Freziera dasycarpa D. Santam. & R. Ortiz, 2016

Santamaria-Aguilar, Daniel & Ortiz, Rosa Del C., 2016, Freziera dasycarpa (Pentaphylacaceae), a new species from the montane forest of Antioquia, Colombia, Phytotaxa 263 (3), pp. 279-285 : 281-283

Freziera dasycarpa D. Santam. & R. Ortiz , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2A–E )

Diagnosis: Freziera dasycarpa is unique among species of Freziera in having villous petals, ovaries, and immature fruits; leaves with conspicuous asymmetric bases; branchlets, petioles, and leaves with hirsute and villous indument, with the trichomes of different lengths.

TYPE:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas, sector Calles, margen derecha del río Calles , 6°32’N, 76°19’W, 1360 m, 19 Feb 1989 (fr), A. Cogollo, D. Cárdenas, F. Ramírez & O. Alvarez 4094 (Holotype: MO-4240418!, [MO- barcode- 2560209]; Isotypes: COL!, JAUM!, photos of each at MO) .

Trees 11–30 m tall. Mature branches terete, with bark greyish brown, longitudinally striate; branchlets terete, densely pubescent, indument golden to reddish brown, of two types, hirsute and villous, trichomes of different lengths, 2.1–3.9 mm and 0.5–0.9 mm long respectively, lenticels few, elliptic, whitish; terminal bud 2.9–6.7 cm long, conduplicate, densely hirsute, the trichomes 0.7–2.6 mm long, reddish brown. Leaves sessile, or with petiole up to 4.4 mm long, canaliculate above, rounded below, scarcely winged, wings erect, margin entire, densely pubescent, indument of two types and two lengths, hirsute, 0.8–2.6 mm long, and villous, 0.1–0.2 mm long, reddish brown; colleters absent; blade 12.9–16.8 × 4.2–6.5 cm, elliptic, subcoriaceous, venation pinnate, base strongly asymmetric, the shorter side ending up to 0.5–3.8 cm from the base, obtuse or subtruncate, the longer side with a lobule that slightly covers the branchlet, rounded, apex acuminate, margin serrulate or crenulate, with 105–153 teeth per side, each tooth with a caducous, curved or conical black seta surrounded by indument, adaxial surface glabrate and moderate papillate-pustulate, except densely hirsute along the main vein, the abaxial surface densely hirsute, trichomes of two lengths, the longer about 1.0– 1.6 mm long, the shorter 0.3–0.6 mm long and more or less curled, the main vein sunken on the adaxial surface, raised and rounded below, lateral veins about 19–31 per side, flat adaxially, raised and rounded abaxially. Inflorescence of 1–10 flowers (buds in different stages of maturity), fasciculate, axillary; bract ca. 1.7 × 1.2 mm, ovate or triangular, the apex acuminate, the margin with black setae, these sometimes obscured by trichomes, glabrous adaxially, densely pubescent abaxially; pedicel about 4.9 mm long, terete, erect, densely pubescent; bracteoles 2, about 2.8 × 3.7 mm, opposite, unequal, persistent, just below the calyx, broadly ovate, the apex obtuse, margin with 15–25 black or brown reddish, conical to triangular setae, these relatively large and conspicuous, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface densely pubescent. Flowers (known only in bud in different stages of development): sepals 5(6), the outer ones 3.7 × 3.7 mm, the inner ones 3.8 × 3.3 mm, broadly ovate, the apex obtuse, margin with about 24 setae, these triangular, reddish brown, conspicuous, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface densely pubescent, less densely so or even absent towards the margin; corolla urceolate, white, petals 5(6), about 4.4 × 2.3 mm, free, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, the apex acute, glabrous on both sides in young buds, papillose on the adaxial surface distally, dense villous distally on the abaxial surface in older ones, becoming glabrescent. Staminate flowers with (12–) 20 stamens, free at the base, nearly equal, the filament slightly flattened, about 1.2 mm long, anther about 1.4 mm long, acute or apiculate at the apex, rounded or truncate at the base; gynoecium about 0.8 mm long, conical, with some villous indument, the stigma weakly 3(4)-lobulate. Carpellate flowers (old flowers) staminodes about 23–38, adnate at the base of the petals, linear, flat; petals and staminodes soon caducous; gynoecium not seen. Fruit (immature) an indehiscent berry, 8.5–10.2 × 7.6–9.5 mm, subglobose, tri-locular, surface covered by golden, villous indument, style persistent, papillose basally; seeds (immature) about 147–167 per locule, 0.8–1.0 mm long, slightly reniform, surface dark brown, foveolate.

Distribution, ecology, and phenology: — Freziera dasycarpa is known from 12 collections in the montane forests at the Parque Nacional Natural Paramillo and Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas, department of Antioquia, Colombia ( Fig. 3) at 1330–1560 m elevation. It has been collected with staminate flowers in March and with immature fruit in February and May.

