Magnolia hondurensis Ant.Molina, Ceiba

Vázquez-García, J. Antonio, Kelly, Daniel L., Mejía-Valdivieso, Darío A., Morales, Wilson, Dahua-Machoa, Alex, Vega-Rodríguez, Hermes, Peña, Alondra Salomé Ortega, Padilla-Lepe, Jesús & Muñiz-Castro, Miguel Á., 2022, Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) in Honduras: a synopsis with six new taxa, Phytotaxa 570 (2), pp. 109-149 : 126

Magnolia hondurensis Ant.Molina, Ceiba 18: 95–97. 1974 ( Fig. 11 )

Type:— HONDURAS. Depto. La Paz: Cut-over cloud forest of Montaña Verde on Cordillera Guajiquiro, 1900 m, 23 Mar 1969 (fl, fr), Molina-R. & Molina 24379 (holotype: F! ; isotypes: EAP!, ENCB!) .

Homotypic synonym: Magnolia guatemalensis subsp. hondurensis (Ant.Molina) Vázquez (1994: 6) .

Trees straight, 3–30 m tall, 0.5 m dbh, bark smooth, greenish grey to brownish grey, twig internodes 0.3–1.7 × 0.4–0.7 cm, hairy to hairless, rough or slightly fissured, nigrescent, stipules free from the petiole. Leaves petiolate, petioles cylindrical, 1.5–2.5 × 0.20–0.25 cm, ferrugineous-pubescent when young, glabrescent, nigrescent, laminas 7.5–19 × 3.5–7.7 cm, elliptic, oblanceolate or lanceolate, slightly rounded, acute or acuminate at the apex, acute or sometimes obtuse at the base, extremely revolute, sometimes the margins convergent, adaxially green to dark green, glossy, rough, glabrous on midvein, abaxially pale green, rusty pilose simple trichomes, glabrescent, central and lateral veins prominent, densely rusty pubescent or glabrescent, 12–19 veins per side. Flowers terminal or axillary, fragrant, peduncle 0.8–2.3 × 0.3–0.5 cm, densely brownish pubescent, hypsophylls densely yellowish to goldenpubescent, sepals 3, seldom 4, white, narrowly-oblong, spatulate, 4.0–5.4 × 1.2–2.0 cm, obtuse or rounded at the apex, inconspicuously gland-dotted on the outside, smooth inside, occasionally one sepal bilobate up to half of the limbus, petals 6–9, usually 6, white, concave, oblique to spatulate, 4.5–6.0 × 1.5–2.5 cm, gland-dotted on the outside, smooth on the inside, aroma sweetish, occasionally bilobate up to half of the limbus, stamens 61–93, arranged helically, filaments, 1–2 mm long, chestnut to coffee-brownish, glabrous; anthers linear to oblanceolate, 11.0–15.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm, glabrous, coffee/yellowish, acute apically, gynoecium l.5–2.2 × 0.8–1.5 cm, carpels 23–38, arranged helicoidally, rhombiform, pilose or yellowish to golden pubescent, styles curly or circinate, brownish, ovules per carpel 2. Fruits oblongoid, woody, brownish or blackish, 3.0–5.7 × 1.2–3.0 cm, glabrescent to slightly hairy, seeds 1–2, brownish to dark red, rhomboid to orbicular, 0.8–1.2 cm in diameter, smooth, shiny, glabrous.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, 1300–2300 m ( Fig. 1 ; Table 2 ) in cloud forests (bosque nublado) and moist mixed forests. Flowering late February–late May, fruits dehiscing September.

Etymology and ethnobotany:— Honouring Honduras. Local names include: oriconte (Reyna JBL 00654) in El Salvador and cucharo (Molina-R. 13905) and magnolia (Molina-R. 6203) in Honduras. These beautiful trees adorn the misty forests with their brilliant foliage and white fragrant flowers (Antonio Molina-R. preferred the flower of this species as a national symbol for Honduras instead of the orchid Brassavola digbyana because there are several countries in America that have chosen an orchid as a national flower). The flowers of M. hondurensis when boiled release a fragrance of cinnamon. The seeds also have a pleasant scent. The wood is used in carpententry and tillage implements ( Molina-Rositto 1974).

Notes:— Magnolia hondurensis belongs to M. sect. Magnolia and differs from M. guatemalensis in only a few characters, namely narrower leaves and petals and smaller fruits ( Tables 3 , 4 ). Most specimens from the Trifinio region in the confluence of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, have smaller leaves with broadly obovate leaves, and this material may represent an undescribed subspecies.

Conservation status:— Least concern (LC), IUCN criterion B1 because it is widely distributed in Honduras and El Salvador. The estimated known extent of occurrence (EOO, minimum convex polygon) is ca. 25,000 km 2 ( Table 1 )

