Spathacanthus hahnianus Baill., Hist. pl. 10: 444. Jan-Feb 1981

Burgos-Hernandez, Mireya & Castillo-Campos, Gonzalo, 2020, Taxonomic revision of the Mesoamerican genus Spathacanthus (Justicieae, Acanthoideae, Acanthaceae), PhytoKeys 144, pp. 31-55 : 31

Spathacanthus hahnianus Baill., Hist. pl. 10: 444. Jan-Feb 1981 Figs 2 , 3

Macfadyena simplicifolia Donn. Sm., Bot. Gaz. 16:198 (1891). Type: Guatemala. Alta Verapaz: borders of forest in Pasamalá, 3800 ft a.s.l., Aug 1886, von Tuerckheim 1030 (holotype: US!; isotypes: GH!, K!, M!, US!).

Spathacanthus donnell-smithii Lindau ex Donn. Sm., Bot. Gaz., 20: 293 (1895), nom. nov. superfl.

Spathacanthus donnell-smithianus Lindau, Bull. Herb. Bossier 3: 371 (1895), nom. superfl.

Spathacanthus simplicifolius (Donn. Sm.) Lindau ex Bureau & K. Schum. In C. Martius, Fl. Bras. 8: 294 (1897), basionym M. simplicifolia .

Type.

Mexico. Veracruz: Misantla, forêt de montagne, Santa Rita, 3 Jul 1866, L. Hahn 349 (holotype: P!).

Description.

Small trees or shrubs, up to 10 m height, branched, internodes glabrous. Stems quadrate to compressed when young, pubescent at nodes with eglandular trichomes. Leaves petiolate, petioles 5-45 mm long, blades elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 40-260 mm × 10-143 mm, apically acute-to-acuminate, basally acute, margin entire, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface glabrous to pubescent along main veins with eglandular trichomes, flattened to flexuous. Inflorescences terminal, rachis nearly glabrous or pubescent with eglandular trichomes; bracts triangular to subulate, 1.5-6 mm × 1-2.3 mm, abaxial surface nearly glabrous or pubescent like rachis; bracteoles triangular, subulate to linear-lanceolate, 1.6 mm × 0.8-1.5 mm, abaxial surface nearly glabrous or pubescent like rachis. Flowers subsessile to pedicellate, pedicels 2-8 mm long, glabrous; calyx green, 20-40 mm × 8-19 mm, abaxially glabrous, unequally divided into 2 prominent elliptic to ovate segments, 16-30 mm long on posterior side and 3-15 mm long on anterior side; the anterior segment bilobed, lobes triangular, 0.4-2 mm long; the posterior segment trilobed, triangular lobes, 0.4-4 mm long, acute to apiculate; corolla yellow, 31-80 mm long × 20-40 mm wide, externally glabrous and internally pubescent, throat 19-33 mm long × 5-20 mm in diameter near midpoint, upper lip 12-19 mm long, lobes elliptic, (5)9-10.5 mm × 4.5-8.5 mm, lower lip 15-18 mm long, lobes linear-elliptic to elliptic, 8-15 mm long × (3.5-)7-8.5(-11) mm. Stamens whitish, longer pair 16-18.5 mm long from the base to the apex of the thecae, shorter pair 12-14.5 mm long; anthers dithecous, thecae 3.3-4.2 mm long; style glabrous 28-35 mm long; stigma lobes 0.7 mm long. Capsule 45-70 mm long, stipe 25-37 mm long, head 20-33 mm long. Seeds subcircular to subcordate, 5-10 mm long, 5.7-8 mm wide, surface roughened.

Distribution, habitat and phenology.

Spathacanthus hahnianus occurs in southern Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz), Guatemala (Alta Verapaz, Quinché) and northern Honduras ( Cortés, Lempira, Yoro) (Fig. 1A ). It inhabits humid low to middle elevation forests and oak forests in flooded plains, near streams and in ravines, at 100 to 2000 m a.s.l. Flowering takes place all year round, fruiting from November to June.

Specimens examined.

