, forming six thick, ± indistinct lobes at the margin.
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Discussion
Nectandra guadaripo is such a distinctive species that it seems surprising that it has not yet been described. The broadly revolute leaf base and the extremely short (and therefore inconspicuous) indument make it easily recognizable even when sterile. Nectandra guadaripo may well be the tallest tree in the genus, if the size (50 m) indicated for Játiva & Epling 2100 is correct.
As far as can be ascertained from herbarium material, the cupules are thickly lobed. This is a rather unusual character, otherwise found only in Nectandra acuminata and N. crassiloba of the N. acutifolia group, which have a very different flower structure. Lobed cupules were also found in a specimen that probably belongs to N. yarinensis (see above), but in that case the lobes were formed by the enlarged tepals.C. K. Allen determined the type material of Nectandra guadaripo as "Ocotea sp.,” and indeed the species is clearly intermediate between the two genera. The stamens are scarcely papillose, and in the second and third whorl the pollen sacs tend to be arranged (almost) in two pairs, one above the other. Their aspect is more reminiscent of Ocotea than of Nectandra. In the first whorl, however, the anthers are wider than long, and the pollen sacs are arranged in an arc. Also the percurrent tertiary venation, the well-developed papillosity on the tepals, and the fact that perianth and stamens fall off as a ring plead in favor of Nectandra. No close relatives, however, are known, neither in Ocotea nor in Nectandra. -
Common Names
guadaripo
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Distribution
Known from only three localities in primary lowland forest west of the Andes, in the Colombia-Ecuadorean border region. The only flowering collection was made in September, and the only fruiting one in August.
Colombia South America| Nariño Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America|