4. Cremastosperma brachypodum Pirie & Chatrou sp. nov. Fig. 11, Map 8

Diagnosis.

Most similar to C. pendulum, C. confusum and C. monospermum (all species also found in central and southern Peru, with glabrous flowers and fruit and smallish leaves), from which it differs in the unusually short stipes; further differs from C. monospermum in the shape of the flower bud (depressed ovoid, compared to broadly ovoid-triangular) and from C. monospermum and C. pendulum in the shorter pedicels.

Type.

PERU, San Martín: Huinguillo, 3 Mar 1962, Woytkowski, F. 7128 (holotype: MO! [MO-047731]; isotypes: GH, UC).

Description.

Tree ca. 8 m tall; young twigs and petioles glabrous. Leaves: petioles 4-7 by 1-2 mm; lamina elliptic to obovate, 11-17 by 4.5-7 cm (leaf index 2.3-2.4), chartaceous, olive green, more greyish above, glabrous, base acute to obtuse, apex acuminate (acumen 8-10 mm long), primary vein raised over entire leaf length, ca. 1 mm wide at widest point, glabrous, secondary veins 5-6, intersecondary veins ca. 1-2, distance between varying along length (15 mm to ca. 25 mm), angles with primary vein from ca.70° at the base to ca.60° closer to the apex, not branching, forming distinct loops, smallest distance between loops and margin 3-4 mm, tertiary veins reticulate. Inflorescence of single flowers, axillary; short axillary shoot, ca. 1 by 0.5 mm (in flower), ca. 2 by 1 mm (in fruit); pedicels 21-28 by 1 mm at the base, 2.5 mm at the apex (in flower), ca. 44 by 1-3 mm at the base, ca. 3 mm at the apex (in fruit), short axillary shoot and pedicels glabrous; 2 lower bracts, soon falling off; upper bract attached at between one third and half of the pedicel length, deltate, ca. 1 mm long by ca. 1 mm diam., apex rounded, ciliate; closed flower buds depressed ovoid; flowers creamy white in vivo, dark brown in sicco; sepals connate for ca. 1 mm, deltate, somewhat recurved, 2-2.5 by 2.5-3 mm, rounded, persistent, glabrous; outer petals ovate, 11-13 by 8-9 mm, inner petals elliptic to ovate, 8-12 by 4-5 mm, glabrous, ciliate; receptacle ovoid, apex concave; androecium ca. 3 mm diam., stamens ca. 100, 1.5-2 mm long, connective appendage ca. 1 mm wide; gynoecium ca. 2 mm diam., carpels ca. 15, glabrous. Monocarps ca. 13, ellipsoid, slightly asymmetrical, 7-9 by 6-7 mm, without apicule, blackish-brown in sicco; stipes ca. 2 by ca. 2 mm; fruiting receptacle elipsoid, 6 mm diam.; monocarps, stipes and receptacle glabrous. Seeds not seen.

Distribution.

Peru (San Martín).

Habitat and ecology.

Forest. At an elevation of ca. 500 m. Flowering and fruiting: March.

Notes.

Cremastosperma brachypodum, known only from the type, is distinctive within Cremastosperma due to the unusual shortness of the stipes, but otherwise typical of species of the southern/montane clade in the absence of indument on all parts.

Etymology.

The specific epithet " brachypodum " is derived from the Greek brachy (short) and podum (-stalked), referring to the short stipes.

Preliminary conservation status.

This new species is only known from a single collection dating back to 1962 in a non-protected, rural area. Critically endangered [CR] (Table 1).