Guatteria alta R.E.Fr.

7. Guatteria alta R.E.Fr. View in CoL — Fig. 11 View Fig ; Plate 1e–g View Plate 1 ; Map 3

Guatteria alta R.E.Fr.(1950a) 336,pl. 3. — Type: Cuatrecasas 14898 (holo S 2 sheets;iso COL 2 About COL sheets, F 2 sheets, S, US), Colombia, Valle del Cauca, Cordillera Occidental, vertiente occidental, mouth of Río Digua, left bank, Piedra de Moler , 900–1180 m, 19 Aug. 1943.

Tree 4–30 m tall, 5–80 cm diam; young twigs zigzagging, rather densely to densely covered with erect, brown hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 1–4 mm long, 1–1.5 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, 12–20 by 3–6 cm (leaf in- dex 3.2–4.2), chartaceous, not verruculose, dull, brown above, pale brown to green below, sparsely covered with appressed to half-appressed, brown hairs to glabrous above, rather densely to densely covered with erect, brown hairs below, base acute, rarely attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen 10–20 mm long), primary vein slightly impressed above, secondary veins distinct, 12–18 on either side of primary vein, slightly impressed above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–4 mm, tertiary veins slightly impressed above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels 35–60 mm long, 1–1.5 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 2.5 mm diam, rather densely to sparsely covered with erect, brown hairs, articulated at 0.2–0.4 from the base, bracts 4–6, soon falling, basal one c. 1 mm long, no other bracts seen; flower buds depressed ovoid; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 4–7 by 5–7 mm, appressed, outer side sparsely covered with appressed, brown hairs; petals pale green, green, or yellow in vivo, ovate to broadly ovate, 8–15 by 7–10 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed, brown hairs; stamens c. 2 mm long, connective shield hairy. Monocarps 20–30, green to dark green, maturing black in vivo, blackish in sicco, ellipsoid to obovoid, rarely narrowly ellipsoid, 7–10 by 4–6 mm, sparsely covered with appressed, brown hairs, soon glabrous, apex apiculate (apiculum 0.2–0.6 mm long), wall 0.1–0.2 mm thick, stipes 5–9 by 0.5–1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 7–9 by 4–5 mm, dull, reddish brown to pale brown, rugose, raphe impressed.

Distribution — Pacific coast of Colombia ( Antioquia, Chocó, Nariño, Valle del Cauca).

Habitat & Ecology — In wet, premontane, primary or second- ary forest, on steep slopes and along river margins. At eleva- tions of 250–1700 m. Flowering: throughout the year; fruiting: throughout the year.

Vernacular name — Colombia: Guasca negra ( Betancur et al. 4312).

Notes — Guatteria alta can be recognized by a combination of a dense indument of erect, brown hairs on young twigs and lower side of the leaves, chartaceous, non-verruculose, narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, shortly petiolate leaves, and pedicels up to 60 mm long.

Betancur et al. 4312 (MO) from the Municipality of Barbacoas, Nariño, Colombia is aberrant by larger and narrowly ellipsoid monocarps (c. 17 by 6 mm) and larger seeds (c. 14 by 6 mm). In Pipoly et al. 18048 (U) some growth apices have aborted, the axillary inflorescence immediately below seemingly becoming terminal, with or without foliaceous, elliptic bracts to c. 40 by 17 mm.