Magnolia celaquensis A.Vázquez & H.Vega, 2022

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 : 115-119

Magnolia celaquensis A.Vázquez & H.Vega , sp. nov. ( Figs. 4–6 )

Type:— HONDURAS. Depto. COPÁN: Cuchilla del Águila, Corquín , Zona de amortiguamiento [buffer zone] del Parque Nacional Montaña de Celaque , 1544 m, 14°32’32.92” N, 88°48’20.91” O, 25 Jul 2022 (fl), Vega, Morales & Ventura 2255 (holotype: EAP! : isotypes: MO!, IBUG!, MAPANCE!, TCD!, TEFH!) .

Magnolia celaquensis is similar to M. montebelloensis in terms of flower shape and size of leaves and flowers, but it differs in having adaxially concave glabrous leaves with straight margins vs. adaxially convex and abaxially pubescent along the midvein with undulate margins; longer peduncles, 3.3–3.9 vs. 1.5–2.0 cm; peduncles fully hidden by dense felty pubescence vs. visible despite pubescence; spathaceous bract fully covered with longer and pale yellowish hairs vs. still visible through dense reddish hairs; gynoecium narrowly ellipsoid vs. ovoid; basal follicles of developing fruit longer than half the gynoecium length vs. shorter than half the gynoecium length; stigmas longer and mostly curled vs. shorter and mostly curved; follicles with longer, curled beaks vs. shorter curved; seeds mostly disk-like vs. ovoid to prismatic.

Trees 15–23 m tall; 77 cm dbh. Perular scale 17.0–19.0 × 4.0– 4.3 mm, green, pubescent apically. Stipules 10.0– 11.0 × 0.7–0.9 cm, brownish to reddish at maturity, free from petiole, pubescent. Leaves petiolate, 2.0–2.8 × 0.2–0.3 cm, without a stipular scar, stout, pubescent, laminas 12.0–16.9 × 4.9–6.6 cm, oblanceolate, the midvein adaxially sunken and abaxially prominent, densely golden hairy, secondary veins adaxially inconspicuous, peduncles 3.3–3.9 × 0.7–0.8 cm, glabrous. Flower bud broadly ellipsoid 5.9–6.1 × 4.1–4.2 cm, acute apically, truncate basally, spathaceous bracts 2, 2.6–3.9 × 2.0– 2.5 cm, broadly ellipsoid, densely covered with reddish brown hairs, sepals 3, creamy white, (5.0–)6.0–6.1 × 2.9–3.0 cm, cochleate, obtuse apically, base truncate, 7.9–8.6 mm wide, outer petals 3, creamy white, 5.7–5.9 × 2.8–3.5 cm, broadly and deeply cochleate, revolute, wider in the upper third, gradually narrowing toward the claw, slightly apiculate apically, base truncate, 5.3–5.6 mm wide, inner petals 3, creamy white, 3.8–4.2 × 1.8–2.5 cm, broadly and deeply cochleate and revolute, wider in the upper third, gradually narrowing toward the claw, slightly apiculate apically, base truncate, 2.5–3.8 mm wide, gynoecium narrowly ellipsoid, yellowish green at first, the stigmas curled, brownish orange, carpels 20–25, glabrous, green, stamens 80–88 on a wine-red staminal axis. Fruit 6.0–6.3 × 3.8–3.9 cm, oblongoid, follicles 2.4–3.0 × 9.0–10.0 cm, broadly open, beaks curled, twisted, dorsally rugose, turning from green to blackish, seeds flattened, disk-like, red-pinkish.

Habitat and phenology:— Known from the type locality in mixed tropical montane cloud forests, 1544 m, including Liquidambar sp. , Pinus sp. , Saurauia sp. , Cupania sp. , Trichospermum sp. , Piper sp. , Inga sp. , Persea schiedeana , Persea americana , Clethra sp. and Vismia sp. ( Fig. 1 ; Table 2 ). Flowering July, fruiting September– October.

Etymology and ethnobotany:— Dedicated to Parque Nacional Montaña de Celaque. The local name is yaroconte.

Conservation status:—Known only from two trees at the type locality. Given its narrow distribution, the species should be considered critically endangered (IUCN criterion B1ab(iii)) ( Table 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of Honduran Magnoliaceae.

FIGURE 4. Magnolia montebelloensis (A–C):A. Wavy leaves.B. Flowers with short peduncle.C.Developing fruit. Magnolia celaquensis (D–F): D. concave leaves with a slight translucent margin. E. Flowers with long stalks. F. Developing fruit. Photographs: A–C by A. Vázquez, D–F by S. Morales.

FIGURE 5. Magnolia montebelloensis (A–B): A. Fruit with basal carpels shorter than half of the fruit length. B. Spathaceous bract and peduncle fully covered by long whitish hairs. Magnolia celaquensis (C–D): Fruit with basal carpels longer than half of the fruit length. D. Spathaceous bract and peduncle are still visible, despite the reddish yellow hairs. Photographs A–B by A. Vázquez, C–D by H. Vega.

FIGURE 6. Magnolia montebelloensis (A–B): A. Flower with scarlet-red staminophore. B. Fruit, follicles with curved beaks and seeds. Magnolia celaquensis (C–D): C. Flower with wine-red staminophore. D. Fruit, flattened seeds and follicle beaks twisted and curled. Photographs A–B by A. Vázquez, C–D by S. Morales.