Symplocos morii Almeda & L.M.Kelly

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

16. Symplocos morii Almeda & L.M.Kelly in Kelly & Almeda (2002: 371). Type:— PANAMA. Chiriquí: Cerro Hornito [Cerro Pate de Macho], S rim of the Edwin Fabrega Dam and Reserve watershed , ridge trail leading to the summit, 1800–1950 m, [08°45′04″N, 82°05′04″W], 17 January 1989, F. Almeda et al. 6267 (holotype CAS!, isotype PMA!)

Dwarf shrubs or trees 2–5 m tall; juvenile branchlets and vegetative buds glabrous. Petioles 2–7 mm long; leaf blades ± concolorous, broadly elliptic, 5.5–8(–9) × 3–5 cm, coriaceous, glabrous, secondary veins not adaxially impressed, base obtuse to rounded (rarely acute), margins entire, usually strongly revolute or rarely plane, marginal glands generally caducous, apex rounded. Inflorescences racemes 1.1–1.5 cm long, 3–5-flowered, glabrous; peduncle 2–3 mm long; rachis 5–7 mm long, glabrous; bracts persistent, oblong-ovate, 1–3 × 1.5–3 mm, glabrous, margins ciliate; bracteoles persistent, 3 or 4, oblong-ovate, 1.75–2.5 × 1.75–2.5 mm, glabrous, margins ciliate; pedicels 1–2 mm long. Hypanthium glabrous. Calyx lobes 5, subrotund, 1.3–1.7 × 1.8–2.2 mm, glabrous, margins ciliate. Corolla white, 5-lobed, 5–6 mm long; tube 1.5–1.8 mm long; lobes adnate to filament tube for 2–2.2 mm, oblong, glabrous. Stamens ± 3-seriate; filament tube 2–3 mm long; distinct portions of filaments 2–2.5 × 0.5–0.75 mm. Disk villous; style 1.8–2 mm long, glabrous; stigma conspicuously and irregularly lobed. Fruits white, ovoid to ellipsoid, 6–8 × 4–5 mm, glabrous, apex obtuse with irregularly erect to infolded calyx lobes; disk convex, almost equaling calyx lobes and well exposed; endocarp 3-locular, perimeter irregularly undulate.

A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SYMPLOCOS

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Vernacular name —None.

Illustration — Kelly & Almeda (2002: 372).

Phenology —Flowering January, June, and July; fruiting January, April, and December.

Distribution and habitat — Panama (Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas provinces), in exposed windswept sites with dwarf cloud forest vegetation that forms a 3–5 m canopy at 1300–2300 m elev. Figure 22 .

Conservation status —This western Panamanian endemic is known from four populations, three of which are protected. The protected populations occur within the Reserva Forestal Fortuna, which forms the eastern border of a continuous mosaic of protected land that includes La Amistad International Park, Volcán Barú National Park, and Palo Seco Forest Reserve. The EOO is 1143 km ² and the AOO is 16 km ². Based on the limited area of occupancy and the few known populations, we assign a classification of Vulnerable (VU) D2 to this species.

Discussion —This species is easily distinguished from all others in the region by the combination of broadly elliptic, entire- and revolute-margined leaves 3–5 cm wide, glabrous styles ca. 2 mm long, and fruits that are white when mature.

Additional specimens examined — PANAMA. Bocas del Toro: on Chiriquí trail, elfin forest at divide, [08°49′54″N, 82°15′12″W], 20 April 1968, Kirkbride Jr. & Duke 992 (MO!, NY!) . Chiriquí: path from Linares Farm to top of Cerro Hornito ca. 1400–1750 m, [08°38′56″N, 82°10′57″W], 27 December 1977, Folsom et al. 7240 (CAS-2!, MO!) ; Cerro Hornito , 40 km NW of Gualaca, 2238 m, [08°39′N, 82°11′W], 27 July 1975, Mori & Bolten 7502 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) . Veraguas: summit of Cerro Tute above Escuela Agricola Alto de Piedra , just W of Santa Fé, 1350–1410 m, 08°32′N, 81°07′W, 5 June 1982, Knapp & Dressler 5396 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) .

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Figures

FIGURE 22. Geographic distribution of Symplocos morii and S. povedae.