Vochysia peruviana Huamantupa, 2017

Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, Isau, 2017, Vochysia peruviana (Vochysiaceae), a new species from Flooded Forests, Madre de Dios, Peru, Phytotaxa 306 (4), pp. 275-280 : 277-279

Vochysia peruviana Huamantupa , sp. nov. ( Figures 1–3 ).

Type: — PERU. Madre de Dios, Tambopata, Dtto. Tambopata, Santuario nacional Pampas del Heath, adyacentes al río Palma Real. Pto Enahuipa, 12° 39′ 23″ S 69° 25′ 09″ O, 210 m, 15 October 1996, M. Aguilar, D. Castro & J. Racua 1219 (holotype CUZ!, isotype MO!).

Diagnosis: — Vochysia peruviana can be differentiated from the related species V. ferruginea Martius (1826: 151) and V. floribunda as follows: V. ferruginea has branches tomentulose to glabrous; leaves opposite, laminae ovate-elliptic, cuneate to abruptly acute at base, ferruginous on abaxial face, ferruginous to tomentulose principally on the nerves; veins in 12–17 pairs; cincinni 1–5-flowered. Vochysia floribunda has branches generally glabrous to scabrous; leaves opposite or frequently in whorls of 3; laminae oblong, cuneate to subcordate at base; tomentulose, puberulous or glabrous on abaxial face; primary lateral nerves in 10–15 pairs; cincinni 1–3-flowered; petals equal, the same size as the stamen; stamen very pilose with cilia more abundant in the ventral area and at the margins. In contrast, V. peruviana is conspicuously differentiated from these two by the branches covered by a densely lanuginose to villous indument; the leaves in whorls of 3–4, more frequently 4, the base of the leaves subcordate to strongly cordate; the adaxial surface glabrous to occasionally lightly scabrous; the abaxial surface densely lanuginose-tomentose, covered with simple and dibrachiate trichomes; the lateral veins 17–25 pairs; cincinni of 2–4 flowers, frequently 2; flowers with 3 unequal petals, the larger petal 4–6.5 × 1.4–2.5 mm, and the smaller petals equaling or slightly longer than the dorsal sepal.

Trees to 20 m, reaching at least 43 cm diameter at breast height (dbh). Young branches with a dense lanuginosevillous indumentum, golden-yellow to orange-brown in color, composed of simple trichomes 0.6–1.4 mm long, subterete, with 4–6 sometimes distinct longitudinal whitish lines; stipules dark brown, acicular-triangular, 2.5–4 × 0.8–2 mm, with a tomentose to densely pilose indumentum. Leaves 3 to frequently 4-verticillate; petiole 2–7 mm long, 1–2.4 mm wide at base, subterete, canaliculate-sulcate adaxially and striate abaxially, densely pubescent; lamina of leaf coriaceous, lanceolate, oblong-elliptic, rarely ovate-lanceolate, 6.4–15 × 2.1–5.2 cm; apex mucronate, sharpacuminate, 0.8–2.2 cm long; base subcordate to strongly cordate; adaxial surface glabrous to sometimes sparsely scabrous; abaxially densely villous, lanuginose-tomentose, covered with simple and dibrachiate trichomes varying from 0.5–2.5 mm long, more abundant along the midvein and secondary lateral veins, in some places there are observed some accumulated old trichomes to 2.5 mm long; venation pinnate, reticulate; midvein impressed above, salient below, up to 2.4 mm wide at leaf base; secondary veins 17–25 pairs, near base and apex of leaf spaced about 2 mm apart, and up to 8 mm apart in the middle of the lamina, forming angles of 40–60˚ with the midvein, impressed adaxially and salient below, brochidodromous towards the margin, frequently with 1–2 secondary lateral veins between the primary laterals; venules abundant; marginal vein 0.6–1.1 mm from the margin, sub-impressed adaxially and salient below. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, dense, partially arcuate, over 6 cm long, axis densely covered with reddish brown pubescence; cincinni 2–4-florous, most frequently biflorous; peduncles 1–1.5 cm, densely tomentose; pedicels 4–10 mm long, densely tomentose-villous. Flower buds 4–7 mm long, recurved, rounded at apex, densely pilose-tomentose. Flowers orange-yellow, together with the spurred sepal 6–12 mm long, nearly straight to navicular; spur terete, straight to incurved, apex rounded to obtuse, 4–7 mm long, forming an angle of 40–100˚ with the pedicel, tomentulose; dorsal sepal 3–5 mm long, very sparsely ciliate in the base; smaller sepals oblong-deltoid, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1.6 mm, ciliate at the margins; petals 3, unequal, oblong-lanceolate, adaxial side pilose-ciliate in the borders and the middle, the abaxial side sparsely ciliate in the middle, and pilose at the base, the larger petal 4–6.5 × 1.4–2.5 mm, surpassing the dorsal sepal in size at anthesis, the smaller petals the same size as the dorsal sepal or slightly larger than it. Stamen 3.5–5 mm long, slightly curved; filament 1.8–2.6 mm, sparsely ciliate-tomentulose mainly at base; anther 2.5–3.5 mm, conduplicate, slightly incurved to navicular, each side of the anther ± 1.5 mm, slightly glabrous in the middle, ciliate-tomentulose to the apex; staminodes 2, lanceolate-elliptic, 0.5–1 mm long, glabrous except for clustered cilia at the base. Ovary glabrous, 0.5–1.2 mm long; style 3–4.5 mm long; stigma terminal, slightly capitate-sagittate. Fruit not seen.