Mexico. Chiapas: Mpio. Berriozábal, 13 km N of Berriozábal near pozo Turipache and finca El Suspiro, 1000 m a.s.l., 02 Nov 1971, D.E. Breedlove & A. Smith 21618 (DS, DUKE, F, MEXU, MO, NY, TEX); 900 m a.s.l., 25 Dec 1972, D.E. Breedlove & R. Thome 30868 (ENCB, MO); a 12 km N de Berriozábal, 600 m a.s.l., 16 May 1989, E. Martínez & M. Soto 24241 (MEXU); La Aduana, cerca de rancho Flor de Corazón, hacia El Cairo, 800 m a.s.l., 06 Sep 1990, E. Palacios E. 1726 (IBUG, MEXU); a 13 km al N de Berriozábal, 29 Mar 1984, O. Téllez V. et al. 7598 (MEXU); Mpio. La Concordia, camino de El Triunfo para la Finca Prusia, 1940 m a.s.l., 14 May 1982, J.I. Calzada 8935 (IBUG, MEXU, XAL); Mpio. Ángel Albino Corzo, sendero Palo Gordo, Reserva de la Biosfera El Triunfo, 2000 m a.s.l., 14 May 2004, F. González-García s.n. (XAL). Oaxaca: Mpio. San Felipe Usila, campamento cerro Verde, carr. para arroyo Tambor, 450 m a.s.l., 02 Nov 1990, J.I. Calzada et al. 16596 (MEXU); Mpio. Santiago Lachiguiri, Distr. Tehuantepec, cerro de Buenavista, 2 km SO de crucero Buenavista, 27 Oct 1991, A. Campos V. & R. Torres 4103 (CHAPA, MEXU); Mpio. Santa María Chimalapa, Uxpanapa region, between Esmeralda (17 km E of Sarabia) and Río Verde, 1.1 mi S of Esmeralda, 100 m a.s.l., 10 Jan 1987, T.B. Croat & D.P. Jhmnon 63303 (BM, ENCB, MO, TEX); Mpio. Sta. María Chimalapa, arroyo Matzpac, N de Sta. María por la vereda al Río Verde, 250 m a.s.l., 29 Oct 1985, H. Hernández G. & C. González L. 1777 (MEXU, MO, TEX); Río Verde por la vereda a la cabecera, ca. 7 km N de Sta. María, 280 m a.s.l., 21 Nov 1985, H. Hernández G. & C. González L. 1855 (CAS, MEXU, MO, TEX); Mpio. San Felipe Usila, Nuevo Santa Flora, 22 Nov 1993, R. de Santiago & A.M. Hanan 247 (MEXU); Mpio. Guevea de Humboldt, Distr. Tehuantepec, recorrido La Cumbre-arroyo Seco, 13.4 km N de Guevea de Humboldt, 29 Mar 1991, R. Torres C. & A. Campos V. 13897 (CHAPA, MEXU); Mpio. Matías Romero Avendaño, en la estación del río Azul a 16.6 km al E de la Colonia Cuahutémoc, 1500 m a.s.l., 23 Jan 2003, E. Martínez 36091 (MEXU). Puebla: Mpio. Ahuacatlán, 4.5 km al SE de Ahuacatlán, brecha a Zapotitlán, 1250 m a.s.l., 24 May 1986, P. Tenorio L. et al. 11413 (MEXU); Mpio. Cuetzalan del Progreso, Tzitzinapan, Yancuictlalpan, 11 Jul 1981, F. Basurto & R. Patron 454 (MEXU); Mpio. Hueyapan, cerca de Atexcaco, 1300 m a.s.l., 12 Jul 1953, D. Gold 324 (MEXU); Mpio. Xochitlán de Vicente Suárez, 1 km al E de Pahuata, camino a Huahuaxtla, 1150 m a.s.l., 05 Aug 2014, J.L. Contreras 5604 (XAL); Veracruz: Mpio, Atzalan, La Calavera, 1000 m a.s.l., 07 Jul 1975, F. Ventura A. 11601 (ENCB, IEB, MEXU, XAL); La Calavera, puente La Calavera, km 12 carretera Atzalán-Tlapacoyan, 1010 m a.s.l., 08 Jul 