Symplocos striata Kriebel & Zamora (2004: 171)

Kelly, Lawrence M., Almeda, Frank & Fritsch, Peter W., 2016, A taxonomic revision of Mexican and Central American Symplocos (Symplocaceae), Phytotaxa 264 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

29. Symplocos striata Kriebel & Zamora (2004: 171) . Type:— COSTA RICA. Heredia: Finca La Selva, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí , loop trail, [10°26′N, 84°01′W], 6 July 1979, J. Sperry 817 (holotype DUKE-n.v., online image!, isotypes CAS!, CR!, INB!, MO!)

Trees 10–15 m tall; juvenile branchlets and vegetative buds densely hirsute, trichomes 1–2.25 mm long, spreading, brownish. Petioles 3–9 mm long; leaf blades bicolorous, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 9.5–21 × 3.5–7.2 cm, chartaceous, abaxially smooth to slightly bullate, hirsute (more densely so along midvein), adaxially sparsely strigose becoming glabrous, secondary veins not adaxially impressed, base narrowly truncate, margins serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences fascicles or racemes 1–2.5 cm long, 3–5-flowered; peduncle absent; rachis 0–5 mm, densely hirsute, trichomes 1–2.25 mm long; bracts persistent, narrowly lanceolate, 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm, densely sericeous, margins densely sericeous; bracteoles persistent, 3–5, lanceolate, 3–5 × 1–1.5 mm, densely sericeous, margins densely sericeous; pedicels 0–5 mm long. Hypanthium usually glabrous or rarely sericeous. Calyx lobes 5, narrowly lanceolate, 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm, densely sericeous, margins ciliate, usually glandular. Corolla white, 8–9- lobed, 1–1.6 cm long; tube 6–9 mm long; lobes adnate to filament tube for 8–11 mm, linear-oblong, glabrous, rounded apically. Stamens multiseriate; filament tube 8.5–12 mm long; free portions of filaments 3–4 × 1–1.5 mm. Disk sericeous; style ca. 14 mm long, pilose on lower ¾; stigma conspicuously and irregularly lobed. Fruits green maturing to dark bluish purple, ellipsoid, 3–3.5 × 1.2–1.6 cm, glabrous, apex rounded to base of slightly incurved calyx lobes; disk narrowly conical, apex partly visible, surpassed by calyx lobes; endocarp 4-locular, perimeter irregularly fluted.

Vernacular name —None.

Illustration — Kriebel & Zamora (2004: 172).

Photographic image — Figure 2c .

Phenology —Flowering July; fruiting August and December.

Distribution and habitat —northern Costa Rica, uncommon in lowland rain forests of the Caribbean slope at 50–100(–500) m elev. Figure 30 .

Conservation status —This species of the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica is known from 12 collections representing six populations. The population at the La Selva Biological Station is the only one occurring in a protected area. The EOO is 5109 km ² and the AOO is 20 km ². Deforestation threats in the lowlands indicate a decline in the area, extent, and quality of habitat. On this basis, we assign a classification of Endangered (EN): B2ab(iii) to this species.

Discussion — Symplocos striata is readily distinguished by the combination of densely hirsute buds and branchlets, large serrate leaves that are reticulate on both surfaces, flowers with subulate calyx lobes that are densely sericeous abaxially, and large fruits with a striate endocarp. This species is similar to S. povedae , but can be distinguished by its lack of conspicuously bullate leaf surfaces and white (versus pink) corollas.

Additional specimens examined — COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Asentamiento campesino La Garroba, 80–100 m, 10°45′N, 84°52′W, 10 November 1987, Herrera 1193 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) ; San Carlos, Llanuras de San Carlos, Pital , Finca Hiloba , 18 km N de Boca Tapada, 50 m, 10°46′N, 84°11′W, 1 April 1995, Jiménez & Quesada 1739 ( INB!) ; Pital, Boca Tapada, Finca San Jorge , 50 m, 10°42′N, 84°10′W, 20 June 1996, Rodríguez et al. 1158 (CR!, INB!, MO!, NY!) ; Pital Boca Tapada, Finca Aserradero San Jorge , 100 m, 10°44′N, 84°10′W, 21 January 1996, Zamora V. & Zeledón 2363 (CR!, INB!, MEXU!, MO!) . Heredia: Cantón de Barva La Legua, Finca Montreal, ridge between headwaters of Río Volcán and Río San Fernando , just above trail to refugio, 1740 m, 10°12′39″N, 84°06′45″W, 9 October 1992, Boyle et al. 1159 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) ; Cantón Saraqipuí , OET, La Selva Arboretum, 2 July 2007, González 9079 ( LSCR!) ; Finca La Selva, the OTS Field Station on the Río Puerto Viejo just E of its jct. with the Río Sarapiquí , 100 m, [10°26′N, 84°01′W], 19 July 1980, Hammel 9255 (CAS!, LSCR!, MO!) ; Finca La Selva, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Vargas clearing along the W boundary, 10°26′N, 84°01′W, 5 August 1974, Hartshorn 1599 (DUKE!, F!, LSCR!, MO!, NY!) ; La Virgen, Parcela Aceituno (CATIE), La Tirimbina, La Virgen de Sarapiquí , 12 June 2013, Salicetti 481 ( LSCR!) ; Finca La Selva, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, El Surá near Taconazo Creek , [10°26′N, 84°01′W], 9 July 1979, Sperry 876 (CAS!, DUKE!) ; Cantón Sarapiquí, OET, La Selva, Sendero SSA, 500 m, 11 December 2010, Vargas 571 ( LSCR!) ; Cantón Sarapiquí, OET

A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SYMPLOCOS

Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 95 La Selva Arboleda, 9 July 2001, Vargas 713 ( LSCR!) ; Finca La Selva, the OTS Field Station on the Río Puerto Viejo just E of its jct. with the Río Sarapiquí , Sendero Sura on slope down to stream on trail to the Lindero Occidentale, 100 m, [10°26′N, 84°01′W], 18 January 1995, Wilbur 63552 (CAS-2!); Cantón Sarapiquí, OET La Selva Arboleda, 6 July 2006, Zamora 3923 ( LSCR!) . Limón: Cerro Muchilla, Fila Matama, Valle de la Estrella, 850 m, 9°47′50″N, 83°05′30″W, 5 April 1989, Herrera et al. 2523 (CAS!, MO!) ; Cantón de Pococí, Llanura de Santa Clara, Chiporrisito, 400 m, 10°36′10″N, 83°47′20″W, 30 January 1995, Rodríguez 513 (CR!, INB!, USJ!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Flowers and fruits of some species of Mexican and Central American Symplocos. a. S. serrulata. b. S. speciosa. c. S. striata. d. S. tribracteolata. e. S. austromexicana. f. S. citrea. g. S. pycnantha. h. S. coccinea. i. S. serrulata. j. S. hartwegii.

FIGURE 30. Geographic distribution of Symplocos retusa and S. striata.