Caraipa caespitosa F.N. Cabral, 2016

Cabral, Fernanda Nunes, Bittrich, Volker & Amaral, Maria Do Carmo Estanislau Do, 2016, Four new species of Caraipa (Calophyllaceae) from the Amazon basin and the Guiana Shield, Phytotaxa 286 (4), pp. 245-255 : 248-251

2. Caraipa caespitosa F.N. Cabral , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 3 , and 4)

Type: — BRAZIL. Roraima: Caracaraí, Parque Nacional do Viruá, igarapé Anauá, 23 March 2008, Cid Ferreira et al.13082 (holotype INPA!).

Diagnosis: ― Caraipa caespitosa is morphologically similar to C. longipedicellata Steyermark (1952: 385) and Caraipa grandifolia . It is distinguished by its habit, with numerous sparsely branched stems, by its smaller leaves and inflorescences, and its rounded fruits.

Description: ― Shrubs up to 2 m tall with numerous (20 ‒ 40) sparsely branched stems growing from a mound. Young branches densely covered with stellate trichomes. Leaves distichous; blade strongly coriaceous, ovate or elliptic, 4.0–7.5 × (1.5–) 1.8–4.5 cm, apex rounded, emarginate or acute, base cordate to rounded, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with sparse sessile stellate trichomes or glabrous, with bulliform cells, with dark dots, margin flat to weakly revolute, midrib sulcate and glabrous adaxially, prominent with sparse sessile stellate trichomes abaxially; secondary veins 11 ‒ 22 pairs, 4–6 mm distant; tertiary veins conspicuous only abaxially, parallel to reticulate; petiole 2–8 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescences paniculate, terminal, axis 2.2–7.0 cm long, 1–14-flowered; pedicel 3–13 mm long; axis and pedicel tomentose, with stellate and long simple trichomes; bracts and bracteoles persistent, with stellate and long simple trichomes, bracts 5–7 × 3–4 mm, bracteoles inserted at the middle of the pedicel, 2–3 × 2–3 mm. Mature flower buds ovoid, 7–15 × 5–9 mm. Sepals tomentose outside, glabrous inside, ciliate on margins, lobes 2–4 × 2–4 mm, apex acute or subrounded. Petals 14–27 × 10–14 mm, tips revolute in vivo, tomentose outside, glabrous inside. Stamens more than 100, 3–10 mm long; anthers about 0.5 mm long, gland over the top of the thecae. Ovary about 2 mm across, tomentose, style about 4 mm long, glabrous. Fruit ovoid to pyramid-shaped, trigonous, 1.7–2.6 × 1.4–1.9 cm, beaklet about 5 mm long, surface rugulose to smooth, densely covered with sessile and stipitate stellate trichomes, valves not concave towards the base, exocarp separating from endocarp. Seeds 1 × 0.8 cm, flattened, winged in the upper part.

Etymology:— The epithet caespitosa refers to the habit.

Phenology:— Flowering September–December, fruiting January ‒ March.

Distribution and habitat:— Caraipa caespitosa occurs on white-sand vegetation, locally called as “Sabanas de arena branca”, campina, campinarana or caatinga ( Anderson 1981, Prance 1996, Vicentini 2004).

Taxonomic notes:— Caraipa caespitosa is morphologically similar to C. longipedicellata and C. grandifolia from which it differs by some characters. Caraipa longipedicellata and C. grandifolia are tall trees, 10–15 m tall ( C. grandifolia can be also smaller, 3 m tall), while C. caespitosa is a small shrub (up to 2 m tall) with numerous (20 ‒ 40) sparsely branched stems growing from a mound (see figure 4). Moreover, C. caespitosa can be distinguished from C. grandifolia by the leaf size 4.0– 12.2 cm long (vs. 16–30(–40) cm long in C. grandifolia ), and by the number of its secondary veins 12–22 pairs (vs. 12–35 in C. grandifolia ). The latter character also distinguishes C. caespitosa from C. longipedicellata , which has 9–15 pairs of veins. The inflorescence is smaller in Caraipa caespitosa , which has panicles of 2.2–7.0 cm long, while C. longipedicellata and C. grandifolia have racemes of 7–12 cm and 5–15 cm long, respectively.

