Ceratozamia morettii Vázq. Torres & Vovides. Novon 8 (1): 87-90. 1998.

Martinez-Dominguez, Lili, Nicolalde-Morejon, Fernando, Vergara-Silva, Francisco & Stevenson, Dennis Wm., 2018, Taxonomic review of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae) in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico, PhytoKeys 100, pp. 91-124 : 107-109

10. Ceratozamia morettii Vázq. Torres & Vovides. Novon 8 (1): 87-90. 1998. Figure 3C

Type.

MEXICO. Veracruz: Landero y Coss , 7 Jan. 1992, M. Va ́zquez-Torres & H. Barney 4097 (holotype: CIB; isotypes: CIB, MEXU, XAL) .

Description.

Stem epigeous, erect and decumbent, 20-50 cm in length, 20-35 cm in diameter. Cataphylls persistent, densely tomentose at emergence, reddish-brown and partially tomentose at maturity, triangular, apex acuminate, 4-6.5 × 3-3.5 cm at base. Leaves 3-30, descending, 82-200 cm, light green at emergence, brown pubescence, glabrous at maturity. Petiole terete, straight, 30-90 cm, armed with short and thin prickles, green in adult leaves. Rachis terete, straight, 50-116 cm, armed with prickles, green in adult leaves. Leaflets 10-23, oblong, planar and abaxially curved, not basally falcate, coriaceous, flat, opposite to subopposite, plane, green, adaxial side glabrous and abaxial side glaucous, acuminate apex, asymmetric apex, attenuate at base, with conspicuous and light green veins; median leaflets 17.5-41 × 2.6-4.3 cm, 2.1-6 cm between leaflets; articulations green and yellow, 0.5-1.6 cm wide. Polliniferous strobilus solitary, cylindrical, erect, 12-15 cm in length, 3.8-4.5 cm in diameter, brownish-yellow at emergence, greenish-yellow with brown pubescence at maturity; peduncle tomentose, reddish-brown to brown, 3-7 cm in length, 1.1-1.3 cm in diameter; microsporophylls 1.0-1.3 × 0.8-1 cm, non-recurved distal face. Ovuliferous strobilus solitary, globose, erect, 14-18 cm in length, 8-9.5 cm in diameter, yellowish-green with brown pubescence at emergence, green with blackish trichomes at maturity, apiculate apex; peduncle tomentose, brown, 4-7 cm in length, 1.2-1.8 cm in diameter; megasporophylls 40-108, 2.1-2.6 × 3.2-3.6 cm, truncate distal face, right angle of horns. Seeds ovoid, sarcotesta whitish-yellow to yellow when immature, light brown at maturity, 1.5-2 cm in length, 1-1.2 cm in diameter.

Distribution and habitat.

Endemic to Veracruz, on karstic rocks and cliffs of the Sierra de Chiconquiaco, between 1,200-1,850 m (Fig. 8 ). The vegetation type where this species grows is cloud forest.

Etymology.

The specific epithet honours Aldo Moretti, in recognition of his scientific contributions in the field of cycad biology. He is a researcher in the Orto Botanico and Istituto di Biologia Vegetale at the University of Naples Federico II, Italia.

Distinguishing features.

Ceratozamia morettii is similar to C. delucana in leaf morphology; however, there are differences in the total size of plant and in reproductive structures. This species has leaves with up to 23 pairs of leaflets and the ovulate strobilus is green with blackish trichomes at maturity, 14-18 cm long, 8-9.5 cm in diameter and an apiculate apex. Moreover, C. morettii has minimal variation at the population level.

Specimens examined.

MEXICO. Veracruz: Chiconquiaco, A. P. Vovides 687, 704 (XAL), C. J. W. Schiede s/n (XAL), J. Rees 6336 (IEB), L. Lagunes G. 83, 84 (CIB); Landero y Coss, A. P. Vovides 1662 (XAL), J. Rees 6342 (IEB), J. Rees & A. P. Vovides 1663, 1664, 1676 (XAL), L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 185-214 (CIB), M. Vázquez-Torres 4097 (XAL), 8349 (CIB), S. Avendaño 5378 (XAL), T. W. Walters 2001-01-E (XAL); Tenochtitlán, A. Rincón G. et al. 296-298 (XAL); Yecuatla, C. Gutiérrez B. 134 (XAL), J. Rees 1677 (XAL), F. Nicolalde-Morejón & L. Martínez-Domínguez 2087-2106 (CIB), L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 161 (CIB).

Figures

Figure 3. Shapes of leaflets. A C. latifolia B C. kuesteriana C C. morettii D C. sabatoi E Ceratozamia brevifrons F C. chamberlainii G C. decumbens H C. fuscoviridis I C. tenuis J C. totonacorum K C. delucana L C. mexicana.

Figure 8. Distribution map of Ceratozamia tenuis, C. totonacorum, C. morettii, C. mexicana, C. delucana, C. decumbens and C. brevifrons.