Guatteria scytophylla Diels

148. Guatteria scytophylla Diels View in CoL — Fig. 72; Map 33

Guatteria scytophylla Diels (1905) View in CoL 127;R. E.Fr. (1939) 451,f. 20c, d. — Type: Ule 5429 (holo B; iso BM, G, K, L), Brazil, Amazonas , Manaus, Mar. 1901 .

Guatteria hyposericea Diels (1931) View in CoL 76; R. E.Fr. (1939) 450. — Type: Ll. Williams 4129 (holo F not seen; iso BM), Peru, Loreto, Lower Río Huallaga , 155–210 m, Oct.–Nov. 1929 .

Guatteria krukoffii R.E.Fr. (1939) View in CoL 442, f. 16c, d, syn. nov. — Type: Krukoff 1487 (holo S; iso BM, F, G, K, MO, NY, S, U, US 2 sheets), Brazil, Rondô- nia, near Tabajara , Upper Jiparaná River (Upper Machado River region), Nov.–Dec. 1931.

Guatteria insignis R.E.Fr. (1939) 449. — Type: Krukoff 8723 (holo NY; iso G, K 3 sheets, NY, U), Brazil, Mun. São Paulo de Olivença, Creek Belém, 26 Oct.–11 Dec. 1936.

Guatteria micans R.E.Fr. (1939) 451, f. 20b. — Type: Ducke MG 7196 (holo S; iso RB), Brazil, Amazonas , Barcelos, 25 June 1905.

Tree 3–30 m tall, 4–60 cm diam; young twigs densely cover- ed with a silky indument of appressed hairs (‘sericeous’), soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 5–25 mm long, 1–2 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to ovate, rarely narrowly obovate, 8–25 by 6–11 cm (leaf index 2.3–4), chartaceous or rarely coriaceous, not verruculose, slightly shiny above, grey to greyish green, sometimes brownish above, brown to pale brown below, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous above, but primary vein often covered with erect, brown hairs, densely covered with appressed, greyish white hairs below, base acute to obtuse, extreme base attenuate, slightly decurrent along petiole, apex acuminate (acumen 5–15 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins distinct, 12– 20 on either side of primary vein, raised to slightly impressed above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–4 mm, tertiary veins flat to slightly raised above, reticulate. Flowers in 1–3(–4)-flowered inflorescences in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets; pedicels 10–25 mm long, 1–2 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 25 mm, c. 2 mm diam, densely to rather densely covered with appressed hairs, articulated at 0.2–0.5 from the base, bracts 5– 6, soon falling, basal bracts broadly elliptic to elliptic, 1–2 mm long, upper ones 5–8 mm long; flower buds depressed ovoid, sometimes slightly pointed; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 5–7 by 4–6 mm, initially appressed, but soon becoming spreading to reflexed, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; petals green, greenish yellow, maturing cream or white in vivo, ovate to obovate, 10– 25 by 5–12 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; stamens 1–1.5 mm long, connective shield papillate, umbonate. Monocarps 25–100, green, maturing red, black-purple to black in vivo, black or sometimes brownish in sicco, ellipsoid, 7–12 by 4–6 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous, apex rounded to apiculate (apiculum 0.1–0.5(–1) mm long), wall 0.1–0.2 mm thick, stipes 10–30 by 0.5–1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 7–9 by 5–6 mm, shiny brown, smooth to pitted and transversely grooved, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Amazonian Colombia (Caquetá, Vaupés, Vichada), Venezuela (Amazonas), Guyana, Peru (Huánuco, Junín, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Pasco, San Martín , Ucayali), Brazil (Acre,Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia), Bolivia (Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz).

Habitat & Ecology — In primary, non-inundated forest, sometimes in campinarana vegetation, often on sandy soil. At eleva- tions of 0–1000(–1500) m. Flowering: throughout the year; fruiting: throughout the year.

Vernacular names — Bolivia: Ahuabaca (Chácobo name) (Bergeron 910, Boom 4284, 4444), Peraquina negra ( Peña et al. 851), Piraquina (Meneces R. 2201), Xahui (Chácobo name) (Boom 4439). Brazil: Envira (J.C. Almeida INPA 4474, Krukoff 7940), Envira-mole (Rivero et al. 276), Envira-preta (Campbell et al. 8658), Envireira (Campbell et al. 8658, Medeiros & Oliveira 45), Inviera (Campbell et al. 8658). Peru: Carahuasca (T.D. Pennington et al. 17003, Rimachi Y. 923, Spichiger et al. 1771), Carahuasco (Croat 19794), Espintana negra (Grández & Sarmiento 340), Panapualiki (Campa (Nomatsigenga) name) (R.T. & J.C. Sčhuh 18), Zorro caspi ( Daly et al. 5727). Venezuela: Majagua verde (Foldats & Velazco 9157).

Uses — Colombia: Soft wood easy to cut and used in the construction of Baharaque houses (‘Madera blanda para cortar y usada en la construcción de casa de bahareque’) ( Cabrera R. 3737).

Notes — Guatteria scytophylla is quite distinctive by the very densely sericeous and almost silvery lower leaf side, a feature not often seen in the genus Guatteria . This has also been nicely described by Diels (1931): ‘Species pulchra indumento xylopi- oideo facile recognoscitur’. Another feature is encountered in the distinctly umbonate connective shield.After some hesitation we united in this species G. hyposericea , which differs from typical G. scytophylla (found in Central Amazonas, particularly near Manaus) in having narrower leaves with an acute leaf base, whereas the leaf base in G. scytophylla is mostly obtuse. Many transitions between both forms, however, convinced us that we had to join both species.

The seeds in this species are almost smooth with only very weak and shallow pits and grooves.

Cabrera R. 3737 (F) from the Colombian state of Caquetá doubtfully belongs here. It matches well with G. scytophylla in leaf shape and leaf indument, but the monocarps are larger on thicker stipes than normally seen in this species (mono- carps 11–13 by 6 mm, stipes 1.5–2 mm diam). Moreover, the monocarps are densely covered with brown hairs, becoming glabrous only at maturity. The label reads: ‘frutos ferruginosos y cuando maduros de color purpúreo’.