Symplocos elliptica Kelly & Almeda (2002: 369)

Kelly, Lawrence M., Almeda, Frank & Fritsch, Peter W., 2016, A taxonomic revision of Mexican and Central American Symplocos (Symplocaceae), Phytotaxa 264 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

10. Symplocos elliptica Kelly & Almeda (2002: 369) . Type:— PANAMA. Chiriquí: Cerro Pata de Macho [Cerro Hornito], windswept ridge, 2100 m, [08°49′N, 82°24′W], 17 January 1986, G. de Nevers & G. D. McPherson 6842 (holotype CAS!, isotypes BM!, CAS!, MEXU!, MO!, PMA!)

Trees 2–3(–20?) m tall; juvenile branchlets and vegetative buds sparsely sericeous, trichomes 0.25–0.5 mm long, translucent brownish. Petioles 1–1.2 cm long; leaf blades bicolorous, broadly elliptic to obovate, (3.3–)5.5–8.5 × 1.8–4.3 cm, coriaceous, abaxially sparsely strigose to glabrescent, adaxially glabrous, secondary veins not adaxially impressed, base obtuse, margins crenate-denticulate, with minute, black or brown, persistent teeth, apex acuminate. Inflorescences 1-flowered; peduncles 7–10 mm long, sparsely sericeous to subglabrous; bracts persistent, 3 or 4 toward base of peduncle, ovate, 0.75–1.25 × 0.5–0.75 mm, minutely sericeous or glabrous, margins ciliate; bracteoles persistent, 3 or 4, ovate, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely sericeous or glabrous, margins ciliate. Hypanthium glabrous. Calyx lobes 5, subrotund, 1–1.5 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, margins ciliate, usually glandular. Corolla pink, 5-lobed, 7–9 mm long; tube 2–3 mm long; lobes adnate to filament tube for 3–4 mm, oblong to obovate, glabrous. Stamens 4-seriate; filament tube 5–6 mm long; distinct portions of filaments 2.5–3.5 × 0.75–0.9 mm. Disk villous; style 4–5 mm long, pilose basally; stigma conspicuously and irregularly lobed. Fruits green maturing to dark bluish purple, ellipsoid, 4–8 × 4–6 mm, glabrous, apex rounded to base of erect calyx lobes; apex acute with calyx lobes forming a conical beak; disk convex, covered by calyx lobes; endocarp 4–5-locular, perimeter rounded.

Vernacular name —None.

Illustration — Kelly & Almeda (2002: 370).

Phenology —Flowering January and May; fruiting May.

Distribution and habitat — Costa Rica (Cordillera Central) and Panama (Cerro Hornito and Cerro Sapo), in cloud forests at 1000–2200 m elev. Figure 14 .

Conservation status —This species is known from just three scattered populations, one in Costa Rica and two in Panama. Two of the three populations are afforded some protection in national parks. The Costa Rican population occurs within Braulio Carrillo National Park, at its western border. Of the two Panamanian populations, only one occurs in a protected area, i.e., along the southern border of La Amistad International Park. The EOO is 25,381 km ² and the AOO is 20 km ². All of the known locations of this species consist of few individuals, certainly <250. On this basis, we assign a classification of Endangered (EN): D to this species.

Discussion —This uncommon species is distinguished from all others in the area by the combination of broadly elliptic leaves with crenate-denticulate margins and acuminate apex, and solitary flowers with basally pilose styles. This species is similar to Symplocos tribracteolata in its solitary, 3–4-bracteolate flowers; however, S. elliptica differs by the shape and width of its leaf blades (broadly elliptic to obovate, 1.8–4.3 cm wide versus elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, 1.1–2.1 cm wide), 5-lobed corolla (versus 6-lobed), bracteolate peduncles (versus bracts lacking), and the basally pubescent style (versus glabrous or at most sparsely pubescent). The texture and venation of the leaves of S. elliptica suggests a close relationship to S. limoncillo , from which it is readily distinguished by

A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SYMPLOCOS

Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 45

its 1-flowered inflorescences (versus racemose) and smaller fruits (0.4–0.8 × 0.4–0.6 cm versus 1.2–1.8 × [0.8–] 1–1.2 cm).

Additional specimens examined — COSTA RICA. Heredia: P. N. Braulio Carrillo, upper Volcán Barva , Atlantic slope, ca. 0.5 km below (N of) main trail to Lag. Barva, descending via old “Sendero del Transecto” then traversing 250 m directly E, 2750 m, 10°08′18″N, 84°06′33″W, 28 April 1992, Boyle 801 (MEXU!, MO!) ; P. N. Braulio Carrillo “ Sendero del Transecto ,” on flat portion of ridge during descent from Cerros Las Marías to rd leading to refugio at 2070 m, 2070 m, 10°10′07″N, 84°06′48″W, 24 May 1992, Boyle 843 ( MEXU!) ; P. N. Braulio Carrillo, Sendero del Transecto , on flat portion of ridge during descent from Cerro Las Marías to old rd that leads from San Rafael, Vara Blanca to Refugio, 2220 m, 10°10′07″N, 84°06′48″W, 30 May 1992, Boyle 901 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) .

PANAMA. Chiriquí: Cerro Pate Macho , windswept ridge on continental divide, 1800–2100 m, 08°49′N, 82°24′W, 13 March 1988, Almeda et al. 6129 (CAS!, MO!, NY!, PMA!) . Bocas del Toro: NW ridge of Cerro Pata de Macho [Cerro Hornito] from summit to Finca Serrano , 1200–2100 m, [08°50′N, 82°24′W], 27 May 1981, Sytsma et al. 4958 (CAS!, MO!) . Darién: NE slope of Summit Cerro Sapo, approach from Garachiné , 3300 ft, [07°59′N, 78°22′W], 8 May 1979, Hammel 7269 (CAS!, MO!) .

Figures

FIGURE 14. Geographic distribution of Symplocos elliptica.