Scottmoria spiralocucullata S.A. Mori & Cornejo, 2024

Cornejo, Xavier & Prance, Ghillean T., 2024, Three new species of Scottmoria (Lecythidaceae) from northwestern South America, Phytotaxa 675 (1), pp. 59-68 : 65-67

3. Scottmoria spiralocucullata S.A. Mori & Cornejo , sp. nov. ( Fig. 3 )

New species of Scottmoria , similar to S. andina (Rusby) Cornejo , however, S. spiralocucullata differs from the latter species by the leaf blades with midvein abaxially smooth when dry (vs. leaf blades with midvein abaxially finely and longitudinally ridged and canaliculate, when dry), and mainly by inflorescences cauline with a glabrous rachis (vs. inflorescences terminal, axillary, and/ or ramiflorous; the rachis puberulent), the pedicels longer, 8–13 mm long above articulation (vs. pedicels 2–5 mm long above articulation), and the calyx purple-red, valvate, the sepals acute (vs. calyx greenish, imbricate, the sepals obtuse to rounded).

Type: — ECUADOR. Napo: Llanganates , parte baja, ca. 1°01’ S 77°54’ W, 700 m, 23 Nov 2010 (fl), X. Cornejo, T. Montenegro, H. Grefa & V. Vidal 8374 (holotype: NY-01413808!; isotypes: GUAY!, K!, QCA!, QCNE!) .

Tree to 15 m tall and 20 cm DBH, the bark longitudinally rough and transversally finely cracked-sulcate, gray, the inner bark ± smooth, red, the trunk cylindric to base; the branches erect. Stems glabrous, lenticellate. Leaves shortly petiolate, the petioles thick, shallowly channeled adaxially, rounded abaxially, hemispherical in cross section, 10–20 mm long × 4–8 mm diam. (dry), 6–12 mm diam. (fresh), glabrous; blades oblong-elliptic to slightly obovate-oblong, 35–55 × 8–18 cm, chartaceous, with abundant black punctations abaxially, the base obtuse, the margins entire, marginal glands present in young leaves, turning inconspicuous dark-brown dots in mature leaves, the apex acuminate; venation brochidodromous throughout the blade or sometimes apparently eucamptodromous towards base and brochidodromous towards apex, the midrib prominent and canaliculate (dry) adaxially, salient abaxially, glabrous, the secondary veins in 15–25 pairs, impressed adaxially, salient abaxially, the tertiary veins reticulate. Inflorescences ramiflorous or cauline, raceme or pyramidal-paniculate, the rachis 3–12 cm long, straight, glabrous, lenticellate; floral bracts absent; pedicels 8–13 × ca. 2 mm, gradually tapered to articulation, lenticellate, glabrous, red-purple (fresh), blackish (dry), flower buds red-purple (fresh). Flowers ca. 6 cm diam. (fresh), ca. 4 cm diam. (dry); hypanthium glabrous, truncate at summit; calyx with 6 lobes, the lobes triangular to ovate-triangular, 5–6 × 3–4 mm (fresh), broadly divergent at anthesis, purple-red, smooth and lenticellate (fresh) abaxially, the bases valvate, arising from fused calyx rim; petals subobovate to ± oblongoid, 2.5–3.5 × 2–2.5 cm, red-rose; androecial hood with three coils, ca. 2.5 cm across, red-rose (fresh); vestigial stamens on outside of coils; staminal ring with ca. 250 stamens, the filaments ca. 1.5–2 mm long (fresh), clavate, the anthers ca. 0.5 mm long (fresh); the ovary summit slightly raised over hypanthium, the style arising 1.5–3 × 1.5–2 mm, stout, distinguished from summit ovary, the stylar collar absent. Fruits depressed globose to oblate, 8–15 × 6–10 cm, the calyx lobes persistent in old subwoody fruits, the infra-calycine zone truncate to depressed from calycine ring to pedicel/hypanthium, 1.5–2 cm wide, the supra-calycine zone flared outward, ca. 3.5–4 cm wide, the operculum occupying one-third of fruit length, convex, without or with scarcely developed umbo, the pericarp brown when dry, ca. 7 mm thick. Seeds ca. 5–8 per fruit, usually wedge-shaped in cross section, the outer surface hemi-spherical, the two sides flat, 5–5.5 × ca. 3 cm, the veins impressed on surface of fresh seeds, the testa smooth.

