Tabernaemontana arborea Rose

Alvarado-Cárdenas, Leonardo O., Lozada-Pérez, Lucio, Cadena, Joselin, Hernández, Sofia Islas-, Martínez-González, C. Ramiro, Cortez, Ericka B., González- Martínez, César A. & González-Ramírez, Ixchel S., 2019, The triad of knowledge: Systematic, diversity and conservation status of the Mexican species of Tabernaemontana (Apocynaceae; Rauvolfioideae: tribe Tabernaemontaneae), Phytotaxa 388 (1), pp. 1-46 : 18

3. Tabernaemontana arborea Rose in Donnell-Smith (1893:206). ≡ Peschiera arborea (Rose) Markgraf (1938:173) .

( Fig. 1–3 ).

Type:— GUATEMALA. Quetzaltenango: Rio Ocosito, 250 ft, Apr 1892 (fl.), J.D. Smith 2766 (holotype US 00111839!, isotypes F 0048366F!, G 00169864!, GH 00091880!, K 000587764!, M 0183456!, MO 100330!, NYBG 00318352!, NYBG 00318353!, P 00093850!, US 00385891!, WU 0069750!).

= Tabernaemontana schippii Standley (1930:34) . ≡ Peschiera schippii (Standl.) Markgraf (1938:173) . Type:— BELIZE. Stann Creek: Railway, Big Creek, 15 m, 20 Apr 1929, W.A. Schipp 168 (holotype F 0048368F!, isotypes BM 000551270!, BKL 00000069!, BRH, G 00169862!, GH 00001904!, K 000587766!, MO 030910!, NYBG 00318356!, UC 384163!, US 00111867!, Z 000001425!, Z 000001426, Z 000001427!).

Trees 8–20 m tall. Petioles 0.5–2 cm long; blades 4–15 × 2–5 cm, coriaceous, elliptic, base cuneate to obtuse, apex short-apiculate or acuminate, margin entire, glabrous on both sides. Inflorescences 20 or more flowers, peduncle 1–2.5 cm long; bracts ca. 1 mm long, ovate, scarious; pedicels 0.5–1.2 cm long; sepals equal to subequal, 1–2 mm long, ovate, obtuse, inconspicuous venation; corolla hypocrateriform, white, tube 5–8 × 1–1.5 mm, not twisted around the anthers, staminal ridges absent, suprastaminal corona absent, lobes 0.8–1.8 × 0.4–0.8 cm, obovate to elliptical; stamens inserted near the base of the corolla tube, anthers 2–3 mm long, included, yellow; pistil 3–3.5 mm long, nectary absent. Follicles 4–5.5 × 2–3.5 cm, subreniform to globose, obtuse or short-apiculate, without lateral ridges, ligneous, lenticelate, glabrous, warty; seeds of 0.8–1 cm.

Habitat and phenology: —Evergreen forests, river banks, and secondary vegetation, from 0–1100 m a. s. l. Flowering and fruiting from January to September.

Distribution: — Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca ( Leeuwenberg 1994), Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatan, Fig. 6c ), Central America and northern South America in Colombia.

Conservation status: —Vulnerable (VU). It is distributed in the Mexican southeast, mainly growing in evergreen forest.Although T. arborea can tolerate some anthropogenic impact, it is growing in zones with significant deforestation, such as Veracruz and Tabasco ( Pérez et al. 2005). The populations in these states are at great risk of disappearing. The area of its distribution is less than 12% of the country, with an EOO of 251,149 km 2 and AOO of 128 km 2. Thus, we suggest assigning the category of vulnerable.

Additional specimens examined:— MEXICO. Chiapas: Mun. Acacoyahua, 4 km al NW de Acacoyahua , 17 Apr 1979, González 11358 ( MEXU) ; Mun. Huehuetán, Los Laureles, 50 m a.s.l., 23 Oct 1984, Ventura 574 ( IEB, MEXU) ; Mun Ocosingo, A 12 km al E de Pico de Oro , camino a Benemérito de las Américas, 200 m a.s.l., 19 Apr 1986, Martínez 18437 ( FCME, IEB, MEXU) ; Mun. Tapachula, Cantón El Tesoro, 8 km de Tapachula, 250 m a.s.l., 17 Apr 1985, Ventura 1525 ( ENCB, MEXU) . Oaxaca: Mun. San Juan Guichicovi, Río Guzamano-San Juan Viejo , 29 Apr 2005, Martínez 298 ( FCME) . Puebla: Mun. Hueytamalco, Rancho Las Margaritas, 07 Jun 1976 López 147 ( MEXU) . Quintana Roo: Mun. Othon P. Blanco, Agua Dulce , carretera a La Unión, 21 Jul 1983, Góngora s.n. ( CICY) . Tabasco: Mun. Heroica Cárdenas, Dentro de la Selva de Canacoite , 10 Sep 1981, Zamudio 130 ( MEXU) ; Mun. Huimanguillo, Ejido San Fernando, 8 Apr 1970, Ricárdez 115 ( MEXU) ; Mun. Tenosique, 2 km arriba del cerro del campamento de la Escollera y 5 km de Tenosique hacia Emiliano Zapata, 27 Feb 1982, Magaña 879 ( MEXU) .

