Magnolia sororum Seibert subsp. sororum

Vázquez-García, J. Antonio, Kelly, Daniel L., Mejía-Valdivieso, Darío A., Morales, Wilson, Dahua-Machoa, Alex, Vega-Rodríguez, Hermes, Peña, Alondra Salomé Ortega, Padilla-Lepe, Jesús & Muñiz-Castro, Miguel Á., 2022, Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) in Honduras: a synopsis with six new taxa, Phytotaxa 570 (2), pp. 109-149 : 140

Magnolia sororum Seibert subsp. sororum ( Fig. 19 )

Trees 25–30 m; 0.3–0.4 m dbh, twig internodes and young branches densely pubescent, with pale yellow or rusty brownish hairs. Leaves petiolate, revolute, stipules free from the petiole, 1–3 cm long, smooth, channelled, densely pubescent, with pale yellow or rusty brownish hairs, laminas 6–20 × 3–10 cm, broadly elliptic to obovate, ovateelliptic to elliptic or ovate-oblong, blunt or rounded, obtuse or subacute at the apex, abaxially densely pubescent, with pale yellow- or rusty-brownish hairs, 10–14 secondary veins per side. Flowers trimerous, fragrant, creamy white, peduncular internodes 1.5–4.0 cm long, densely pubescent, with pale yellow or rusty brownish hairs, hypsophylls 2–4, abaxially densely pubescent, with pale yellow or rusty brownish hairs, sepals 3, obovate-oblong, (4.0–)5.5–7.0 × 2.5–3.0 cm, glabrous, petals 6, 5.5–8.0 × 2.0– 4.5 cm, narrowly obovate, glabrous, staminophore 6–8 mm long, stamens 87–102, 1.3–1.5 cm. long, anthers sessile, gynoecium ovoid, with 32–45 carpels. Fruit 4.5–6.0 × 2.4–3.2 cm, oblongoid, densely pubescent, with pale yellow or rusty brownish hairs, carpels beaked, 0.4–0.6 cm long, seeds 0.5–0.6 cm in diam, prismatic to suborbicular, dark red, nigrescent.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Eastern Honduras (Colón, Gracias a Dios and Olancho Departments), western Nicaragua (Jinotega and Atlántico Norte), Costa Rica (Cártago, San José, Punta Arenas) and Panamá (Chiriquí, Coclé). Records from Chiapas ( México), Toledo ( Belize) and Alta Verapaz ( Guatemala; http://www.tropicos.org/Name/ 19300039?tab=specimens, August 2017) do not correspond with this subspecies. This subspecies grows 850–2120 m but is more abundant at higher elevations, beginning at 1650 m. Flowering February–August, fruiting July–September ( Fig. 1 ; Table 2 ).

Etymology and ethnobotany:— Named in honour of the two sisters, Gene and Peggy White, who made a special effort to recollect the plant after the Seibert’s original specimens were lost to fire. No ethnobotanical information has been recorded.

Conservation status:— The typical subspecies occurs in four countries, but its habitat and area of occupancy are highly disturbed, reduced and fragmented, so it is vulnerable (VU), according to the B2ab(ii, iii) criterion of the IUCN Red List ( IUCN 2012, Rivers et al. 2016), whereas M. sororum subsp. lutea Vázquez (1994: 18) is vulnerable (VU) according to the B1ab(iii) criterion.

Additional specimens examined:— HONDURAS. Depto. Colón : Camino Real El Carbón-Guayabo, El Carbon, 1135–1500 m, 15°26’30.62” N, 85°28’45.03” W, 31 May 2016, Romero 463 ( EAP) . Depto. Gracias a Dios: Cuenca del Río Plátano , Crique Sulawala, 12-30 May 1977 (fr), Erazo s.n. ( TEFH) . Depto. Olancho: Catacamas, Sierra de Agalta , 1800 m, 14°59’ N, 085°56’ W, 3 Jun 1992, Hawkins et al. 477 ( EAP, MO, TEFH) ; Talgua, Santa Fé, Bosque ralo con café, 1432 m, 14°57’56” N, 85°50’56” W, 21 Mar 2006, House et al. 3801 ( EAP, MEXU, TEFH) ; Gualaco, Agalta , 1900–2200 m, 28 Mar 2006, House et al. 4139 ( EAP) ; San Esteban , N de Culmí, 26 Apr 1979, Nelson & Agudelo 5360 ( TEFH) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of Honduran Magnoliaceae.

FIGURE 19. Magnolia sororum subsp. sororum from Olancho, Honduras, showing pubescent young fruit and leaves, Hawkins et al. 477 (BM). Photograph by A. Vázquez.