Cremastosperma oblongum R.E.Fr.

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

24. Cremastosperma oblongum R.E.Fr. Figs 23 , 33 , Map 6

Cremastosperma oblongum R.E.Fr., Konl. Svenska Vetenskapsakad. Handl. 24: 4. 1948.

Type.

PERU, Junín: Río Pinedo, N of La Merced, 30 May 1929, Killip, E.P. & Smith, A.C. 23622 (holotype: US! [US00104266]; isotypes: NY! [NY00025863], S! [S-R-6966]).

Description.

Tree or shrub 2-17 m tall, 6-15 cm diam.; young twigs and petioles sparsely covered with appressed golden hairs to 0.4 mm long. Leaves: petioles 5-16 by 2-4 mm; lamina elliptic, obovate or narrowly so, 13-45 by 5-12 cm (index 2.5-4), coriaceous, shiny grey-green or brown above, dull brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with appressed golden hairs to 0.4 mm long on veins below, base acute, rarely cordate, apex acuminate (acumen (5 –)10– 20 mm long), primary vein grooved in basal half, 2-4 mm wide at widest point, secondary veins 8-19, intersecondary veins often 1(-2), distance between from 8-24 mm at the base to 12-27 mm closer to the apex, angles with primary vein from 40-70° at the base to 20-60° closer to the apex, sometimes branching, forming distinct loops, smallest distance between loops and margin 2-5 mm, tertiary veins mostly percurrent. Inflorescence of single flowers clustered in groups of up to three, on leafy or leafless twigs (occasionally on main stem, then on brachyblasts); peduncles ca. 2 by 1 mm (in flower), 2-5 by 1.5-3 mm (in fruit); pedicels 7-18 by ca. 1 mm at the base (in flower), 12 –35(– 80) by 1.5-3 mm (in fruit), peduncles and pedicels sparsely covered with appressed whitish hairs to 0.1 mm long; 2 or 3 lower bracts, deltate, 0.5-1 by 0.5-1 mm, obtuse, soon falling off or persistent, sparsely covered with appressed whitish hairs to 0.1 mm long; upper bract attached in basal half of pedicel, shallowly triangular, ca. 1 by ca. 2 mm, obtuse, persistent, sparsely covered with appressed whitish hairs to 0.1 mm long; closed flower buds not seen; flowers green maturing to cream, yellow or orange/yellow in vivo, black in sicco; sepals free, deltate, often recurved, ca. 2 by 2 mm, acute, soon falling off, sparsely covered with appressed whitish hairs <0.1 mm long or glabrous; petals glabrous, outer petals obovate to narrowly so, ca. 16 by 6-8 mm, inner petals elliptic to narrowly so, 15-16 by 4-6 mm; androecium ca. 8 mm diam., stamens 1-1.5 mm long, connective appendage 0.5-0.8 mm wide; gynoecium ca. 1.5 mm diam., carpels sparsely covered with erect golden hairs <0.1 mm long. Monocarps 6-20, ellipsoid, asymmetrical, 16-20 by 10-14 mm, green maturing through orange or red to black in vivo, brown or black in sicco, with an excentric apicule; stipes green maturing to red in vivo, 9-17 by 2-3 mm; fruiting receptacle 7-12 mm diam.; monocarps, stipes and receptacle glabrous. Seeds ellipsoid, reddish-brown, pitted, ca. 13 by 8 mm, raphe raised, regular.

Distribution.

Central and southern Peru (Cuzco, Huánuco, Junín, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Pasco, San Martín and Ucayali) and adjacent Brazil (Acre).

Habitat and ecology.

Primary, often upland, rainforest, on white sands, brown latosols and limestone soils. At elevations of 100-1800 m. Flowering: September, October, December; fruiting: March-July, October-January.

Vernacular names.

Peru: Bara caspi, Carahuasca (Bulnes 502), Carahuasca amarilla (Tello 1241), Hicoja (Schunke V. 5829), Palo blanco, Tortuga blanca (Tello 165), Ts’ntonimaski (D.N. Smith 6850), Yana huasca (Williams, Ll 7423).

Notes.