Veracruz: Mun. Catemaco, A 4 km al N de la Estación de Biol. Los Tuxtlas, camino a Montepío a 300 m de la desv. a la Playa de Balzapote, 20 Mar 1984, Cedillo 2677 ( MEXU) ; Mun. Coatzacoalcos, La Cangrejera, alrededores de las Torres de alta tensión, 02 Apr 1999, Sinaca 2212 ( MEXU) ; Mun. Hidalgotitlan, Colonia 1ro de Mayo , 50 m a.s.l., 15 Apr 1980, Ortega 1440 ( MEXU) ; Mun. Minatitlán, La Paz, 28 Apr 1982, Wendt 3914 ( CICY, MEXU) ; Mun. San Andrés Tuxtla, Laguna Escondida, 3 km al NO de la Estación de Biología Tropical Los Tuxtlas , 160 m a.s.l., 26 Sep 1986, Sinaca 993 ( MEXU). Yucatan: Mun. Mérida, En la ciudad de Mérida, 09 Sep 1984, Chan 3943 ( MEXU) .

Common names and uses: —“Chapon blanco” (Chiapas), “cojón de gato” (Puebla) and “ziktillo” (Tabasco). In the state of Veracruz, this species is used medicinally.

Notes: — Tabernaemontana arborea is easily distinguished from the other species in Mexico. It and T. venusta are the only species with the stamens inserted near the corolla base, and T. arborea can be identified by its subcoriaceous leaves (vs. membranaceous in T. venusta ), sepals 1–2 mm long (vs. 7–8 mm long), corolla tube 5–8 cm long (vs. 1.1–1.3 cm long), the absence of suprastaminal corona (vs. presence) and fruit that is clearly warty and lenticelate, without lateral ridges.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Selected species of Tabernaemontana in Mexico. a Flowers of T. alba. b Flowers of T.arborea. c Fruit of T. arborea. d Flower of T. citrifolia. e–f. Flower of T. donnell–smithii. g Fruit of T. donnell–smithii. h Flowers of T. divaricata. i Flower of T. glabra. j Fruit of T. glabra. k Flowers of T. hannae. l Flowers of T. ochoterenae. m Flower of T. litoralis. n Fruit of T. litoralis. o Flowers of T. tomentosa. Photographs of Francisco Morales (d), and César González (l).

FIGURE 2. Comparison of flowers of selected species of Tabernaemontana in Mexico. a T. alba. b T. arborea. c T. stenoptera. d T. venusta. e T. chamelensis. f T. citrifolia. g T. amygdalifolia. h T. hannae. i T. oaxacana. j T. donnell–smithii. k T. ochoterenae. l T. eubracteata. m T. riverae. n T. glabra. o T. tomentosa. p T. litoralis.

FIGURE 3. Comparison of fruits of selected species of Tabernaemontana in Mexico. a T. alba. b T. amygdalifolia. c T. arborea. d T. chamelensis. e T. citrifolia (open fruit). f T. donnell–smithii. e T. glabra. h T. eubracteata. i T. hannae. j T. litoralis. k T. mixtecana. l T. oaxacana. m T. ochoterenae. n T. riverae (open fruits). o T. tomentosa.

FIGURE 6. Distribution maps of Tabernaemontana species in Mexico. a T. alba and T. chamelensis. b T. amygdalifolia and T. riverae. c T. arborea, T. eubracteata, and T. oaxacana. d T. citrifolia and T. hannae. e T. donnell–smithii and T. ochoterenae. f T. glabra and T. venusta. g T. litoralis and T. mixtecana. h T. stenoptera and T. tomentosa.