2008, T. Krömer & J. Viccon-Esquivel 3495 (MEXU, MO, XAL); Mpio. Coatepec, Barranca de Ramírez, 1500 m a.s.l., 28 Jun 1990, P. Zamora C. 2540 (IEB, XAL); Mpio. Jesús Carranza, 3 km al este de río Chalchijapa, por la carretera Sarabia-Cedillo, 09 Jan 1975, M. Vázquez T. 1584 (IEB, XAL); Mpio. Juchique de Ferrer, cerro de La Botella, parte mediana San Alfonso, 847 m a.s.l., 24 Jul 2008, M. Vázquez T. 8635 (XAL); Mpio. Uxpanapa, km 4 camino Cedillo-La Escuadra, 150 m a.s.l., 06 Dec 1974, J. Dorantes et al. 3766 (ENCB); km 4 del camino Hnos. Cedillo-La Hulera, 150 m a.s.l., 21 Jan 1975, J. Dorantes et al. 4058 (ENCB, IEB, XAL); río Soloxúchil, 1.5 km O del campamento Hnos. Cedillo, 150 m a.s.l., 02 Jan 1975, M. Vázquez et al. 1611 (ENCB, IEB, MEXU, XAL); río Uxpanapa, cerca del límite con Oaxaca, 180 m a.s.l., 27 Sep 1980, T. Wendt et al. 2769 (CHAPA, IEB, MEXU, MO, TEX, XAL); arroyo Mazate al S de ejido Agustín Melgar, al SE de Paso de Moral, 150 m a.s.l., 27 Mar 1982 T. Wendt et al 3773 (CHAPA, MEXU, MO, TEX); 4.5 km O de Uxpanapa, sobre terracería a La Laguna, 120 m a.s.l., 17 Oct 1983, T. Wendt & I. Almaraz G. 4194 (CHAPA, MEXU, MO, NY, TEX, XAL); 1.5 km N del Poblado Dos, ejido F.J. Mina, 180 m a.s.l., 02 Feb 1983, O. Zambrano C. 1184 (CHAPA); Mpio. Yecuatla, entre La Unión y Roca de Oro, 900 m a.s.l., 21 Aug 1989 C. Gutiérrez B. 3584 (IEB, MEXU, XAL). Guatemala. Alta Verapaz: Pasmala, 1159 m a.s.l., Aug 1886, H. Von Tuerckheim 1030 (MEXU); Quiché: Chajul, La Perla, E. Tribouillier & I. Pedro 409 (BIGU); Chajul, La Perla, E. Tribouillier & I. Pedro 436 (BIGU); Chajul, aldea Chel, E. Tribouillier & I. Pedro 469 (BIGU). Honduras. Cortés: 2 km NW de la quebrada de Cantiles, 1700 m a.s.l., 26 Sep 1993, C. Nelson et al. 16631 (MO, TEFH). Lempira: Parque Nacional Montaña de Celaque, cerro Aguacatal. Las Chimis, San Manuel Colohete, P. House et al. 185 (EAP). Yoro: ca. 16 km from Yaruca on Quebrada de Oro to cerro Búfalo, W. Holmes 4392 (NY, TEX).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution of the Mesoamerican genus Spathacanthus Baillon. A Distribution of S. hahnianus and S. hoffmannii B distribution of S. magdalenae and S. parviflorus.

Figure 2. Spathacantus hahnianus Baillon, T. Wendt, M. Vazquez, R. Reviere & I. Navarrete 3773 (CHAPA), Mexico: Veracruz, Hidalgotitlan. Note that specimen was identified as S. cf simplicifolius, a name that is synonymous of S. hahnianus.

Figure 3. Spathacantus hahnianus Baillon. Image and legend modified from Daniel (1995) Flora of Chiapas, Part 4, page 131 a habit, x 0.5 b inflorescence node, x 3.5 c flower, x 1.1 d calyx split, x 1.3 e androecium showing didynamous stamens, x 1.8 f capsule, x 1 g seed, x 3.9. Illustration: Ellen del Valle.