Spathelia belizensis Acev.-Rodr. & S.W. Brewer, 2016

Acevedo-Rodriguez, Pedro & Brewer, Steven W., 2016, Spathelia belizensis, a new species and first record for the genus in Central America (tribe Spathelieae, Rutaceae), PhytoKeys 75, pp. 145-151 : 146-149

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.75.10015

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B0609DB7-3ACA-5B7A-9BB5-757BBB7A255F

treatment provided by

PhytoKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Spathelia belizensis Acev.-Rodr. & S.W. Brewer
status

sp. nov.

Spathelia belizensis Acev.-Rodr. & S.W. Brewer sp. nov. Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2

Diagnosis.

The new species Spathelia belizensis seems to be closely related to Spathelia brittonii P. Wilson due to their similar adult height, large leaves, and indument of stellate and simple hairs. Spathelia belizensis differs from the latter by having leaves with 75-91 leaflets with crenate margins, unequal sepals, white petals, and fruits with ovate outline and obtuse apex.

Type.

Belize; Toledo District. Northern portion of the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve. Upper slope of a limestone ridge with rocky, clay-loan soil, 151 m, 16°24'13"N, 88°47'28"W, 26 Feb 2014 (fl,fr), S.W. Brewer & G. Stott 7110 (holotype: US [ US 01863784 & US01863785]; isotypes: K, NY) GoogleMaps .

Description.

Tree up to 16 m tall; trunk single, unbranched, ca. 15 cm DBH, which tapers towards the ferruginous stellate distal portion; leaf scars numerous; bark greyish brown to tan-grey with ridges flat and shallow, regularly anastomosing forming a diamond pattern on the lower 2/3 of the trunk, slash light-colored. Leaves imparipinnate with elliptic-oblanceolate outline, 100-110 × 19-22 cm, alternate to spirally arranged on distal portion of stem forming a dense crown; petiole and rachis slightly flattened along adaxial surface, ferruginous stellate pubescent, intermixed with whitish, strigose trichomes, petioles 10-15 cm long; leaflets ca. 75-91, opposite for the most part, alternate towards the distal portion of the leaf, oblong-lanceolate, 4-12 × 1.5-2.5 (gradually smaller toward both ends of the leaf), sessile, with slightly asymmetrical, rounded/cordate base, long acuminate at apex, margins revolute, crenate (sinuate in basal leaflets), with numerous oil glands, adaxial surface sparsely stellate except for the densely stellate midvein, abaxial surface sparsely strigose especially along the prominent midvein, and sparsely stellate. Inflorescence a distal frondo-bracteate, terminal, panicle-shaped thyrse,> 1 × 1 m. Flowers in loose botryoid cymes; pedicels strigose, 5-9 mm long; calyx green, slightly fleshy, strigose, sepals unequal, oblong-lanceolate, 1.2-1.5 mm long, with an enlarged apical gland; petals 6, white, oblong-ovate, obtuse at apex with an apical gland; filaments (pistillate flowers) ca. 1.5 mm long, wingless or shortly winged at base, setulose on lower half; gynoecium oblong, trigonous, ca. 4 mm long, strigose; stigma subglobose, yellowish, nearly sessile. Fruit strigose, trigonous-winged, with ovate outline and obtuse apex, turning from green to reddish brown; endocarp slightly woody, with large cavity on dorsal side.

Distribution and ecology.

Known only from the northern portion of the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve and adjacent portions of the Columbia River Forest Reserve in Belize; on steep slopes of Cretaceous limestone hills at elevations of c. 80-250 m.

Specimens examined.

Only the type collection was studied.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the country where the new species is known to occur.

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Sapindales

Family

Rutaceae

Genus

Spathelia