Cladocolea kuijtii Martínez-Ambriz & Cruz-Durán, 2015

Martínez-Ambriz, Emmanuel & Cruz-Durán, Ramiro, 2015, Cladocolea kuijtii (Loranthaceae) a new species from Mexico, Phytotaxa 195 (1), pp. 73-78 : 75-76

Cladocolea kuijtii Martínez-Ambriz & Cruz-Durán , sp. nov

C. hintonii similis sed foliis obovatis vel orbicularis, inflorescentiis capituliformibus, bracteis persistentibus, floribus masculis pentameris, floribus femineis pentameris vel hexameris stylis rectis et stigmatibus linear-lobulatis.

Type: — MÉXICO. Guerrero: Leonardo Bravo: 4 Km al O de La Vuelta, 2470 m, 25 Julio 1984 (fl.), R. M. Fonseca 651 (Holotype FCME, isotypes: MEXU, ENCB).

Perennial hemiparasitic shrubs, pendulums, 0.3–1 m long, with sympodial branching; stems erect, teretes, browngray, sulcate, pubescent, leaf scars inconspicuous, absent epicortical roots. Leaves subsessile, alternate to opposite phyllotaxis; blades obovate to orbicular, 0.8–2.5 x 0.7–1.6 cm, apex mucronulatum to rounded sometimes retuse, base acute, margins entire to repand, venation pinnate, indumentum of simple trichomes, only on the midrib, the base and the leaf margin, thicker and longer at the base than at the apex. Inflorescences capituliform, determinates and axillary, 0.6–2.5 cm long, with 4–6 flowers; peduncles 0.3–1.8 cm long, pubescent. Floral bracts triangular to oblanceolate, 1–4 mm long, green, pubescent, accompanied by only the lateral flowers. Female flower, 5–6.5 x 2–3 mm, actinomorphic, pentamerous rarely hexamerous, sessile. Calyx green, reduced to a calicular denticulate edge irregularly, papillose. Corolla white, 4–5 mm long, frees petals, papillose. Staminodes equal to the number of petals, adnate to the corolla, inconspicuous. Ovary inferior, 1–2 x 0.8–1 mm, pilose. Style straight, 2.5–3 mm long, stigma linear-lobed, brown. Male flower, 4.5–6 x 5–6 mm, actinomorphic, pentamerous, sessile. Calyx green, reduced to a calicular denticulate edge irregularly, papillose. Corolla white, 4–5 mm long, frees petals, papillose. Stamens equal to the number of petals, adnate to the corolla, opposite the petals, inserted at two different heights, three of them to ¾ of petal and two to ½, arranged alternately. Anthers basifixed, 1–1.8 x 0.5–0.8 mm, dehiscence longitudinal. Ovary inferior, 0.8–1.5 x 0.8–1 mm, pilose. Style straight to slightly sigmoid to ¾, 2–2.5 mm long, stigma undifferentiated. Berry ovoid, 4.5–6 (–6.5) x 3–4.5 mm, yellow, glabrous.

Distribution and Habitat: — Cladocolea kuijtii ( Figure 1 ) is endemic to Guerrero, Mexico. It grows in the Abies forest, mountainous cloud forest and gallery forest, in an altitudinal range that goes from 1950 to about 2500 m of altitude. The only host known at the moment is Cornus sp.

Notes: —Flowering in July, fruiting from March.

Additional specimens examined: — MEXICO: Guerrero. Ahuacuotzingo: Ajuatetla, reserva campesina, 2 Marzo 1998 (fr.), N. Diego 7758 ( FCME). Atoyac de Álvarez : Desviación al Iris, camino Paraíso-Puerto del Gallo , 1950 m, 30 Julio 1993 (fl), L. Lozada 1821 ( FCME) ; Puerto del Gallo , 2420 m, 9 Julio 1985 (fl), C. Arredondo 18 ( FCME) .

Etymology: —The name of the species is in recognition of Dr. Job Kuijt, due to his continuous work on Loranthaceae , especially of Cladocolea , as he described most of the species for the genus.

Remarks: — Cladocolea kuijtii differs from C. hintonii Kuijt (1975: 298) , due to its obovate to orbicular leaves, capituliform inflorescences, number of flowers per inflorescence, persistent bracts, pentamerous and hexamerous female flowers, straight style and linear-lobed stigma ( Table 1).

Regarding the differences between C. kuijtii and C. microphylla (Kunth) Kuijt (1975: 313) , these consist mostly in the lanceolate to oblanceolate leaves, leaf indumentum, presence of foliar bracts, flowers always hexamerous, contorted style and capitate stigma ( Table 1).

C. kuijtii is restricted to the central region of the physiographic province of Southern Coastal Range (Cervantes et al. 2001) on the lot Guerrerense ( Figure 2 ); thus it shares its distribution with C. hintonii , which is endemic to the state. However, the latter is distributed in a wider altitudinal range, although both share some vegetation types ( Table 1). C. hintonii is closely related to habitats with the presence of Quercus L., while C. kuijtii is closed related to habitats with the genus Cornus L. Perhaps because of the relationship between Cornus sp. and C. kuijtii , the latter is found in a larger number of habitats.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cladocolea kuijtii. A) Habit, B) Male flower, C) Female flower, D) Inflorescence, E) Detail of leaves and inflorescences, F) Inflorescence with fruits. (A, C, D and E based on C. Arredondo 18; B based on Fonseca 651; F based on N. Diego 7758; drawn by Ramiro Cruz Durán).

FIGURE 2. Distribution map of C. kuijtii and C. hintonii considering physiographic region in Guerrero.