Ceratozamia aurantiaca Perez-Farr ., Gut.Ortega, J.L.Haynes & Vovides, Taxonomy 1: 249. 2021

Martinez-Dominguez, Lili, Nicolalde-Morejon, Fernando, Vergara-Silva, Francisco & Stevenson, Dennis Wm., 2022, Monograph of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales): an endangered genus, PhytoKeys 208, pp. 1-102 : 1

2. Ceratozamia aurantiaca Perez-Farr., Gut.Ortega, J.L.Haynes & Vovides, Taxonomy 1: 249. 2021

Figs 1C , 15B

Ceratozamia martinezii Mart.- Domínguez, Nic.-Mor. & D.W.Stev., Nordic J. Bot. 1: 2. 2021 [2022]. Type. Mexico. Oaxaca: Mun. San Pedro Teutila, El Faro, 615 m, 28 Sep 2020, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 2049 ♀ (holotype: CIB! [acc. # 22845UV]; isotypes: MEXU!, NY!).

Type.

Mexico. Oaxaca: Mun. San Pedro Teutila, Sierra Norte , 30 May 2021, M.A. Pérez-Farrera & P. Díaz-Jiménez 4014 (holotype: HEM [n.v.]; isotype: XAL [n.v.]) .

Description.

Stem 30-250 cm long, 10-15 cm in diameter, epigeous, erect or sometimes decumbent. Cataphylls 3.6-6.5 × 2-3.3 cm wide at the base, persistent, triangular, reddish brown, densely brown tomentose at emergence, glabrous at maturity, apex acuminate. Leaves 7-30 (50), 117-240 cm long, ascending, reddish brown at emergence, with whitish gray trichomes, glabrous at maturity. Petiole 45-85 cm long, terete, linear, reddish brown or greenish brown at emergence, dark green in mature leaves; with 16-47 thin prickles, 0.30-0.66 cm long. Rachis 70-160 cm long, terete, linear, dark green in mature leaves, with prickles in lower third. Leaflets 12-38 pairs, opposite to subopposite, insertion in one plane, oblong, generally longitudinally planar, not basally falcate, papyraceous, flat, green with adaxial and abaxial sides glabrous, distal end with entire margins, abruptly acuminate and symmetrical at the apex, attenuate at base, veins conspicuous and light-green; median leaflets 21-42.5 × 3.3-4.8 cm, 3.2-6.0 cm between leaflets; articulations 0.9-1.5 cm wide, green. Pollen strobili 20-35 cm long, 3.1-4.6 cm in diameter, solitary, cylindrical, erect, greenish with reddish trichomes at emergence, greenish yellow with reddish brown trichomes at maturity; peduncle 7.0-15 cm long, 1.5-2.1 cm in diameter, pubescent, reddish brown; microsporophylls 1.50-2.2 × 0.98-1.30 cm, obconic with a non-recurved distal face and a lobate fertile portion, infertile portion rounded and 0.47-0.84 cm long with horns straight and 0.16-0.38 cm long, 0.50-0.80 cm between horns with an acute angle between the horns. Ovulate strobili 11-36 cm long, 9.4-12.5 cm in diameter, solitary, cylindrical, erect, greenish yellow with an abundant reddish trichomes at emergence, green with brown trichomes at maturity, with an acute apex; peduncle 5.0-19.5 cm long, 1.3-2.3 cm in diameter, erect, light brown pubescent; megasporophylls 20-200, 5-11 orthostichies with 4-19 sporophylls per orthostichy, 2.25-2.72 × 3.6-4.3 cm, with a truncate distal face, horns curved and 0.54-0.90 cm long, 1.05-1.77 cm between horns with an acute angle between the horns. Seeds 2.4-3.0 cm long, 1.4-1.7 cm in diameter, ovate, sarcotesta whitish yellow to yellow when immature, light brown at maturity.

Distribution and habitat.

Ceratozamia aurantiaca occurs in highlands south of Río Santo Domingo and north of Sierra Norte in Oaxaca State, Mexico (Fig. 14B ), where it occurs in the evergreen tropical forest on karstic rocks at 458-800 m.

Etymology.

The specific epithet alludes to the leaf color at emergence. This is derived from Latin word aurantiacus for the orange color of emerging leaves.

Common names.

None recorded.

Uses.

People use the leaves of Ceratozamia aurantiaca to make flower arrangements in wreaths ( Martínez-Domínguez et al. 2022a).

Preliminary conservation status.

We visited three populations for Ceratozamia aurantiaca in which we recorded between 100 to 300 adult plants. We observed seedlings, juveniles and reproductive individuals. However, one of these populations is in a risk area due to anthropogenic land-use changes and was affected by fire in 2018. In addition, it is not found within protected areas. Based upon this information, C. aurantiaca should be considered "Endangered (EN)" in accordance with IUCN criteria.

Discussion.

Ceratozamia aurantiaca is most similar to C. whitelockiana , however, differs from it in its oblong leaflets abruptly acuminate with a symmetric apex, its petiole with abundant (16-24) and long prickles (0.32-0.55 cm), and its rachis that has prickles in the proximal third of the leaf. In addition, the ovulate strobili have an acute apex, and the pollen strobili have obconic microsporophylls with a rounded infertile portion. The leaves are reddish brown at emergence, whereas in C. whitelockiana they are green.

Specimens examined.

Mexico. Oaxaca: Mun. Chiquihuitlán de Benito Juárez, 861 m, 26 Nov 2004, C.A. Cruz-Espinosa & G. Juárez-García 1945 (MEXU). Mun. San Felipe Jalapa de Díaz, 500 m, 28 Jun 2008, J.A. Pérez de la Rosa et al. 1966 (IBUG). Mun. San Pedro Teutila, 458 m, 23 Sep 2020, F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 3323-3333 (CIB); 500 m, 23 Sep 2020, F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 3334-3337 (CIB); 615 m, 28 Sep 2020, F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 3415-3419 (CIB); 708 m, 10 Jun 2004, G. Juárez-García 425 (MEXU); 458 m, 23 Sep 2020, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 1946-1950 (CIB), 1951 (CIB, MEXU), 1952-1957 (CIB); 500 m, 23 Sep 2020, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 1958-1960 (CIB, MEXU), 1961 (CIB); 615 m, 28 Sep 2020, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 2050, 2052 (CIB, MEXU), 2051, 2053 (CIB); 539 m, 6 Apr 2021, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 2141, 2142, 2144 (CIB), 2143 (CIB, MEXU, NY). Mun. Santa María Tlalixtac, 675 m, 25 Nov 2004, G. Juárez-García & C.A. Cruz-Espinosa 868 (MEXU).

Figures

Figure 1. Characters evaluated in reproductive structures A pollen strobilus of Ceratozamia sabatoi B pollen strobilus of C. santillanii C ovulate strobilus of C. aurantiaca D ovulate strobilus of C. zoquorum.

Figure 14. Distribution of Ceratozamia species A C. alvarezii B C. aurantiaca C C. becerrae D C. brevifrons.

Figure 15. Plants of Ceratozamia in habitat A C. alvarezii B C. aurantiaca C C. becerrae D C. brevifrons E C. chamberlainii F C. chimalapensis G C. decumbens H C. delucana I C. euryphyllidia J C. fuscoviridis K C. hondurensis L C. huastecorum.