Laxoplumeria tessmannii Markgraf (1926: 981)

Morales, J. Francisco & Morais, Isa Lucia De, 2018, Studies in the Neotropical Apocynaceae LII: A synopsis of Laxoplumeria with three new species, Phytotaxa 343 (1), pp. 35-46 : 39-45

Laxoplumeria tessmannii Markgraf (1926: 981) .

Type: — PERU. Loreto: Santiago, Marañon , 30 Oct 1924, Tessmann 4423 (Lectotype, designated by Hansen & Morales, Darwiniana 47: 228 (2009): G!; isolectotypes: B † [photo F neg. 4386!], NY! [fragment]) Fig. 4 , 5 , 6 .

Laxoplumeria macrophylla (Kuhlmann) Monachino (1949: 68) . Tonduzia macrophylla Kulhmann (1930: 208) . Bisquamaria macrophylla (Kuhlmann) Pichon (1947: 300) . Type: — BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: estación Presidente Marquez, vía férrea Madeira-Mamore, 13 Oct 1923, Kuhlmann s.n. [RB # 22401] (Holotype, RB!; isotypes, K!, NY! [fragment], P!, US!). Syn. nov.

Trees 5–35 m, stems glabrous, with milky sap. Leaves alternate, sometimes aggregated and subverticillate, petioles 10– 29(–38) mm; leaf blade 10–29.2(–31) × 3.9–7.5(–8.5) cm, the apex obovate, obtuse, rounded to acute, the base narrowly cuneate, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent abaxially, with 18–22 pairs of secondary veins. Inflorescences 11–22(–25) cm long, glabrous or glabrate, peduncles (8–) 14–22 mm, pedicels 1.5–3 mm, bracts less than 1 mm; calyx lobe s 0.5 –0.9 mm, ovate, the apex acute, glabrous; corolla yellowish white, cream, greenish cream, greenish yellow to yellow, glabrous, tube 3.5–4 × 0.7–1.2 mm, lobes 6–7.5 × 0.8–1.5(–2) mm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate-elliptic; stamens inserted in the distal part of the corolla tube, near the mouth, anthers 0.8–1 mm; ovary 0.7–0.8 mm, nectary ca. 1/5 of the ovary length. Follicles 16–31 × 0.4–0.8 cm, glabrous; seeds 0.9–1.3 cm, coma 0.3–1.2 cm, tan.

Distribution and habitat: — Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, growing in premontane wet forest, tropical moist forest, gallery forest, savannas, cerrados and igarape forest, at 30– 950 m. Flowering and fruiting occurs in February and from May to December.

Common names:—“calacuchillo” ( Panama, Colón); “leche-leche” ( Bolivia, Santa Cruz); “sucubeira” ( Brazil, Amazonas).

Observations:— Monachino (1949) separated Laxoplumeria tessmannii from L. macrophylla based mainly on its puberulent inflorescences (vs. glabrous). At that time, both species were known only by the type. Otherwise, morphological features (e.g., petioles length, leaf blades, inflorescence shape, calyx lobes, anthers) are very similar in both types. Nowadays, the evaluation of that character in the specimens available revealed that the inflorescence varies from puberulent to glabrescent or glabrous.

Laxoplumeria tessmannii can be differentiated by the following combination of characters: leaves alternate, sometimes aggregated and subverticillate, petioles 10–29(–38) mm, leaf blade obovate with the base narrowly cuneate, inflorescences up to 25 cm long, corolla lobes 6–7.5 mm and nectary ca. 1/5 of the ovary length.

Representative specimens examined: — PANAMA. Colón: Santa Rita ridge, Croat 13868 (MO); Salud, Lao & Holdridge 188 (MO, PMA); Santa Rita ridge trail, beyond end of Santa Rita ridge road, Mori & Crosby 6355 (MO, PMA); Santa Rita, Pérez & Daguerre 1305 (PMA). Panama: Pipeline road, Gentry 1607 (M, MO); Pipeline road, 6 mi N of Gamboa, Gentry 2826 (MO); parque nacional Soberanía, río Sirystes, Luque et al. 386 (PMA). San Blas: Nusagandi, sendero Nusagandi, Peralta 619 (MO).