Conservation status: — Freziera dasycarpa has been collected in or near two national parks, and is at present known only from two locations. The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) is 0366.56 sq. km, and the area of occupancy (AOO) is estimated to be about 0012 sq. km. Thus by applying the IUCN Red List Criteria ( IUCN 2012), by its restricted geographic range (EOO and AOO less than 5000 sq. km and 500 sq. km, respectively), the few number of locations, and few known individuals, F. dasycarpa is assigned a preliminary status of Endangered (EN B1ab(iv,v) and B2ab(iv,v).

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to its pubescent fruit: from the Greek: dasy (tomentose, hairy) and carpa (fruit).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — COLOMBIA. Antioquia. Municipio Urrao, Vereda Calles, Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas , margen derecha de la quebrada La Honda, inventario permanente, Bh-PM, parcela W, subparcela W 19 , 06°32’N, 76°19’W, 1330–1400 m, 07 May 1993 (immat. fr), A. Cogollo et al. 6175 ( JAUM n.v., MO!) ; A. Cogollo et al. 6176 ( MO!, two sheets) ; 08 May 1993 (immat. fr.), A. Cogollo et al. 6208 ( JAUM n.v., MO) ; Inventario permanente de bosque pluvial premontano, margen derecha del río Calles , en el filo al NW de la cabaña de Calles ; parcela G, subparcela G-7, 6°32’N, 76°14’W, 1450 m, 16 August 1993 (st.), A. Cogollo et al. 6509 ( JAUM n.v., MO!) ; Parcela G, subparcela G-10, 18 August 1993 (st.), A. Cogollo et al. 6647 ( JAUM n.v., MO!) ; Parcela G, subparcela G-12 S, 19 August 1993 (st.), A. Cogollo et al. 6704 ( JAUM n.v., MO!) ; Parcela G, subparcela G-12, 19 August 1993 (st.), A. Cogollo et al. 6721 ( JAUM n.v., MO!) ; Parcela G, subparcela G-13, 6°32’N, 76°19’W, 1450 m, 15 October 1993 (st.), A. Cogollo et al. 6906 ( JAUM n.v., MO!) ; Margen derecha del río Calles, en el filo NW de la Cabaña de Calles , bp-PM, 4 December 1993 (st.), A. Cogollo et al. 7749 ( JAUM n.v., MO!). Municipio Ituango , valley of Río San Jorge , Paramillo National Park , cloud forest, Transect 5, 7°15’N, 75°55’W, 1550 m, 03 Mar 1993 (♂ fl buds), A. H. Gentry et al. 78962 ( MO!) ; Transect 9, 7°15’N, 75°55’W, 1560 m, 3 March 1993 (st), A. H. Gentry et al. 79031 ( MO!) .

Discussion: — Freziera belongs to tribe Freziereae , which together with the tribe Ternstroemieae are former Theaceae , now placed in the Pentaphylacaceae ; relationships of Freziera within the family are still uncertain. Important diagnostic features for the Freziereae are baccate fruits and often foliar sclereids only slightly branched ( Weitzman et al., 2004). Within Freziera , leaf shape and size are considered important taxonomic characters ( Weitzman 1995).

Several morphological features observed in Freziera dasycarpa , are also present in other species (summarized in Table 1). For instance, the combination of sessile or subsessile leaves with asymmetric bases and indument with two types of trichomes is also found in F. echinata A.L. Weitzman (1987b: 328) a species also from northwestern Colombia. However, F. dasycarpa is distinguished from it by a unique combination of several morphological features, most notably by the villous indument on the abaxial surface of older petals, on the ovaries, and on the immature fruits, the specific epithet stems from the latter observation. Moreover, the leaf base of F. dasycarpa is conspicuously asymmetric and the indument conceals the abaxial surface. In Freziera echinata the leaf base is only weakly asymmetric, and the sparse, hirsute indument does not conceal the abaxial leaf surface, and the petals and gynoecium are glabrous, the latter is papillate.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Holotype of Freziera dasycarpa D. Santam. & R. Ortiz. From A. Cogollo, D. Cárdenas, F. Ramírez & O. Alvarez 4094 (MO).

FIGURE 2 A–E. Freziera dasycarpa D. Santam. & R. Ortiz, features. A. Indument on branchlet. B. Asymmetric leaf base. C. Flower after anthesis. D. Close up of petals showing villous indument distally. E. Immature fruits with floral parts removed, showing villous indument. Scale bars: A, D = 2 mm; B = 1 cm; C, E = 5 mm; s = sepal; p = petal. Photos A–D from Cogollo et al. 4094 (MO); photo E from Cogollo et al. 6176 (MO).