Neobertiera glomerata Delprete, 2015

Delprete, Piero G., 2015, Revision of Neobertiera (Rubiaceae, Sipaneeae) with observations on distyly, and three new species from the Guianas, Phytotaxa 206 (1), pp. 118-132 : 124-126

2. Neobertiera glomerata Delprete , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 − 4).

Type:— FRENCH GUIANA. Commune de Montsinery , Route D-5, trail to Bagne des Annamites, ca. 1 km from Route D-5, forest seasonally flooded, plants growing at the edge of trail, with roots near the water, herb 40 − 70 cm tall, erect, rooting at basal nodes, leaves chartaceous, corolla white, 4°50’03”N, 52°31’02”W, 10 m, 18 April 2012 (fl), P. G. Delprete & G. Quenette 11860 (holotype, CAY; isotypes, K, L, MG, MO, P, RB, NY, US) .

Perennial herb or subshrub, 0.4 − 1.5 m tall, erect or basally decumbent, sparsely branched; branches densely appressed strigose; rooting at basal nodes and internodes. Stipules ovate to broadly ovate, 2.5 − 4.5 × 2.5 − 4.5 mm, acuminate and commonly bifid at apex, appressed-strigose. Leaves petiolate; petioles 7 − 30 mm long, appressed-strigose-pubescent; blades elliptic, oblanceolate to obovate, 9 − 14.5 × 3 − 5.8 cm, acute-decurrent at base, acute at apex, chartaceous, drying dark olive-green to brown above and pale olive-green to olive-green below, sparsely adpressed strigose above, adpressed strigose below, midvein densely strigose above and below; secondary veins 13 − 15 each side of midrib. Inflorescences glomerulate to densely cymose during anthesis, densely cymose after anthesis; peduncles 1.3 − 3.5 cm long; rachis stout, appressed white-pubescent, 2.5 − 4 cm long (excluding flowers), with 2 − 3 pairs of very short lateral branches; lower lateral branches 0.4 − 1.2 cm long (excluding flowers); lateral branches cymose, condensed, terminating in flowering glomerules; bracteoles subtending each flower, linear-lanceolate, 2.5 − 3 × 0.4 − 0.6 mm, densely adpressed-strigose. Flowers 5-merous, sessile to subpedicellate; pedicels (when present) stout, to 1 mm long. Hypanthium obovoid, 0.9 − 1 mm long, adpressed strigose. Calyx lobes lanceolate, slightly unequal, 2.5 − 3.5 × 0.4 − 1.1 mm, adpressed strigose outside. Corolla hypocrateriform, white, 11.8 − 13.3 mm long; tube narrowly cylindrical, slightly wider at mouth, 8 − 9 mm long, sparsely appressed-sericeous outside, puberulent inside (hairs moniliform), with a narrow line of sparse, yellow, moniliform hairs at mouth inside; lobes 5, oblong-ovate to oblong-ellipsoid, 3.8 − 4.3 × 2.3 − 2.5 mm, round at apex, glabrous on both sides. Long-styled flowers: stamens inserted 2 − 3 mm from base of corolla tube; filaments 0.5-0.7 mm long; anthers narrowly sagittate, 0.8 − 1 × 0.1 − 0.2 mm; style about the same length as corolla tube (tip of branches barely exserted), 8 − 9 mm long, glabrous; style branches narrowly oblong, 1.4 − 1.7 mm long, densely papillose when receptive. Short-styled flowers: stamens inserted 3 − 4 mm from base of corolla tube; filaments 0.7 − 1.1 mm long; anthers linear, 1.4 − 1.5 × 0.2 − 0.3 mm, acute at both ends; style much shorter than corolla tube, 4.5 − 5 mm long, glabrous; style included, branches narrowly oblong, 0.5 − 0.6 mm long, densely papillose when receptive. Fruits 3 − 4 mm diam., sparsely strigose-sericeous. Seeds 0.3 − 0.4 mm long, black, microscopically foveolate (barely visible at 50× magnification).

Distribution and ecology ( Fig. 2): —Known from a few collections in French Guiana, in coastal forests, mostly in sites along Route National 2, and one recent collection near the village of Tampak (Commune de Camopi), Camopi River, Upper Oyapock River Basin; in the undercanopy of primary forest, often near standing or slowly running water, at 10 − 90 m altitude.

Phenology: —Specimens with flower buds were collected in February, with flowers in anthesis and no fruits in March, and with flowers in anthesis and fruits in May and June.

Suggested conservation status: —This species is known from a few localities.According to personal observations, the populations of this species are always very small, less than 50 individuals. Due to the increasing deforestation of coastal forests in French Guiana, this species should be treated as “Endangered” (EN) following IUCN criteria ( IUCN 2001).

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the condensed inflorescence with secondary branches terminating with glomerules.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): FRENCH GUIANA: Montagne Maripa , Route de l’Est ( RN 2 ), P. K. 75, 10 May 1979 (fl, fr), J. J. de Granville 2888 ( CAY, L, UB) ; Route Nationale RN 2, P. K. 58, 4°35’N, 52°20’W, bord de piste forestiere, 25 March 1986 (fl), C. Feuillet 3635 ( CAY, MO, P) ; Commune de Montsinery , Route D-5, trail to Bagne des Annamites, ca. 1 km from Route D-5, 4°50’03”N, 52°31’02”W, 10 m, 19 February 2014 (fl buds), P. G. Delprete & J. C. da Silva 12293 ( CAY, L, NY) ; Commune de Montsinery , along the trail between D-5 and Bagne des Annamites, 8 June 2008 (fl), J. J. de Granville & M. Rome 17592 ( CAY, K, MO, P, NY, US) ; Commune de Camopi , near the village of Tampak, base of Montagne Couronné, 3°10’03”N, 52°32’16”W, 100 m, 25 February 2014 (fl buds), P. G. Delprete, G. Odonne, D. Davy & S. Gonzalez 12310 ( CAY, K, MG, NY, P, US) .

Notes: Several collections of this species from French Guiana have been previously identified as “ Neobertiera gracilis ”, but they actually belong to N. glomerata . Neobertiera gracilis has never been collected in French Guiana.