Guatteria stenopetala R.E.Fr.

154. Guatteria stenopetala R.E.Fr. View in CoL — Fig. 76 View Fig ; Map 32

Tree c. 8 m tall, diam not recorded; young twigs rather densely covered with erect and appressed, brown hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 4–6 mm long, 1–2 mm diam; lamina elliptic to narrowly so, 5–11 by 3–5 cm (leaf index 2–2.6), coriaceous, not verruculose, shiny, dark brown to brown above, brown below, sparsely covered with appressed hairs to almost glabrous above, sparsely covered with appressed hairs below, base acute to obtuse, apex acuminate (acumen 5–10 mm long), primary vein flat to slightly raised above, secondary veins distinct, 5 –10 on either side of primary vein, raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–3 mm, tertiary veins raised above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels 30–40 mm long, c. 0.5 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 1 mm diam, rather densely to sparsely covered with erect and appressed hairs to almost glabrous, articulated at c. 0.3 from the base, bracts 5 – 6, soon falling, occasionally a small, foliaceous bract halfway between base and articulation, elliptic, 7–8 mm long on tiny petiole c. 1 mm long, no other bracts seen; flower buds ovoid; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 3–4 by 3–4 mm, apex reflexed, outer side densely covered with appressed, brown hairs; petals green, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, 7–12 by 3–4 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed, brown hairs; stamens c. 1 mm long, connective shield hairy. Monocarps 10–25, green in vivo, black in sicco, ellipsoid, 9–10 by 4–5 mm, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous, apex apiculate (apiculum <0.5 mm long), wall 0.1–0.2 mm thick, stipes 13–17 by c. 1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 8–9 by 4–5 mm, shiny brown, pitted to transversely grooved, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Amazonian Venezuela (Amazonas).

Habitat & Ecology — In Clusia ‘moss-forest’.At an elevation of c. 650 m. Flowering: December; fruiting: December.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Note — Guatteria stenopetala , only known from the type collection, is quite remarkable by its very tiny flowers with petals less than 15 mm long and sepals up to 4 mm long. Other features of this species are the small, coriaceous leaves and the long-stalked flowers with pedicels up to c. 40 mm long. For differences with G. trichostemon see under the latter.