Ceratozamia fuscoviridis W. Bull. Retail List 154: 4. 1879.

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 : 99-100

5. Ceratozamia fuscoviridis W. Bull. Retail List 154: 4. 1879. Figure 3H

Type.

Hort. Bot. Glasnevin, 21 Mar. 1878 (accessioned 1881), D. Moore s.n. (neotype, designated by Calonje and Sennikov 2017, K). Epitype (designated here). MEXICO. Hidalgo: Molango , 31 Mar. 2015, L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 493 [♀ strob.] (CIB). Isoepitype (designated here). L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 493 (MEXU) .

Ceratozamia mexicana var. longifolia f. fuscoviridis (W. Bull) Schuster. Pflanzenr 99:132. 1932. Type: Based on Ceratozamia fuscoviridis W. Bull.

Description.

Stem epigeous, erect and decumbent, 20-90 cm in length, 25-40 cm in diameter. Cataphylls persistent, densely tomentose at emergence, reddish-brown and partially tomentose at maturity, triangular, apex acuminate, 2-4.5 × 2-3.5 cm at base. Leaves 10-70, ascending, 92-215 cm, light green and dark brown at emergence, whitish- grey pubescence, glabrous at maturity. Petiole terete, straight, 40-95 cm, armed with long and thin prickles, dark green in adult leaves. Rachis terete, straight, 65-150 cm, armed with prickles, green in adult leaves. Leaflets 28-67, lanceolate, abaxially curved, basally falcate, papyraceous, flat, opposite to subopposite, plane, green, adaxial and abaxial side glabrous, acuminate and symmetric apex, attenuate at base, with conspicuous, and light green and brown veins; median leaflets 16.6-42 × 1.3-2.1 cm, 0.6-2 cm between leaflets; articulations green and brown, 0.6-1.3 cm wide. Polliniferous strobilus solitary, cylindrical, erect, 26.5-28 cm in length, 5-8 cm in diameter, brownish-yellow at emergence, greenish-brown with reddish-brown pubescence at maturity; peduncle tomentose, reddish-brown to brown, 5-14.5 cm in length, 1.6-2.3 cm in diameter; microsporophylls 1.9-2.3 × 1.3-1.5 cm, non-recurved distal face. Ovuliferous strobilus solitary, cylindrical, erect or pendulous, 24-35 cm in length, 8.5-10.5 cm in diameter, green with brown pubescence at emergence, brown-green with dark brown trichomes at maturity, acuminate apex; peduncle tomentose, brown to reddish-brown, 4-10 cm in length, 1.8-2.2 cm in diameter; megasporophylls 99-143, 2.5-3.8 × 2.3-3.3 cm, truncate distal face, obtuse angle between horns. Seeds ovoid, sarcotesta whitish-yellow to yellow when immature, light brown at maturity, 2-2.6 cm in length, 1.5-2 cm in diameter.

Distribution and habitat.

Endemic of south-central Carso Huasteco, from central Hidalgo mountain range, to southeast of Hidalgo, including the western portion of Veracruz at an elevation ranging between 1,800-1,900 m in cloud forest (Fig. 9 ).

Etymology.

The epithet alludes to the dark-brown colour of the leaf at emergence.

Distinguishing features.

This species is distinguished by lanceolate and papyraceous leaflets; petiole armed with long, thin prickles; ovulate strobilus brown-green with dark trichomes at maturity. This species is polymorphic within populations as it has light green or dark-brown leaf colour at emergence in all populations.

Specimens examined.

MEXICO. Hidalgo: Eloxochitlán, I. Luna Vega 54716 (FCME), O. Alcántara Ayala 54805 (FCME); Metztitlán, J. L. López-García 449 (MEXU); Molango de Escamilla, A. Vite-Reyes et al. 6 (XAL), A. P. Vovides 1298, 1301 (XAL), F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 2209-2211 (CIB), L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 485-514 (CIB), R. Mayorga-Saucedo & O. Alcántara-Ayala s/n (FCME), T. W. Walters 2001-03-A (XAL); Tenango de Doria, I. Luna Vega 794 (FCME); Tlanchinol, I. Luna Vega s/n (FCME), 625, 789 (XAL), F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 2204-2208 (CIB), L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 455-484 (CIB); Zacualtipan de Angeles , J. Rees 389 (FCME, MEXU), 1611 (XAL), 6339 (IEB) . Veracruz: Huayacocotla, D. Saavedra Millán 64 (FCME), J. Palma G. 63 (XAL), F. Nicolalde-Morejón et al. 2212-2214 (CIB), L. Ballesteros & F. Ballesteros 460 (XAL), L. G. Juárez G. 47 (XAL), L. Martínez-Domínguez et al. 515-544 (CIB), R. Hernández M. 1507 (MEXU, XAL), V. Sosa 59 (XAL) .

Taxonomic comments.

This binomial has experienced different reassignments and transferences since its informal publication as " Ceratozamia fusca-viridis " by Moore in 1878. This author considered it as a provisional name ("proviso nomen") and thus was not validly published. The changes that this name has undergone are the following: synonymy under Ceratozamia mexicana var. longifolia ( Thiselton-Dyer 1884); transference from variety to form ( Schuster 1932); and attempted validation of the name in accordance with current nomenclatural rules ( Osborne et al. 2006). Recently, though, Calonje and Sennikov (2017) have attributed authorship of the binomial to Bull (1879) who presented a brief description of the taxon in a commercial catalogue of plants.

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 9. Distribution map of Ceratozamia sabatoi, C. latifolia, C. zaragozae, C. kuesteriana, C. hildae, C. fuscoviridis and C. chamberlainii.