Discussion: —The large oblong-elliptic to slightly obovate-oblong leaves and the similar number and arrangement of lateral nerves of Scottmoria spiralocucullata resemble those of S. andina (Rusby) Cornejo (2024: 172, Vargas et al. 2024), that occurs from the eastern slopes of Andes of Colombia to Bolivia, the same characteristics are also reminiscent of the also molecularly related S. ovalifolia (DC.) Cornejo (2024: 174; see molecular tree in Vargas et al. 2024, fig. 1B, the paratype Cornejo & Grefa 8057 as Scottmoria sp. nov. L946), from the central and western Amazonia of Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador ( Mori et al. 2015). However, S. spiralocucullata differs from both species by the leaf blades with midvein abaxially smooth when dry (vs. leaf blades with midvein abaxially finely and longitudinally ridged and canaliculate, when dry), and mainly by inflorescences with a glabrous rachis (vs. inflorescences with a rachis puberulent), the pedicels longer, 8–13 mm long above articulation (vs. pedicels 2–5 mm long above articulation), and the calyx purple-red, valvate, the sepals acute (vs. calyx greenish, imbricate, the sepals obtuse to rounded). Furthermore, Although S. ovalifolia may also have cauline inflorescences ( Mori et al. 2015), however, in addition to the above mentioned differences the latter species can be easily told apart from S. spiralocucullata by the flowers that are usually yellow or white (vs. flowers rose-red to purple).

Scottmoria spiralocucullata may also resemble to S. rimbachii (Standl.) Cornejo (2024: 175, Vargas et al. 2024) from western Ecuador, but differs from the latter by the bark gray, rough (vs. bark light brown, often with white patches, lenticellate, with age turning to exfoliating irregular plaques), and mainly by the often thicker petioles (5–12 mm diam. vs. 3–5 mm diam. in fresh material), calyx lobes triangular to ovate-triangular, 5–7 mm long (vs. ovate or deltoid to orbicular, 3–4 mm long), fruit with a basal to subbasal calycine ring and infracalycine zone often flat to depressed (vs. fruit with ± medial calycine ring and a developed and broadly convex infracalycine zone), and the geographic pattern of distribution (western Amazonian to eastern Andean slopes vs. Pacific coastal plains to western Andean slopes).

Etymology: —The epithet refers to the triple coiled androecial hood, that is a common character of the species of Scottmoria , which is mostly distributed from the Pacific side of Costa Rica to Ecuador. This is in contrast to Eschweilera a genus predominantly found east of the Andes to central Amazonia, the flowers of which have yellow to white corollas and double coiled androphores. The rose-red flowers with a triple coiled androecial hood of Scottmoria is a distinctive feature of the western Andean region ( Mori et al. 2015).

Common names: —mata-mata-mole ( Silveira et al. 537, NY).

Habitat and distribution: —An understory to medium size tree of mature eastern premontane Andean wet forest to eastern Amazonia, in well drained soils. Known from northeastern Ecuador to eastern Brazil, 240 to 800 m elevation.

Phenology: — Flowers have been observed in July and from October to December, fruits in January and April.

Conservation status: —As the habitats where Scotmoria spiralocucullata occur are mostly conserved; therefore, the IUCN conservation status assigned is Least Concern, LC ( IUCN, 2022).

Paratypes: — BRAZIL. Acre: Mun. Mal. Traumaturgo, Rio Alto Juruá, Reserva Extrativista do Alto Juruá, margem esquerda, Igarapé Amônia, ca. 72°47’W 8°56’S, ca. 240 m, 12 Abr 1993 (fr), M. Silveira, R. C. Saraiva, F. C. Walthier 537 (NY!). ECUADOR. Napo: Tena, comunidad Tamia Yura, 77°48’00¨W 0°58’21¨S, 592 m, 10 Oct 2022 (fl), P. Ojeda & C. Lascano s.n. (GUAY!). Orellana: Yasuni National Park, Ceiba trail, near the disjunction to Peru trail, 76°23’39¨W 0°40’40¨S, 258 m, 24 Jan 2009 (fr), X. Cornejo & G. Grefa 8057 (NY!). Estación científica Yasuní, río Tiputini, al noroeste de la confluencia con el río Tivacuno, Este de la carretera Repsol-YPF, km 7 desvío hacia el Pozo, 76°30’W 0°38’S, 200–300 m, 23 Jan 2001 (fr), G. Villa, M. Zambrano, L. Vélez 826 (F!).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Scottmoria spiralocucullata. A. Leaves, abaxial view; B. Longitudinal section of androecial hood displaying three coils and detached calyx/pedicel at post-anthesis, lateral view; C. Trunk covered by bryophytes and cauline inflorescence, lateral view; D. Close up of inflorescence displaying rachis and flower buds, note the triangular sepals; E. Fruit at post maturity and three dark brown seeds, the arils naturally removed by rodents; F. Bark rough and transversally finely cracked-sulcate, gray, the inner bark ± smooth, red (A–D, F, based on Cornejo et al. 8374, the type; E, based on Cornejo & Grefa 8097). Photos by Xavier Cornejo.