Ceratozamia delucana Vazq .-Torres, Moretti & Carvajal-Hernandez . Delpinoa, 50-51, 129-133. 2013.

Martinez-Dominguez, Lili, Nicolalde-Morejon, Fernando, Vergara-Silva, Francisco & Stevenson, Dennis Wm., 2018, Taxonomic review of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae) in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico, PhytoKeys 100, pp. 91-124 : 97-99

4. Ceratozamia delucana Vazq.-Torres, Moretti & Carvajal-Hernandez. Delpinoa, 50-51, 129-133. 2013. Figure 3K

Type.

MEXICO. Veracruz: Atzalan , 20 Jan. 2012, M. Va ́zquez-Torres & C. Carvajal-Herna ́ndez 10200 (holotype: CIB; isotypes: XAL, XALU) .

Description.

Stem epigeous, erect and decumbent, 20-90 cm in length, 25-40 cm in diameter. Cataphylls persistent, densely tomentose at emergence, reddish-brown and partially tomentose at maturity, triangular, apex acuminate, 2-5.5 × 2.5-4.5 cm at base. Leaves 10-100, ascending, 106-223 cm, yellowish-green at emergence, brown pubescence, glabrous at maturity. Petiole terete, straight, 30-87 cm, armed with short and thin prickles, green in adult leaves. Rachis terete, straight, 60-150 cm, armed with prickles, green in adult leaves. Leaflets 20-43, lanceolate and oblong, planar and abaxially curved, basally falcate to non-basally falcate, papyraceous to coriaceous, flat, opposite to subopposite, plane, green, adaxial side glaucous and glabrous and abaxial side glaucous, acuminate apex, symmetric to asymmetric apex, attenuate at base, with conspicuous and light green veins; median leaflets 22-45 × 2.3-4.6 cm, 1.5-5 cm between leaflets; articulations green, 0.6-1.6 cm wide. Polliniferous strobilus solitary, cylindrical, erect, 24-31 cm in length, 5.5-7.6 cm in diameter, greenish-yellow at emergence, greenish-yellow with blackish pubescence at maturity; peduncle tomentose, reddish-brown to light-brown, 3.5-12.5 cm in length, 1.3-2 cm in diameter; microsporophylls 1.5-2.5 × 1.3-2 cm, non-recurved distal face. Ovuliferous strobilus solitary, cylindrical and globose, erect, 18-40 cm in length, 10-12.5 cm in diameter, dark green with blackish pubescence at emergence, green generally glabrous at maturity, acute apex; peduncle tomentose, brown to reddish-brown, 5.2-15 cm in length, 1.8-2.2 cm in diameter; megasporophylls 72-182, 2.5-4.2 × 2.3-3.5 cm, truncate distal face, right angle between horns. Seeds ovoid, sarcotesta whitish-yellow to yellow when immature, light brown at maturity, 2.1-3 cm in length, 1.6-2.1 cm in diameter.

Distribution and habitat.

This species is known from the states of Veracruz and Puebla at 200-700 m in evergreen tropical forest (Fig. 8 ).

Etymology.

The epithet is in honour of Dr. Paolo De Luca, Professor at University of Naples Federico II and researcher in the biology of Mexican cycads.

Distinguishing features.

Ceratozamia delucana is highly variable and shares a number of characteristics with C. morettii . However, there are clear differences in their ovulate strobili. In C. delucana , ovulate strobili are green and generally without trichomes at maturity and have an acute apex, whereas in C. morettii they are green with blackish trichomes at maturity and have an apiculate apex. Additionally, C. delucana is larger than C. morettii , with C. delucana having leaves up to 223 cm with up to 43 pairs of leaflets and ovulate strobili 18-40 cm long.

Specimens examined.

MEXICO. Puebla: Xochitlan de Vicente Suarez , G. Villalobos & E. Guerrero C. 325 (MEXU), L. Martínez-Domínguez & F. Nicolalde-Morejón 587-616 (CIB) . Veracruz: Atzalan, F. Nicolalde-Morejón & L. Martínez-Domínguez 2125-2144 (CIB), L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 228-248 (CIB); Las Minas, A. P. Vovides 427 (XAL), C. Durán E. 6343 (IEB), 659 (MEXU, XAL), C. Durán, P. Burgos, A. P. Vovides 658 (XAL), 660 (MEXU, XAL), F. Nicolalde-Morejón & L. Martínez-Domínguez 2107-2124 (CIB), L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 168 (CIB), 249-260; Tlapacoyan, Nevling & A. Gómez-Pompa 1083 (MEXU) .

Figures

Figure 3. Shapes of leaflets. A C. latifolia B C. kuesteriana C C. morettii D C. sabatoi E Ceratozamia brevifrons F C. chamberlainii G C. decumbens H C. fuscoviridis I C. tenuis J C. totonacorum K C. delucana L C. mexicana.

Figure 8. Distribution map of Ceratozamia tenuis, C. totonacorum, C. morettii, C. mexicana, C. delucana, C. decumbens and C. brevifrons.