Symplocos tribracteolata Almeda (1982a: 322)

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

Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 97 31. Symplocos tribracteolata Almeda (1982a: 322) . Type:— COSTA RICA. Puntarenas: Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Chomogo Hill, 1600 m, [10°18′45″N, 84°47′55″W], 17 May 1979, W. A. Haber 331 (holotype CAS!, isotype MO!)

Shrubs or trees 2–15 m tall; juvenile branchlets glabrous; vegetative buds glabrous or sericeous. Petioles 0.5–2(–2.7) cm long; leaf blades bicolorous, elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, 3.9–6.4 × 1.1–2.1 cm, subcoriaceous, glabrous, secondary veins not adaxially impressed, base acute, margins entire in proximal half, crenate distally, apex acuminate. Inflorescences 1-flowered; peduncles 4–7(–11) mm long, glabrous; bracts absent; bracteoles persistent or occasionally deciduous, 3, elliptic to ovate or deltoid, 1–2 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous, margins finely ciliate. Hypanthium glabrous. Calyx lobes 5, elliptic to ovate or suborbicular, 1–1.5 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, margins finely ciliate. Corolla pink, 6-lobed, 7–9 mm long; tube ca. 2 mm long; lobes adnate to filament tube for ca. 2 mm, oblong, glabrous. Stamens multiseriate; filament tube 3–3.5 mm long; distinct portions of filaments 4.5–5 × 0.5–0.75 mm. Disk sericeous; style ca. 6 mm long, glabrous; stigma irregularly lobed. Fruits green maturing to reddish purple, ellipsoid, 5–6 × 3–4 mm, glabrous, apex rounded to base of erect or slightly infolded calyx lobes; disk pulvinate, approximately equaling calyx lobes and exposed apically; endocarp 3- or 4-locular, perimeter rounded.

Vernacular name —None.

Illustration — Almeda (1982a: 323).

Photographic image — Figure 2d .

Phenology —Flowering April, May, July, August, and November through January; fruiting July, August, and November through April.

Distribution and habitat — Costa Rica, locally common in cloud forests at 1300–1800 m elev. Figure 25 .

Conservation status —This Costa Rican endemic is largely centered on the Cordillera de Tilarán, with one outlying population in the Volcán Barva sector of Braulio Carrillo National Park and three others in Guanacaste National Park. Six of the 11 known populations occur in a protected area. The EOO is 3469 km 2 and the AOO is 48 km 2. This species meets the area requirements under criterion B of the IUCN guidelines (2016: 69) for threatened (EOO less than 20,000 km 2 and/or AOO less than 2000 km 2). Its population structure is fragmented, but we have no evidence that it is declining or fluctuating, and it occurs at just over ten locations. Given these criteria, we assign this species a classification of Near Threatened (NT).

Discussion — Symplocos tribracteolata is distinguished by the combination of narrowly elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, glabrous leaves; solitary, tribracteolate flowers; and glabrous fruits that are only 5–6 mm long at maturity. Symplocos elliptica is similar by its solitary flowers and small fruits, but differs in its 3 or 4 bracts and the same number of bracteoles (versus bracts lacking in S. tribracteolata ), narrower leaves (1.1–2.1 cm wide versus 1.8–4.3 cm), and wider fruits (4–6 mm versus 3–4 mm).

A fruiting collection from San José Province, collected in June 1997 on the Pacific side of the Panamerican Highway near San Gerardo de Dota at 2500 m elevation (R. A. Wesselingh s.n. [CAS]) appears closest to Symplocos tribracteolata in morphology, but has atypically large leaves (9–10 x 3.5–4.5 cm), long pedicels ([1.5–] 2–3 cm), and large fruits (ca. 12 × 4.5 mm). The flowers are described as pink and the fruits reddish purple at maturity, as in S. tribracteolata .