COLOMBIA. Amazonas: Puerto Nariño, Soejarto et al. 4190 (HUA, JAUM). Meta: parque nacional natural Tinigua, serranía Chamusa, Stevenson 896 (COAH, COL, CR, K).

ECUADOR. Zamora-Chinchipe: Nangaritza, Cordillera del Condor, cuenca alta del Río Nangaritza, centro Shuar Shaime, Quizhpe et al. 406 (CR, MO).

PERU. Amazonas: Condorcanqui, El Cenepa, comunidad de San Antonio, río Cenepa, Vásquez et al. 24101 (CR, MO). Loreto: Alto Amazonas, río Pasraza near Ecuador border, Gentry et. al. 29849 (AMAZ, MO, P); Maynas, Las Amazonas, Explor Napo, Grández et al. 4920 (CR, MO, NY); Maynas, Las Amazonas, Explornapo camp, cerca de Sucusari, río Napo, Pipoly et al. 12978 (CR, F, MO).

BRAZIL. Amazonas: Humaitá, BR-230, km 2, Janssen & Gemtchujnicov 21 (M, MG); Humaitá, rio Madeira, road from Humaitá to Porto Velho, km 10, Prance et al. 3443 (AA, INPA, K, M, NY, S, Z); Transamazônica, 149 SE of Humaitá, Sanaiotti 284 (INPA, UB). Rondonia: camino de Porto velho a Abunã, km 145, serra tipo Campina, Monteiro 50844 (INPA); Mineração Campo Novo, ca. 100 km SO of Ariquemes, Zarucchi et al. 2723 (MG, MO, NY).

BOLIVIA. Beni: Itenez, Serranía San Simón, Quevedo et al. 938 (CR, MO, NY); Vaca Diez, Villa Camba hacia Riberalta, Benicito, Michel & Beck 1299 (CR, LPB, M, P). Pando: Madre De Dios, Blanca Flor, de la carretera de Sena a Riberalta, 10 km al SE de Naranjal, Urrelo et al. 202 (F, LPB, UAP). Santa Cruz: Velasco, parque nacional Noel Kempff, Las Torres, Jardim et al. 226 (MO); Velasco, parque nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, Las Torres, Killeen et al. 6170 (M); Velasco, parque nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, Killeen et al. 6810 (CR, MO, NY); Velasco, reserva ecológica El Refugio, campamento los Fierros, Killeen et al. 6956 (CR, MO, NY); Velasco, reserva forestal Bajo Paraguá, estancia El Puente, Killeen et al. 7658 (CR, MO); Velasco, parque nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, Lago Caiman, Mostacedo et al. 2983 (MO); Velasco, estancia Flor de Oro, río Iténez, Nee 41271 (WAG); Velasco, parque nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, Huanchaca, Soto et al. 514 (CR, MO); Guarayos, 40 km al SO del Río San Martín, Vargas et al. 1796 (NY, WAG); Velasco, parque nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, estación Los Fierros, Vargas et al. 3890 (CR, MO); Velasco, parque nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, campamento Lago Caiman, desde el río Iténez hasta el Lago, Vargas et al. 4019 (CR, F, MO).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Laxoplumeria tessmannii (A–E from Grández et al. 4920, CR, F–G from Michel & Beck 1299, CR). A. Branch with inflorescence. B. Sepal, adaxial view. C. Corolla. D. Anther. E. Gynoecium and nectary. F. Fruits. G. Seed.

FIGURE 5. Laxoplumeria tessmannii (photos: Francisco Castro). A. Branch with leaves. B. Inflorescence. C. Corolla.

FIGURE 6. Distribution map of Laxoplumeria species.