Cremastosperma oblongum is best discerned from the most similar other species on the basis of floral characters: the sepals are small and recurved (unlike C. megalophyllum ) and borne on short pedicels, whilst bud development is open (not the case in C. yamayakatense ). A similar species that also occurs in Central Peru is C. dolichopodum , which can be distinguished by the much greater length of the pedicels (both in flower and fruit). Two further undetermined collections from this region (Valenzuela 13205 and Vásquez 35950) are also similar, but differ in the presence of indument on the sepals and receptacles. The leaves of C. oblongum are quite distinctive: rather leathery with a greyish colour on the upper side, with secondary veins forming conspicuous loops and often narrowly elliptic. Fruiting specimens display more variation - particularly in the length of the pedicel. Cauliflorous specimens from the Peruvian department of Pasco (e.g. D.N. Smith 6613 and 6850; Monteagudo et al. 11777) have longer pedicels; the fruits otherwise resemble somewhat those of C. dolichopodum (the pedicels of which are several times longer).

Preliminary conservation status.

Cremastosperma oblongum is only found in southern Peru, but within its fairly wide EOO, it is not uncommon, including within protected areas. Least concern [LC] (Table 1 ).

Selected specimens examined.

BRAZIL. Acre: Unidade de Assentamento Santa Luzia, 7°45'S, 72°22'W, 2001, Maas et al. 9148 (L, U). PERU. Huánuco: Selva Central, Dantas, Llullapichis, 9°40'S, 75°02'W, 280 m a.s.l., 29 Jan 1986, Bulnes 502 (U); Selva Central, Dantas, Yuyapichis, 9°40'S, 75°02'W, 270 m a.s.l., 16 Dec 1989, Flores & Tello 165 (G); Pucallpa, western Sira mountain, 9°29'S, 74°50'W, 300-360 m a.s.l., 28 Sep 1988, Wallnöfer 117 28988 (U). Loreto: Panguana, SE of Pucallpa, junction of Río Pachitea, 9°37'S, 74°56'W, 260 m a.s.l., 25 Sep 1985, Morawetz & Wallnöfer 110 25985 (U, USM). Pasco: Palcazú, Iscozacin, 10°00'S, 75°10'W, 400 m a.s.l., 15 Jun 1985, R.B. Foster & Achille 10224 (F, MOL, U, USM); Huampal, 10°15'00"S, 75°13'26"W, 1100-1250 m a.s.l., Monteagudo et al. 4933 (HOXA); Distr. Iscozacín, 10°09'S, 75°18'W, 23 Sep 1986, Pariona & J. Ruíz 983 (MO); Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillen, 10°10'50"S, 75°34'26"W, 900-1200 m a.s.l., 3 Nov 2003, Pirie et al. 7 (HOXA, U, USM); Palcazú, 10°08'00"S, 75°22'06"W, 500 m a.s.l., 31 Mar 2009, R. Rojas et al. 6598 (HOXA, MO, USM); Cordillera de San Matias, 10°11'S, 75°12'W, 680-850 m a.s.l., 21 Jun 1982, D.N. Smith 2018 (MO); Gran Pajonal, 10°45'S, 74°23'W, 1200 m a.s.l., 30 Mar 1984, D.N. Smith 6613 (MO, U); Palcazú, Ataz, 10°09'20"S, 75°19'45"W, 652 m a.s.l., 22 May 2009, Valenzuela et al. 12782 (HOXA, HUT, MO, USM); Palcazú, Cerro Ozuz, 10°19'00"S, 75°17'30"W, 850-1010 m a.s.l., 10 Sep 2005, Vilca 411 (WAG).

Figures

Map 6. Distribution of Cremastosperma confusum Pirie, C. leiophyllum R. E. Fr.; and C. oblongum R. E. Fr.

Figure 23. a, b Cremastosperma leiophyllum R. E. Fr. a flower b fruit (Pirie et al. 2; photo LWC) c, d Cremastosperma megalophyllum R. E. Fr. c habit (Maas et al. 8577, photo: PJMM), fruit (Maas et al. 8595, photo PJMM) e-g C. microcarpum R. E. Fr. e fruit (Maas et al. 6281; photo PJMM) f, g flower (Maas et al 8222; photo PJMM) h-j C. monospermum (Rusby) R. E. Fr. h habit i leaves j flower bud (Pirie et al. 5; photos LWC) k, l C. oblongum R. E. Fr. k flower l fruit (Maas et al. 9148; photos PJMM) m-o C. osicola. m fruit n flower o leaf and flower with scale bar (photos Reinaldo Aguilar).

Figure 33. Cremastosperma oblongum R. E. Fr. a fruiting specimen b flower (a Foster & d'Achille 10224; b Maas et al. 4592).