Guatteria modesta Diels

100. Guatteria modesta Diels View in CoL — Map 24

Guatteria modesta Diels (1924b) View in CoL 139; R.E.Fr. (1939) 430; Maas & Westra (2010) 269, f. 7. — Type: Tessmann 3476 (holo B 2 sheets; iso G 2 sheets, NY, S, US), Peru, Ucayali, Yarina Cocha View in CoL , 150 m, 27 Dec. 1923.

Guatteria chlorantha Diels (1924b) View in CoL 139; R. E.Fr. (1939) 422, f. 14d. — Type: Tessmann 3423 (holo B; iso G, NY, S, US), Peru, Ucayali, Yarina Cocha View in CoL , 150 m, 7 Dec. 1923 .

Guatteria tessmannii R.E.Fr.(1938) View in CoL 713; (1939) 420,t. 29,syn.nov. — Type: Tessmann 4651 (holo B 2 sheets; iso G, NY, S), Peru, Amazonas , Upper Río Marañon, mouth of Río Santiago, 160 m, 26 Nov. 1924.

Guatteria geminiflora R.E.Fr.var. geminiflora (1939) 421. — Type: Tessmann 4314 (holo B 2 sheets; iso NY), Peru, Amazonas, mouth of Río Santiago, 160 m, 16 Oct. 1924.

Guatteria geminiflora R.E.Fr. var. ochrantha R.E.Fr. (1939) 422, syn.nov. — Type: Mutis 4486 (holo US; iso S, fragment), Colombia, without location.

Guatteria puncticulata R.E.Fr. (1939) 511, f. 33b, c. — Type: Krukoff 8225 (holo S; iso BM, BR, F, G, K, MO, NY,U, US), Brazil,Amazonas, Mun. São Paulo de Olivença, near Palmares, 11 Sept.–26 Oct. 1936.

Guatteria glaberrima R.E.Fr. (1947) 3. — Type: Lugo 237 (holo S; iso G, S, US), Ecuador, Pastaza, Mera , 25 Apr. 1940.

Guatteria sp. 16 Chatrou et al. (1997) 112.

Tree 8–55 m tall, up to c. 1 m diam, sometimes with buttresses up to c. 80 cm high; young twigs often black, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 5 –10 mm long, c. 1 mm diam; lamina narrowly obovate to narrowly elliptic, 7–19 by 2–6 cm (leaf index 3–5.3), chartaceous to coriaceous, not to densely verrucose, blackish brown, brown to greyish brown above, brown to dark brown below, glabrous above, sparsely or rarely rather densely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous below, the primary vein sometimes covered with long hairs, margins glabrous or sometimes covered with long hairs, base long-attenuate and margins strongly revolute, apex acuminate (acumen 5–10 mm long), primary vein im- pressed above, raised and often keeled below, secondary veins indistinct, 10–18 on either side of primary vein, flat to slightly raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–3 mm, tertiary veins inconspicuous, flat to slightly raised above, reticulate. Flowers in 1–2-flowered inflorescences in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets; pedicels 10–25 mm long, 1–2 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 3 mm diam, sparsely or rarely rather densely covered with appressed hairs to glabrous, articulated at c. 0.2 from the base, bracts 6–7, soon falling, up- permost bracts elliptic-obovate to elliptic, 5 –9 mm long, basal bracts broadly ovate, to c. 1 mm long; flower buds depressed ovoid; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular to ovate-triangular, 3–9 by 3–6 mm, appressed, finally reflexed, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; petals green, maturing cream or yellow in vivo, narrowly oblong-elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 15–30 by 4–13 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; stamens 1–2 mm long, connective shield papillate to glabrous. Monocarps 10 –50, green, maturing black in vivo, black in sicco, ellipsoid, 9 –15 by 6 –10 mm, surface somewhat wrinkled when ripe, glabrous, apex rounded, wall 0.5–1 mm thick, stipes 8–20 by c. 1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 8–11 by 5–7 mm, dark brown, smooth to slightly pitted, raphe not distinct from rest of seed.

Distribution — Amazonian Colombia (Amazonas, Caquetá), Ecuador (Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Sucumbios), Peru (Amazonas, Huánuco, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Pasco, Ucayali), Brazil (Acre, Amazonas, Maranhão).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated, lowland rain forest or submontane forest, often on red soil. At elevations of 100– 1250 m. Flowering: throughout the year; fruiting: July to January.

Vernacular names — Brazil: Chaporoasca ( Daly et al. 7729). Colombia: Espintana (Rudas et al. 3416, 3427), Spintana (Rudas et al. 3516). Ecuador:Caracaspi (Freire & Inmunda 3210, H. Vargas et al. 569), Fandicho (Cofán) (Cerón 21161), Gañitahuemo (Huaorani name) (M. Aulestia & Gonti 1752), Homñetahue (Huaorani name) (Espinoza & Coba 617), Minudawa (Huao- rani name) (King et al. 975), Oñetahue (Huaorani name) (M. Aulestia et al. 1445), Oñitahue (Huaorani name) (M. Aulestia et al. 3041), Runa caspi (Freire at al. 3392), Uñetahue (Huao- rani name) (Gudiño et al. 824), Uñitahue (Huaorani name) (M. Aulestia & Bainca 3551). Peru: Carahuasca (Aróstegui V. 127, Aspajo V. 15, Hartshorn 1665), Carahuasca negra (Reyna R. 62), Espintana (Tessmann 3476), Espintana hoja ancha ( Soria S. 11), Wampuyais (Shuar name) (Kayap 850), Yais (Huam- bisa name) (C. Díaz et al. 7390), Yam yais (Huambisa name) (Tunqui 194), Yeis (Huambisa name) (Huashikat 2161), Yumi yeis (Huambisa name) (Huashikat 879).

Notes — Contradictory to what the name might suggest, G. modesta contains some of the tallest trees within the genus, reaching a height of up to 55 m and a diameter up to 1 m! By contrast, most Guatterias are small to medium-sized trees, with only relatively few species having been reported as tall trees with a trunk up to 50 cm diam. Guatteria modesta can easily be recognized by its long-attenuate, often narrowly obovate leaves which have a quite dark colour when dry.

Various specimens from Ecuador (Pastaza, Sucumbios), Peru (Amazonas, Loreto, Ucayali) and Brazil (Acre, Amazonas) fall within Fries’s concept of G. puncticulata . They differ from typical G. modesta by densely verruculose leaves with the margins and the primary vein (on the lower side) often covered with long hairs. Nevertheless, these should be regarded as more extreme forms of G. modesta as several intermediate forms have been found, too.