Brunellia lobinii Böhnert & Weigend, 2017

Böhnert, Tim & Weigend, Maximilian, 2017, Brunellia (Brunelliaceae) in Peru-distribution, a new species and a key, Phytotaxa 329 (2), pp. 101-113 : 108-110

13. Brunellia lobinii Böhnert & Weigend , sp. nov. ( Fig. 3 & 4 )

TYPE — PERU, Lambayeque, Ferreñafe, Kañaris, [north of the town of Kañaris, behind a ridge and an old cemetery, along a path], 2704 m, 06°01‘48.4‘‘S 79°15‘30.4‘‘W, 23 February 2015, T. Böhnert, C. Löhne, D. Paredes B. & S. Kang G. 335 (holotype USM!, isotypes BONN!, HUT!).

Diagnosis:— Brunellia lobinii differs from B. goudotii Tulasne (1847: 270) by the lanceolate-ovate leaf shape in the former versus an oblong-elliptic in B. goudotii , by the truncate leaf base in B. lobinii instead of rounded or obtuse, while the new species has 12–15 pairs of secondary veins compared to 16–23 pairs in B. goudotii . The inflorescences are 3–5 cm long in B. lobinii and therefore distinctively shorter compared to B. goudotii with 6–15 cm. Further differences between the two species exist within the female flowers, where the expanded calyx in case of B. lobinii is slightly smaller (7.5–9.0 mm in diameter) in comparison to B. goudotii with 10–11 mm, while filaments of the staminodia in case of B. lobinii are 5 mm long and only 1.5–2.0 mm in B. goudotii .

Description: —Tree, ca. 10 m, young branches, grayish or brownish, glabrous, young branchlets ochraceous, densely lanuginose. Stipules geminate, very small (ca. 1 mm), triangular, densely covered with lanate hairs. Leaves simple, three per node, opposite on smaller branches; lamina rigid, coriaceous. Petioles minutely crisp–tomentose, sulcate above, crisp tomentose along the margin and within the furrow, (1–) 1.4–1.7 cm. Lamina lanceolate-ovate, rounded or truncate at the base, acute or shortly acuminate at the apex, margins biserrate, teeth acute 4–6(–9) mm apart, up to 1 mm, becoming obtuse with age, surrounded by tangled trichomes; 11–16 cm long, 3–8 cm wide. Mature leaves glabrous above, dark green, rugulose-undulate between the veins; primary vein narrow, <1 mm wide, adaxially sunk into the lamina, groove filled with lanate hairs; secondary veins impressed, one-third of the veins sparsely lanate. Lamina abaxially lanate, cream–ochraceous, primary vein prominent, covered with lanuginose unicellular trichomes; secondary veins prominent, lanate unicellular trichomes, in 12–15 pairs, mostly 9–16 mm apart, ascending with a divergence angle of 50°–60°, curved, tertiary veins prominent, obliquely and irregularly transverse- anastomosing with the fourth, fifth and sixth smaller degree veins into a delicate but rather thick, very prominent reticulum covered by a close tomentum of tangled, flexuous, intricate trichomes. Inflorescences axillary in young terminal branchlets, shorter than subtending leaves (3–5 cm long), arranged in cymes, densely bright ochraceous, lanate, peduncle 2.0– 3.5 cm long, striate; bracts linear 1–2 mm, tomentose, soon deciduous; pedicels lanate, 3–4 mm. Flower buds depressedly globose, ca. 2.5 mm long, 3 mm in diameter. Male flowers not seen. Female flowers apetalous, mostly pentamerous, calyx 7.5–9.0 mm in diameter during anthesis, sepals rather thick, 2.5–3.0 × 1.5 mm, acute, covered with soft tangled trichomes outside, inside with a prominent midvein; staminodia ten, filaments ca. 5 mm long, pubescent for the lower 1-2/3rds, apex narrowing into a capillary connection with the anthers; anthers apiculate, 2 mm long, sterile; carpels mostly 5, 3–4 mm long, tomentose–hispid, pinkish–purple (brown–ochraceous when dry), tapering gradually into a filiform (black during fruit ripening) style of 5–6 mm.

Note: —Following Cuatrecasas’ (1985) classification, B. lobinii belongs to Brunellia sect. Simplicifolia due to the simple leaves, and in subsect. Simplicifoliae Cuatrecasas (1970: 165) due to the absence of stipels and the arrangement of three leaves per node, together with the morphologically most similar species B. goudotii and six other species mainly from Colombia ( Cuatrecasas 1985). Most of the Peruvian species cannot be confused with B. lobinii as they have pinnate leaves. From sect. Simplicifolia only two species, beside B. lobinii , occur in Peru, namely B. briquetii and B. dulcis . Both species can be easily distinguished from B. lobinii by the opposite arrangement of the leaves instead of having three leaves per node, but also by the crenate and not biserrate leaf margin in case of B. briquetii and a cuneate instead of a truncate leaf base in case of B. dulcis .

Etymology:—Named after Dr. Wolfram Lobin, curator of Bonn University Botanical Gardens from 1987–2016.

Conservation assessment:— Brunellia lobinii is known only from the type locality. We categorize the new species as Data Deficient (DD) according to the IUCN standards. It is likely this species could fit in the endangered categories because it grows in the Andean cloud forests, an area highly threatened ( Mutke et al. 2017).

Aditional specimens examined:— PERU, Lambayeque, Ferreñafe, Distr. Kañaris, 2613 m, 06°01‘52.3‘‘S 79°15‘31.6‘‘W, 20 November 2014, M. Weigend, J. Chacón, E.F. Rodriguez, T. Henning, L.F. García, S. N. Miranda & D. Paredes B. 9607 (paratype: BONN, HUT, USM).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Brunellia lobinii. A. Leaf with node. B. Female flower with developing fruits from above. C. female flower with developing fruits from below.

FIGURE 4. Brunellia lobinii. A, B. Inflorescences of B. lobinii with female flowers of different age (© C. Löhne). C. Leaf section from the lower (left) and upper (right) leaf surface. D, E. SEM images of the lower leaf surface, the curly unicellular trichomes and the margin (© J. Jeiter). F. Distribution map of B. lobinii.