Additional specimens examined — COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Monteverde, rd from Cerro Plano to Cerro Amigos , 1750 m, 10°19′11″N, 84°48′07″W, 28 April 2002, Penneys 1493 ( CAS!) . Guanacaste: Cantón de La Cruz, Parque Nacional Guanacaste, Estación Pitilla , Sector Orosilito , 800–1100 m, 10°59′26″N, 85°25′40″W, 16 April 1995, Alfaro 198 ( MO!) ; Tilarán, Cordillera de Tilarán, Reserva Biológica de Colegio de Monteverde , 1600–1700 m, 10°21′20″N, 84°49′50″W, 10 January 1992, Bello C. 4324 (MO!, US!) ; Parque Nacional Guanacaste, Estación Cacao, Liberia , 1100 m, 10°55′45″N, 85°28′15″W, 24 November 1990, Chávez 432 (CAS!, MO!) ; Parque Rincón de La Vieja, Liberia, Cabeceras de Quebrada Provision y Quebrada Rancho grande, Meseta Aguacatales , 1350–1400 m, 10°46′N, 85°49′W, [10°46′N, 86°19′W], 1 December 1987, Herrera 1466 (CAS!, MO!) ; Cantón de Liberia, Parque Nacional Guanacaste, Volcán Cacao , sendero hasta la cima del volcán, 1200–1600 m, 10°55′02″N, 85°27′50″W, 12 July 1996, Morales et al. 5477 (F!, MO!) . Heredia: between E fork of Río Volcán and W fork of Río San Rafael, Atlantic slope of Volcán Barva , 1600–1800 m, 10°12–13′N, 84°06′W, 12 April 1986, Grayum et al. 7082 ( MO!) . Puntarenas: Cordillera de Tilarán, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, forest margins along El Camino , 1550 m, [10°18′34″N, 84°48′02″W], 26 February 1992, Almeda & Daniel 7097

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(CAS!, CR!, GH!, MEXU!, MO!, NY!, US!); Monteverde , rd from Hotel Belmar to Cerro Amigos , 1370–1800 m, [10°18′N, 84°48′W], 27 February 1992, Almeda & Daniel 7123 (CAS!, CR!, NY!, US!); Reserva Biológica Monteverde , Quebrada Veracruz, Finca Pablo Morales, 1600 m, 10°15′N, 84°48′W, 11 January 1990, Bello C. 1746 (CAS!, MO!) ; Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve , rd to TV towers, Pacific slope, 1600 m, 10°20′N, 84°50′W, 23 April 1986, Bello C. & Clagget 4477 ( MO!) ; Monteverde , upper valley and ridges of Veracruz River S of Monteverde Reserve, Pacific drainage, 1600 m, 10°20′N, 84°50′W, 1 May 1986, Bello C. & Clagget 4514 ( MO!) ; Monteverde Reserve , Chomogo trail to Chomogo peak, 1550–1700 m, 10°20′N, 84°50′W, 9 November 1985, Haber ex Bello 3339 (CAS!, MO!, US!) ; Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve , continental divide in area of TV towers, 1700 m, 10°20′N, 84°50′W, 29 December 1985, Haber et al. 4113 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) ; Reserva Biológica Monteverde , rd to TV towers, narrow ridge, 1650–1750 m, 10°18′N, 84°48′W, 18 April 1992, Haber 11117 (CAS!, F!, MEXU!, MO!) ; Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve , Pacific slope of continental divide, Brillante Trail, 1500–1620 m, [10°18′N, 84°48′W], 16 March 1982, Feinsinger et al. 83-59-2 ( MO!) . Puntarenas-Alajuela border: on and near continental divide ca. 2–5 km E and SE of Monteverde, 1580–1700 m, 10°18′N, 84°46′W, 17–20 March 1973, Burger & Gentry 8735 (CR!, F!) ; on and near the continental divide ca. 2–5 km E and SE of Monteverde , 1580–1700 m, 10°18′N, 84°46′W, 15 August 1977, Lawton 1207 (F!) . Puntarenas-Guanacaste- Alajuela border: división continental (Brillante), 1550–1580 m, [10°18′07″N, 84°48′13″W], 14 December 1976, Dryer 1063 (F!, MO!) ; Cerro Amigos , 1800–1840 m, [10°18′N, 84°48′W], 23 May 1977, Dryer 1382 (F!, MO!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Flowers and fruits of some species of Mexican and Central American Symplocos. a. S. serrulata. b. S. speciosa. c. S. striata. d. S. tribracteolata. e. S. austromexicana. f. S. citrea. g. S. pycnantha. h. S. coccinea. i. S. serrulata. j. S. hartwegii.

FIGURE 25. Geographic distribution of Symplocos oreophila and S. tribracteolata.