Ecology and Distribution: — Vochysia peruviana is known only from habitats associated to flooded forests, from the southern Peruvian Amazon in the Madre de Dios Region. It occurs preferentially near lakes and rivers, on sandy soils, between 200 and 260 m elev. At the Blanquillo Cocha it was recorded in a two hectare tree plot at a density of one individual/ha; the largest individual in that plot measured 43 cm dbh. Some records of V. peruviana localized in the Pampas del Heath are few kilometers apart from the Peru-Bolivia border, and the species likely occurs in the remnant wet forests associated with grasslands-savannas in Bolivia.

Phenology: —Flowering specimens were collected between October and March. Fruits were not observed.

Conservation Status: — Vochysia peruviana occurs inside the Bahuaja Sonene National Park and in the surroundings of the Tampobata National Reserve, and it is likely that undiscovered Bolivian populations occur in Madidi National Park. This makes it appropriate to designate V. peruviana as Data Deficient (DD) based on IUCN (2014) criteria, because of the records are only in four localities, whit some individuals that grow in protected areas (Bahuaja Sonene National Park and the Tambopata National Reserve).

Etymology: —The species is named in honor of the Peruvian country.

Paratypes: — PERU. Madre de Dios, Manu, Dtto. Manu, Cocha Blanquillo , 14 February 1993, M. Nuñez 15103 ( CUZ!) ; Tambopata, Dtto. Bahuaja, Lodge Explorer, 6 March 1998, M. Nuñez 21437 ( CUZ!) ; Dtto.Tambopata, Reserva de Tambopata , 12° 15′ S 69° 17′ O, 260 m, 28 September 1993, F. Cornejo, H. Beltran, A. Rubio 1180 ( MOL!) .

Discussion: — Vochysia peruviana belongs to Vochysia sect. Ciliantha subsect. Ferrugineae . Species in this group are characterized principally by angled stems, bark sometimes exfoliating, stipules always present, leaves in whorls or opposite, young branches and leaves ferruginous-pilose on the abaxial face, petioles usually striate, inflorescences terminal and axillary, ferruginous, flowers with 3 petals, rarely one, the petals and stamen pilose-ciliate along the margins and base, style and ovary glabrous ( Stafleu 1948). It can be differentiated from the related species V. ferruginea Martius (1826: 151) and V. floribunda by the characters cited in the diagnosis.

Vochysia peruviana is restricted to seasonally inundated forests (varzea) within the wet savannas of Pampas del Heath, where neither V. ferruginea and V. floribunda are known to occur. Vochysia ferruginea is more common in upland forests (terra firme), and V. floribunda is found mainly in the Amazonian region of northern Peru.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Vochysia peruviana Huamantupa. A. Flowering branch. B. Flower in anthesis. C. Flower. D. Petals. E. Stamen and dorsal sepal. F. Ovary, style, stigma and staminodia (indicated with arrows). G. Arrangement of the stipules. Illustration by G. Calatayud, based on Aguilar et al. 1219 (isotype MO!).

FIGURE 2. Vochysia peruviana Huamantupa, flowering specimen, Aguilar et al. 1219 (isotype MO). Photo by I. Huamantupa.

FIGURE 3. Geographic distribution of Vochysia peruviana in Peru (▲).