A further similar species is C. aracaensis Kubitzki (1987: 158) , endemic to the Serra do Aracá and its surroundings (Amazonas, Brazil). Differential features are the leaf arrangement (distichous leaves in C. caespitosa , vs. spiral in C. aracaensis ), trichomes on the abaxial leaf surfaces (sparse sessile stellate trichomes in C. caespitosa , vs. covered with matted tomentose sessile and stipitate stellate trichomes in C. aracaensis ), and fruit shape (ovoidal to pyramid-shaped in C. caespitosa , vs. ovoidal to fusiform in C. aracaensis ).

From the shrubby species C. longisepala Kubitzki (1987: 160) and C. savannarum Kubitzki (1978: 104) , C. caespitosa can be distinguished by its habit (shrubs up to 2 m tall with numerous branched stems growing from a mound, vs. shrubs without numerous branched stems in C. longisepala and C. savannarum ), distichous leaves (vs. spiral in C. savannarum ), strongly coriaceous leaves (vs. chartaceous in C. savannarum , and coriaceous in C. longisepala ), and presence of bulliform cells on the abaxial leaf surface (vs. absence of bulliform cells in C. longisepala and C. savannarum ).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— BRAZIL. Roraima: Caracaraí, Parque Nacional do Viruá, 01 o 24’45”N, 60 o 59’17”W, 03 October 2012, Cabral et al. 518 ( INPA!, UEC!), Caracaraí: Parque Nacional do Viruá , 14 October 2011, Holanda 488 ( INPA!, UEC!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá , 3 December 2009, Cabral et al. 101 ( INPA!, UEC!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá , 22 January 2010, Cabral et al. 167 ( INPA!, UEC!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá , 22 January 2010, Cabral et al. 171 ( INPA!, UEC!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá , 14 September 2010, Cabral et al. 271 ( INPA!, NY!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá , 12 October 2010, Cabral & Santos 294 ( INPA!, UEC!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá, Rio Anauá , 01 October 2012, Cabral et al. 445 ( INPA!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá , 4 March 2010, Dávila et al. 6121 ( INPA!, NY!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá , 01 o 24’46”N, 60 o 59’19”W, 51 m, 13 April 2014, Cabral et al. 1134 ( INPA!, UEC!) ; Parque Nacional do Viruá, trilha Serra do Preto, 22 February 2013, Damasco et al. 1318 ( INPA!). Rio Anauá , 30 April 1974, Pires et al. 14494 ( INPA!, MG!, HBG!). São Luiz do Anauá : estrada Manaus-Caracaraí (BR-174), entre km 350 e 355, próximo ao Equador , 00 o 00’S, 60 o 45’W, 21 August 1987, Cid Ferreira et al. 9071 ( INPA!) ; estrada Manaus-Caracaraí (BR-174), km 330, vicinal para Vila São José de Boiaçu, 10–14 km da BR- 174, 00 o 10’S, 60 o 48’W, 22 August 1987, Cid Ferreira et al. 9117 ( MO!, NY!). Amazonas: Final da Perimetral 1- Norte da Perimetral Norte (RR210), 25 March 1999, Vicentini 1416 ( INPA!, MO!) . COLOMBIA. Guainía: 1 km West of Cacagual (Piedra Cacagual), Río Atabapo , 19 November 1953, 130m, Maguire, Wurdack & Bunting 36276 ( NY!) ; Guainía: Corregimento departamental de Cacahual, comunidad de Chaquita , margen izquiera del Río Atabapo , 5km de la comunidad, 3 o 42’23”N 67 o 35’15”W, 120m, 5 October 2005, Cardenas & Bermudez 16886 ( COAH!) . VENEZUELA. Amazonas: 1–1.7 km West of laguna Uquira, 4.5 km SSW from mouth of Río Temi , 3 o 11’43”N 67 o 24’03”W, 100 m, 6 March 1996, Berry, Romero & Brako 6029 ( MO!, VEN!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Caraipa balbinensis, C. caespitosa, C. davilae, and C. macrocarpa.

FIGURE 3. Caraipa caespitosa. A. Branch with flower, B. Detail of flower bud, C. Flower, D‒E. Detail of sepal (outside and inside, respectively), F. Detail of ovary, G. Fruit.