Symplocos jurgensenii Hemsley (1881: 301)

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

14. Symplocos jurgensenii Hemsley (1881: 301) . Lectotype (designated by Fritsch & Almeda 2015):— MEXICO. [Oaxaca:] Sierra San Pedro Nolasco etc., 1843–1834, C. Jürgensen 746 (lectotype G-164229-n.v., online image!, isolectotypes BM-952632-n.v., online image!, BM-952633-n.v., online image!, G-164230-n.v., online image!)

= Symplocos strigillosa Krug & Urb. in Urban (1893: 332). ≡ Symplocos martinicensis Jacquin (1760: 24) ssp. strigillosa (Krug & Urb.) D. Mai in Mai (1986: 15). Lectotype (designated by Mai 1986):— CUBA. Pinar del Río: Retiro, 13 July 1863, C. Wright 2932 (lectotype GOET!, isolectotypes BM-952623-n.v., online image!, GH!, GOET!, MO!, NY-2!, S-4!, US!, W!).

= Symplocos bicolor Williams (1967: 265) . Type :— BELIZE. Mullins River Rd , 100 ft, [17°05′58″N, 88°19′26″W], 15 December 1931, W. A. Schipp 862 (holotype F!, isotypes C, CAS!, GH!, MICH-1192774-n.v., online image!, MO!, NY!, S!).

Trees 4–15 m tall; juvenile branchlets and vegetative buds moderately strigose to pilose, trichomes mostly 0.5–1 mm long, appressed to antrorsely spreading, pale orange or tawny. Petioles 4–10 mm long; leaf blades bicolorous, elliptic, 5–13.5 × 2–5 cm, membranaceous to subcoriaceous, abaxially glabrous (rarely sparsely strigillose on midvein), adaxially glabrous, secondary veins not adaxially impressed, base acute, margins crenulate-denticulate, with minute, black deciduous marginal glands ca. 0.25 mm long, apex acuminate. Inflorescences cymes or racemes 1–2.8 cm long, 3–6-flowered; peduncle 1–4 mm long; rachis 0.5–2 cm long, moderately strigose, trichomes 0.5–1 mm long; bracts persistent, elliptic to elliptic-ovate or rarely obovate, 1–3 × 0.5–2 mm, densely strigillose, margins ciliate; bracteoles persistent, 2–3, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 0.75–1 × 0.5–0.75 mm, densely strigillose, margins ciliate; pedicels absent or to 1 mm long. Hypanthium glabrous. Calyx lobes 5, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 0.5–0.8(–1) × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous or sparsely to moderately sericeous, margins ciliate. Corolla white, 5-lobed, 5–7 mm long; tube 2–3 mm long; lobes adnate to filament tube for 3 mm, oblong-obovate, glabrous. Stamens 3-seriate; filament tube 3–4 mm long; distinct portions of filaments 1.5–3 × 0.5–0.75 mm. Disk sericeous to strigillose; style 4–7 mm long, glabrous or sparsely villous at base; stigma irregularly lobed. Fruits green maturing to dark bluish purple, ovoid to ellipsoid, 6–10 × 4–7 mm, glabrous, apex rounded or gradually narrowed to the truncate disk; calyx lobes erect; disk convex, surpassing calyx lobes and well exposed; endocarp 3–5-locular, perimeter rounded.

Vernacular name —None.

Illustrations — Figure 18 ; Williams (1967: 265).

Phenology —Flowering April and November through January; fruiting February, April through July, and September.

Distribution and habitat — Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas), Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, in tropical rain forests in at 0–1600 m elev. Also in Cuba. Figure 19 .

Conservation status —Collections of Symplocos jurgensenii have been made from more than 30 localities in southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, as well as ten additional localities in Cuba. Based on this widespread distribution and coupled with a comparatively broad elevational range, we assign a classification of Least Concern (LC) to this species.

Discussion — Symplocos jurgensenii is recognized by its crenulate-margined, bicolorous leaves that are almost black adaxially, small flowers with glabrous petals and styles, and small glabrous fruits. This species is likely a close relative of S. costaricana and S. naniflora , other low elevation species with small fruits and glabrous petals. Symplocos costaricana is distinguished from S. jurgensenii by its entire leaf margins (versus crenulate-denticulate); S. naniflora is most readily separated by its densely pilose styles (versus glabrous or merely sparsely villous at base).

Symplocos jurgensenii does not differ substantially from S. strigillosa (Krug & Urb.) of Cuba. Other than the flowers and leaves, which average slightly larger in S. jurgensenii , the range of morphological variation appears to overlap completely between the two entities, e.g., in branchlet, leaf, and inflorescence trichome length, leaf shape and margin, and fruit size. On this basis, we thus consider S. jurgensenii and S. strigillosa to be conspecific (see also Fritsch & Almeda, 2015).

A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SYMPLOCOS

Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 53 54 • Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press

KELLY ET AL.

