Caraipa macrocarpa 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 : 253-254

4. Caraipa macrocarpa F.N. Cabral , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , and 6)

Type:— GUYANA. Amatuk Portage, Potaro River Gorge, 19 May 1944, Maguire & Fanshawe 23554 (holotype MO!, isotypes NY!, VEN!, P!).

Diagnosis: ― Caraipa macrocarpa is morphologically similar to Caraipa punctulata Ducke (1922: 216) , differing by its large, glabrous and rugulose fruits, and the large wing at the upper part of the seeds.

Description: ― Trees up to 16 m tall. Leaves distichous; lamina coriaceous, elliptic to obovate, 15–20 × 5.0– 8.2 cm, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface pubescent, with sparse sessile stellate trichomes, with bulliform cells, dark dots not visible, apex acute or obtuse, base rounded, acute or obtuse, margin flat, midrib sulcate or flat and glabrous adaxially, prominent and with minute stellate trichomes abaxially, secondary veins 17–23 pairs, 8–12 mm distant each other, tertiary veins conspicuous on both surfaces, parallel; petioles 12–15 mm long. Inflorescence, infructescence and flowers not seen. Axis and pedicels glabrous; bracts and bracteoles not seen. Fruit pyramid-shaped, trigonous, slightly asymmetrical, 3.3–3.8 × 2.3–2.7 cm, beaklet up to 5 mm long, surface rugulose, glabrous, valves concave towards the base, exocarp separating from endocarp. Seeds about 2.7 × 1.5 cm, conspicuously winged in the upper part.

Etymology:— The epithet macrocarpa refers to the fruits size.

Phenology:— Flowering unknown. Fruits collected in May.

Distribution and habitat:— Endemic to Potaro River Gorge, Guyana, occuring probably on river margins.

Taxonomic notes:— This new species is morphologically similar to Caraipa punctulata . The leaves of both species have a dark coloration in sicco and the trichomes on the abaxial surface are quite similar, although they are more scattered in C. macrocarpa . It is quite easy to distinguish the two species by the fruit size and the pedicel indument: the fruit is larger in C. macrocarpa 3.3–3.8 × 2.3–2.7 cm (vs. 1.4–2.4 × 1.0– 1.8 cm in C. punctulata ), and the pedicel is glabrous (vs. covered with sessile and stipitate stellate trichomes in C. punctulata ).

Caraipa macrocarpa is also morphologically similar to C. ferruginea Steyermark (1952: 384) , reduced to a synonym of C. punctulata by Kubitzki (1978), but considered as a distinct species by Cabral et al. (2016). Caraipa macrocarpa has scattered sessile stellate trichomes on the abaxial surface of the leaf blade (vs. long and simple trichomes in C. ferruginea ), and the fruits are larger 3.3–3.8 × 2.3–2.7 cm (vs. 1.0–1.8 × 0.9–2.0 cm in C. ferruginea ).

Figures

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