Cedrela kuelapensis T.D. Penn. & Daza (2010: 65–68)

Palacios, Walter A., Torres, Maria De Lourdes, Quintana, Martina Albuja, Asadobay, Pacarina, Iglesias, Juan, Quillupangui, Richard, Rojas, Estefania, Santiana, Janeth, Sola, Augusto & Rivas-Torres, Gonzalo, 2023, A new species and a new record for Cedrela (Meliaceae, Sapindales) in Ecuador: morphological, molecular, and distribution evidence, Phytotaxa 595 (2), pp. 127-138 : 136-137

Cedrela kuelapensis T.D. Penn. & Daza (2010: 65–68) .

Cedrela has been considered endemic to northern Peru ( Pennington & Muellner (2010), however, today it is known to be widely distributed, also, in the Loja province of Ecuador ( Figure 5 ).

Field characteristics: —Tree up to 18 m high and 65 cm dbh, slightly fissured grayish bark, rounded crown. The flowers have pink petals with margin cream.

Flowering and phenology: — The species shows asynchronous phenology, as happens with other species of the genus in Ecuador. In December of 2017, for example, in the northeast of Loja, some trees had leaves and others were defoliated, while towards the central part of the province, a few trees had flowers and others were presenting young leaves. In August 2018 on the other hand, when a strong dry season was present in the central and southern part of the province (e.g., in Nambacola and Cariamanga sites), the trees were defoliated and some had old fruits; meanwhile, towards the northeast of Loja, the trees presented leaves and very young inflorescences.

Distribution and habitat: —Until now, the species was considered endemic to Peru ( Pennington & Muellner 2010). In Ecuador, C. kuelapensis inhabits only the seasonally semi-deciduous forests of southern Ecuador, in the province of Loja, northern Peruvian border. The first collections of this species in Ecuador were made in 1995, in forest remnants occurring ~ 1600m in elevation, between Malacatos and El Tambo localities. Recent collections during this investigation ( Table 1) expand the distribution of the species, which is now reported between 700 and 1600m in elevation. All the collected individuals were found in degraded areas along roads, pastures, and forest remnants.

In Loja, this species occurs in ecosystems like those where it grows in Peru; it grows associated with Jacaranda sparrei A.H. Gentry (1977: 138) and Vachellia macracantha (Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow 1806: 1080) Seigler & Ebinger (2005: 160) , but it has also been located at about 700m in elevation, usually growing on the banks of watercourses, in dry forests dominated by Cochlospermum vitifolium ( Willdenow 1809: 720) Sprengel (1895: 596) .

Conservation status: — Cedrela kuelapensis has a potential distribution area that covers a large part of the province of Loja ( Figure 3 ), which significantly increases the previously known distribution area in Peru. However, it must be considered that the forests of this Ecuadorian province are mainly at secondary succession stages. Also (and according to resulting maps, Figure 3 ), the species faces a habitat loss of 54%, calculated after applying criterion A, an Extent of Occurrence (EOO) of 1,167.182 km ², and an Area of Occupancy (AOO) of 20 km ². These data, which were analyzed under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN, 2019), suggest that the species could be evaluated as Endangered. However, considering that the potential reduction in its population size is at least 61% and a maximum of approximately 80% (W. Palacios pers. obs.), and that the trees mainly occur in secondary forests and are sparse and distant from each other, the species should be evaluated as Critically Endangered (CR A2c) for the country.

Specimens examined: — ECUADOR. Loja: Cantón Olmedo, vía a Surapo, 1660 m, October–November 2018, Sanchez & Gonzaga 124 (LOJA). Malacatos-El Tambo road, near the village El Era, 1600 m, 16 May 1995, Borgtoft et al. 104298 (LOJA, QCA). Km 12 Malacatos-Gonzanamá, 1280 m, 4°12’S, 78°21’W, 21 November 1995, Merino et al. 4617 (LOJA). Catamayo, vía intervalles Malacatos-Catamayo, 2 km antes de El Tambo, 1533 m, 4°04’S, 79°18’W, 24 December 2017, Palacios 18284, 18285 ( QCNE). Cariamanga, Vía Cariamanga-Colaisaca, aprox. 7 km, sector San Pedro, 1835 m, 4°20’06’’S, 79°06’W, 24 December 2017, Palacios 18292 ( QCNE). Macará, Sabiango, lecho de quebrada, hacia el NW de Sabiango , Bosque seco, 760 m, 4°21’S, 79°49’W, 27 December 2017, Palacios 18288 ( QCNE). NC: cedro blanco .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Map detailing the potential distribution and locations of individuals used for climatic niche modeling of C. angusticarpa and C. kuelapensis in continental Ecuador. Peru is located to the south and Colombia to the north of Continental Ecuador defined in this map.

FIGURE 5. Cedrela kuelapensis: A. leaves (scale bar = 8 cm), B. leaflets (scale bar = 3 cm), C. flower (scale bar = 0.3 cm).A-C Palacios 18292. Photographs by W. Palacios