Additional specimens examined— MEXICO. Chiapas: Ocosingo, Alrededores del Nuevo Centro de Población Velasco Suárez ( Selva Lacandona ), 500 m, 16°47′N, 91°17′W, 7 December 1976, Calzada 2917 ( NY!) ; Ocosingo, Nuevo Veracruz, a 33 km al W del Vértice del Río Choxoy , camino a Chajul , en zona Marqués de Comillas , 130 m, [16°04′48″N, 90°42′36″W], 10 January 1986, Martínez S. 15891 (MEXU!, MO!) ; Ocosingo, 16 km al NW de Boca Lacantum, camino a Palenque , 220 m, [16°39′N, 90°48′W], 20 January 1986, Martínez S. 16434 (CAS!, MEXU!, NY!) ; Ocosingo, 15 km al NW de Boca Lacantum, camino a Palenque , 220 m, 20 April 1986, Martínez S. 18457 (MEXU!, MO!) . Oaxaca: 12 km NE de Lázaro Cardenas, camino a Santa María Chimalapa, 225 m, [16°47′42″N, 94°49′30″W], 21 February 1982, Cedillo T. 1124 (MEXU!, MO!) ; Chinantla , 3000 ft, 184?, Galeotti 1685 (GH!, NY!, US!) ; Mpio. Santa María Chimalapa, Paso Piedra de Tigre , ca. 8 km al O de Santa María, 220 m, 16°53′N, 94°43′W, 13 November 1984, Hernández G. 582 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) ; La Carmelita, 14 km SW de Jalahui, brecha Playa Vicente–Choapan , [17°24′21″N, 95°49′59″W], 19 January 1984, Torres C. & Tenorio L. 4548 (CAS!, MEXU!, MO!) . Veracruz: Minantitlan , [17°59′01″N, 94°33′01″W], 15 November 1928, Mill s.n. ( US!) . State unknown: without precise locality, 1841–1843, Liebmann s.n. ( NY!) ; Jocobepa , June 1942 [1842], Liebmann 593 p. p. (C-2!) .

BELIZE. Maskall , [17°52′42″N, 88°18′47″W], 14 April 1934, Gentle 1253 (A!, DS!, F!, GH!, MO!, NY!, US!) ; Stann Creek Dist., Stann Creek Valley, Baboon Ridge , [16°56′59″N, 88°23′36″W], 10 February 1940, Gentle 3207 (A!, MEXU!, MO!, NY!, US!) ; Stann Creek Dist., Stann Creek Valley, Big Eddy Ridge , [16°58′20″N, 88°26′29″W], 12 January 1941, Gentle 3486 (A!, CAS!, DS!, F!, MEXU!, MO!, NY!, US!) ; Stann Creek Dist., Mullins River Rd, [17°05′58″N, 88°19′26″W], 12 January 1955, Gentle 8538 (CAS!, MO!, NY!, S!, US!) ; Cayo Dist., Río On Creek, Navel Rd, 6 km E of Augustine, Mtn. Pine Ridge Forest Reserve , 480 m, [16′59″N, 88′56′W], August 1988, Meave & Howe 1227 ( MO!) ; near Manatee Lagoon , [17°28′42″N, 88°14′43″W], 8 January 1906, Peck 264 ( GH!) ; Stann Creek Dist., Mullins River Rd, [17°05′58″N, 88°19′26″W], 29 April 1929, Schipp 116 (A!,

A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SYMPLOCOS

Phytotaxa 264 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 55

CAS!, F!, MO!, NY!, S!, US!); Camp 32. B. H. - Guatemala Survey, 2100 ft, [16°21′36″N, 89°12′02″W], 17 April 1934, Schipp 1268 (A!, F!, GH!, MO!, NY!, S!) .

GUATEMALA. Izabal: S shore of Lake Izabal , E of Izabal, [15°29′51″N, 88°51′59″W], 2 May 1966, Jones & Facey 3218 (F!, LL!, NY!) ; near Puerto Barrios , sea level, [15°43′30″N, 88°35′37″W], 25 April–6 May 1939, Standley 73114 (F!) . Petén: La Libertad and vicinity, [16°47′26″N, 90°07′07″W], 10 January 1935, Aguilar H. 217 (A!, F!, MO!, NY!, S!); Santa Elena, bordeando la carretera Sayaxché, a Km 40, [16°55′11″N, 89°53′36″W], 8 February 1972, Ortíz 2225 (F!, NY!, US!) . La Libertad: La Libertad , 2 June 1933, Lundell 3571 (F!, GH!, S!, US!) . Alta Verapaz: Sebol , in high forest, ca. 1 km NEE, [15°35′39″N, 90°08′58″W], 29 April 1964, Contreras 4536 (CAS!, LL!) .

NICARAGUA. Zelaya: área de la Bahía de Bluefields, Río Escondido, Abardeen Hilly y El Pool, 0–30 m, [12°01′N, 83°46′W], 30 March 1949, Molina R. 2012 (F!, GH!); Bluefields, 1 km al W del pueblo, 80–100 m, 12°00′N, 83°46′W, 12 September 1984, Moreno 24640 (CAS!, MO!).

Extralimital specimens — CUBA. Artemisa: J. S. S. León 12714 ( NY!) . Camagüey: I. Arias et al. HFC 53725 (B-n.v., digital image 10 0415576!) . Cienfuegos: J. S. S. León & M. Roca 8017 ( NY!) . Guantánamo: E. L. Ekman 6126 ( NY!) . Holguín: E. L. Ekman 4712 ( NY!) . Isla de la Juventud: N. L. Britton et al. 15805 ( NY!) . La Habana: J. S. S. León 11530 ( NY!) . Pinar del Río: N. L. Britton et al. 6747 ( NY!) . Sancti Spíritus: A. Luna 132 ( NY!) . Santiago de Cuba: J. S. S. León 11015 ( NY!) .

Figures

FIGURE 18. Symplocos jurgensenii. a. Branchlet with inflorescences. b. Close-up of (a) showing leaf blade margin. c. Flower bud. d. Close up of (c) showing ciliate calyx lobe margin. e. Flower. f. Corolla opened with attached stamens. g. Disk, style, and stigma. h. Fruit. i. Fruit, cross section. (a drawn from H. Hernández G. 582, CAS and R. Torres C. & P. Tenorio L. 4548, CAS; b–g drawn from Hernández G. 582, CAS; h, i drawn from R. Torres C. & P. Tenorio L. 4548, CAS.)

FIGURE 19. Geographic distribution of Symplocos jurgensenii in Mexico and Central America.