Cestrum lozadai Cruz Durán & S. Valencia, 2022

Durán, Ramiro Cruz & Valencia-A, Susana, 2022, Cestrum lozadai (Solanaceae), a new species from the state of Guerrero, Mexico, Phytotaxa 564 (3), pp. 295-300 : 296

Cestrum lozadai Cruz Durán & S. Valencia , sp. nov., Fig. 1 .

Cestrum lozadai is similar to C. laxum ; however, it is distinguished from the latter by presenting narrower leaf blades, with up to 15 pairs of secondary veins, flowers with longer pedicels, up to 16 mm and articulated, the corolla tube longer, up to 21 mm and internally with retrorse trichomes in the portion attached to the filaments, with the fused part of the filaments up to 15 mm.

TYPE:— MEXICO. Guerrero: Muncipality of Atoyac de Álvarez, approx. 1 km W of El Molote, road to Nueva Dehli , 17°24´5.1” N, 100°10´55.1” W, 13 January 2005 (fl), R. de Santiago et al. 1431 (holotype FCME!, isotypes FCME!, MEXU!) .

Trees 4‒6 m tall or shrubs 2‒3 m tall, slender, glabrous. Leaves (5‒) 6.5‒12.2 cm long, with alternate phyllotaxis; laminae (4.5‒) 6‒11 × 1.1‒2.5 cm, lanceolate to subelliptic, upper surface glabrous, lower surface glabrous, with 8‒15 secondary veins per side, vein divergence 80‒90 degrees, base acute to cuneate, margin entire, apex acuminate, occasionally acute; petioles 5‒8 mm long, glabrous. Inflorescences in terminal racemes, 6‒9 cm long, lax, rachis in zig-zag, glabrous, the flowers never conglomerated; bracts ca. 1 mm long, filiform, soon caducous; pedicels (11‒) 12‒16 mm, glabrous, jointed, the joint at 2‒5 mm long. Flowers pentamerous, white or white-greenish, 2.5‒3 cm long; calyx tubular, green, 4‒5 mm long, glabrous, with evident middle veins, lobes 1‒1.3 mm long, apex slightly hairy; corolla hypocrateriform, with a tube 20‒21 mm long, externally glabrous, instead internally with retrorse trichomes up to the level where the free part of the filaments begins, diameter of the base ca. 1 mm, expanding to ca. 3 mm wide at sublimbus, lobes 5‒6 × 2‒4 mm, triangular, marginal folds 1 mm wide, tomentose on the outside; stamens with filaments fused to the base of the corolla in the first 14‒15 mm, free part 5‒6 mm, with a hairy knee-like appendage, shortly after the free part begins; style 19‒20 mm long, glabrous, ovary 2 mm long, ovoid. Fruits white berries, ovoid, 9 × 6 mm, with persistent calyx, covering less than 1/4 of the fruit. Seeds not registered.

Habitat and ecology:—It is common in cloud forest and coffee plantations, from 1612 to 1750 m above sea level, on red soil.

Phenology:—It is found in flower and fruit from (September) December to January.

Conservation status:—According to the IUCN Red List guidelines (2021), C. lozadai should be categorized as Data Deficient (DD) because there are only 5 collections of one single locality in the Municipality of Atoyac de Álvarez, Guerrero.

Etymology:—The specific epithet is dedicated to Lucio Lozada Pérez, outstanding Mexican botanist, well known for his career on the study of the tree flora of the state of Guerrero, Mexico.

Additional specimens examined: — MEXICO. Guerrero: Municipality of Atoyac de Álvarez, El Molote , to 0.5 km N, 17°25´29.3” N, 100°10´28.6” W, 14 January 2005 (fl, fr), L. Lozada, R. de Santiago & J. Rojas 2755 (FCME). Approx. 1 km W of El Molote, road to Nueva Dehli, 17°25´5.1” N, 100°10´55.1” W, 13 January 2005 (fl), R. de Santiago, L. Lozada & J. Rojas 1430 (FCME). 0.5 km W of El Molote, 17°25´28.2” N, 100°10´10.21” W, 26 September 1999 (fl, fr), J. Rojas 24a (FCME), 5 December 1999 (fl), J. Rojas 72 (FCME) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cestrum lozadai.A.Branch with inflorescence and leaves.B. Complete flower.C. Calyx andpistil. D.Corolla and androecium. E. Hairy knee-like appendages of the filaments and retrorse trichomes, inner part of the corolla tube. F. Fruits (A, de Santiago et al. 1431, FCME; B F, Lozada et al. 2755, FCME). Illustration by Ramiro Cruz Durán.