Additional specimens examined:— El SALVADOR. Depto. Santa Ana: Cerro Monte Cristo, 2 Jan 1959 (fl, fr), Allen & van Severn 7128 (F, MICH, NY); Cerro Monte Cristo, 2300 m, 23 May 1963 (fr), Molina-R. & Molina 12605 (F); Cordillera Miramundo, Mountain of Montecristo, 2100 m, 27–31 Jan 1966, Molina-R. et al. 16893 (F); Parque Nacional de Monte Cristo, 14º25’N, 89º22’W, 3 Mar 1988 (fr), Reyna JBL00654 (BM); San José Ingenio, P. N. Montecristo, El Palo Bonito, 14º 25’ N, 89º21’ W, 2300 m, 16 Dec 2001, Martínez 513 (MO); San José Ingenio, P.N. Montecristo, Miramundo, 14°25’ N 089°2’ W, 2300 m, 11 Apr 2002 (fr), Martinez 923 (MO); Parque Nacional Montecristo, El Oriconte, near to entry, in front of parqueadero, 14º24’ N, 89º22’ W, 2171 m, 25 Mar 2003, Monterrosa JMS00523 (MO). GUATEMALA. Depto. Chiquimula: Esquipulas, Trifinio Biosphere Reserve, 1600–2000 m., 14°30’ N, 89°22’ W, 4–10 Aug 2005, Linares 10069 (BIGU). HONDURAS. Depto. Comayagua: Cordillera Montecillos, Barranco El Cedral, Montaña El Cedral, Cordillera Montecillos, 1600 m, 24 May 1956 (fl), Molina-R. 7212 (F). Depto. Intibucá: El Pelón, Pela Naríz, 15 km of La Esperanza, 2000 m, 3 Apr 1956 (fl), Molina-R. 6203 (F); Calaveras, 6 km NW of La Esperanza, 2000 m, 6 Apr 1957 (fl), Molina-R. 7981 (F); Between Calaveras y Pela Naríz, 2000 m, 19 Jul 1962 (fr), Molina-R. 10917 (F); El Duraznillo, 2000 m, 24 May 1964 (fl), Molina-R. & Molina 14101 (F); Pela Nariz to Calaveras, road to La Esperanza, 2000 m, 3 Sep 1968, Molina-R. 22612 (F); Pela Nariz to Calaveras, 12 km from La Esperanza, 2000 m, 7 Mar 1969, Molina-R. 24102 (F, ENCB); La Esperanza, carretera vieja, 1600 m, 30 Jun 1996, Navarro & Reyes 2008 (HJBL); Cerro Pelanariz, 15 km N of La Esperanza, 2000 m, 26 Feb 1980 (fl), Nelson & Vargas 5409 (TEFH); same place and date (fl bud), Nelson & Vargas 5416 (TEFH); On road to Siguatepeque, 15 mi from La Esperanza, 1950 m, 26 Nov 1958, Hawkes et al. 2078 (BM, C); 8 km from La Esperanza, 14 May 1987 (fl), Blackmore & Chorley 3946 (BM); Montaña Tabor , 10 km S of Intibucá, carretera Yamaranguila, 1900, 25 Apr 1991 (fl), Fuentes 147 (TEFH); same place, 6 km NE of Intibucá, carretera a Azacualpa, 1600 m, 15 Apr 1991 (fl), Andino Urbina 213 (TEFH); same place as previous, 25 Apr 1991 (fl bud), Andino-Urbina 216 (TEFH). Depto. La Paz: Cordillera de Opalaca, Calaveras, 1700 m, 10 Apr 1956 (fl), Molina-R. 6452 (F); Cordillera Guajiquiro, 5 km to Sabaneta, 21 May 1964 (fr), Molina-R. & Molina 13905 (F, NY); Around Las Tancas, 4.5 km NW of Guajiquiro, in the Reserva Biológica Guajiquiro, 14°08’23” N, 087°52’12” W, 1900–2100 m, 22 May 1993 (gynoecium), Mejía 409 (EAP, MEXU, MO, TEFH); Las Trancas, 5 km to the north of Guajiquiro, 14°08’ N, 87°52’ W, 2000–2100 m, 23 May, 1993 (fr), Liesner 26473 (MO); Outskirts of Moguare, Near Guajiquiro-San Isidro Road, ca. 10 road km (ca. 4.5 km straight line) NW of Guajiquiro, Reserva Biológica Guajiquiro. 14°09’00”N, 87°51’30” W, 2060 m, 24 May 1993 (fl, fr), Evans 1738 (MO); Marcala-Goascorán, Opatoro-Singore 2050 m, 14°6’50.00” N, 87°52’50.00” W, 13 Sep 1986 [5](fl), Felber 51 (EAP); same place, same date, 13 Sep 1985 (fl & fr), Felber 52 (EAP); Opatoro, 30 km E of Marcala, 1333 m, 30 Apr 1995 (fl), Martínez 186 (TEFH); Monte Verde de Marcala, 18 km S of Marcala, 1900 m, 17 Feb 1986 (fl, fr), Keyser 1175 (TEFH). Depto. Lempira: Celaque National Park, Quebrada Naranja, 10 km SE of Gracias, 14°33’ N 088°40’ W, 1900–1950 m, 29 Jan 1992 (fl buds), Hawkins et al. 138 (MO). Depto. Ocotepeque: Municipio Belén Gualcho, Cordiller de Celaque, 3 mi N of Belen Gualcho along road to Cucucyagua, Podocarpus-Quercus-Liquidambar forest remnant among pastures, 1870 m, 14°30’06” N, 88°48’02” W, 24 Jun 1994 (fl bu, fr), Davidse et. al. 35344 (MO).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of Honduran Magnoliaceae.

FIGURE 11. Magnolia hondurensis. A–C Fruit variability in Honduras. A. A. Molina-R. 22612. B. A. Molina-R.10917. C & E. The type, A. Molina R. & A. R. Molina 24379. D. A. Molina-R. 24102. F. A. Molina-Rosito 12605. Photographs by A. Vázquez.