Symplocos hintonii Lundell (1969: 122)

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

13. Symplocos hintonii Lundell (1969: 122) . Type:— MEXICO. Guerrero: Dist. Galeana, Teotepec, edge of forest stream, 2600 m, [17°28′22″N, 100°08′21″W], 18 May 1939, G. B. Hinton et al. 14276 (holotype LL!, isotypes CAS!, MO!, NY!, S!, US!)

Trees ca. 10–12.5 m tall; distal branchlets and vegetative buds densely hirsute, trichomes 0.5–1.5 mm long, widely to retrorsely spreading, brownish. Petioles 0–4 mm long; leaf blades bicolorous, ovate to ovate-lanceolate to elliptic or oblanceolate, 3.5–9 × 2–4.5 cm, subchartaceous, adaxially and abaxially setose-pilose, trichomes 0.5–1.5 mm long, secondary veins adaxially impressed, base rounded to emarginate or subcordate, margins entire, revolute toward base imparting a ± folded aspect to leaves, apex sharply acuminate. Inflorescences 1–2-flowered or rarely 3–5-flowered racemes; peduncles 5–6 mm long, setose-pilose, trichomes 0.5–1.5 mm long; bracts persistent, 1–4 toward base of peduncle, ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–6 × 1–2.5 mm, adaxially sericeous, margins ciliate; bracteoles persistent, 2–4, ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–6 × 1–2.5 mm, adaxially sericeous, margins ciliate. Hypanthium densely sericeous. Calyx lobes 5, subulate-lanceolate, 4.5–9.5 × 1–1.5 mm, appressed-pilose to ± spreading-pilose, margins appressed-pilose to ± spreading-pilose. Corolla pink, 5-lobed, 2–2.5 cm long; tube 8–13 mm long; lobes adnate to filament tube for 11–12 mm, lanceolate, appressed-pilose distally at the acute apex. Stamens 7-seriate; filament tube 12 mm long; distinct portions of filaments 4–5 × 0.5 mm. Disk pilose; style ca. 13–14 mm long, pilose on lower half; stigma irregularly lobed. Fruits green maturing to dark bluish purple, ellipsoid to oblong, 1.5–1.6 × 0.6–0.9 cm, pilose, apex truncate to base of spreading calyx lobes; disk convex, apex partly visible, surpassed by calyx; endocarp 2–3-locular, perimeter rounded.

Vernacular name —None.

Illustration — Figure 17 .

Phenology —Flowering May and October; fruiting October.

Distribution and habitat — Mexico (central Guerrero), in Quercus - Pinus forests and cloud forests at 2500–2600 m elev. Figure 16 .

Conservation status — This species, known from the type and three other collections, is restricted to a narrow elevational belt around Cerro Teotepec in the highlands of Guerrero, Mexico. The EOO is 34 km ² and the AOO is 16 km ². This species has a limited area of occupancy, grows in an area that is subject to deforestation with no official protected status, and the area, extent, and quality of habitat is projected to decline. We therefore assign a classification of Critically Endangered (CR): B1ab(iii, iv) to this species .

Discussion — Symplocos hintonii is distinguished by the combination of subsessile leaves and large flowers (ca. 2.5 cm long) with lanceolate petals and stamens in seven series. This species is unique among species of Symplocos in the region in having an inflorescence that is positioned under the leaves in the area between the revolute basal margins. This unusual floral presentation is probably an adaptation for hummingbird pollination.

A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SYMPLOCOS

Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 51 52 • Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press

KELLY ET AL.

Additional specimens examined — MEXICO. Guerrero: E slope of Cerro Teotepec along rd from Filo de Caballo to Atoyac , 2590 m, [17°27′02″N, 100°03′30″W], 9 October 1986, Breedlove & Almeda 65018 (CAS!, NY!) ; above Puerto El Gallo on W slope of Cerro Teotepec along rd from Filo de Caballo to Atoyac , 2560 m, [17°27′N, 100°10′W], 9 October 1986, Breedlove & Almeda 65026 ( CAS!) ; W of Puerto El Gallo along rd to Toro Muerto , 2530 m, [17°30′10″N, 100°14′44″W], 11 October 1986, Breedlove & Almeda 65160 (CAS!, NY!) .

Figures

FIGURE 16. Geographic distribution of Symplocos hartwegii, S. hintonii, and S. nigridentata.

FIGURE 17. Symplocos hintonii. a. Branchlet with flowers. b. Leaf, adaxial surface. c. Close-up of (a) showing midvein pubescence on abaxial leaf blade surface. d. Flower. e. Corolla opened with attached stamens. f. Style and stigma. g. Fruit. h. Fruit, cross section. (a, c, d, g, h drawn from D. E. Breedlove & F. Almeda 65018, CAS; b drawn from D. E. Breedlove & F. Almeda 65026, CAS; e, f drawn from G. B. Hinton et al. 14276, CAS.)