Tovomita maxima Molino & J. Engel

39. Tovomita maxima Molino & J. Engel View in CoL in Adansonia   GoogleMaps , ser. 3, 44: 166. 2022 View Cited Treatment . – Holotype: French Guiana, Montagne des Chevaux, parcelle SPP, tree SPP-624, 04°41'N, 52°22'W, fl. ♂, 11 Nov 2009, D. Sabatier & Fonty 5595 (CAY [ CAY112114 About CAY ] photo!).

Description — Trees up to 30 m tall, prop roots conspicuous; exudate yellow, abundant. Petioles 2.6–6.5 cm long, green, smooth, lenticels absent. Leaf blades 12.2– 33 × 7.1–16.6 cm, greenish-brown in sicco, black dots absent, coriaceous, obovate to broadly elliptic, base convex to decurrent, apex rounded to convex; papillae present, lenticels and fungal spots absent; exudate canals inconspicuous. Venation: secondary veins 9–15 pairs, 7–25 mm apart from each other, forming angle c. 65° to midvein, slightly prominent adaxially, prominent abaxially, slightly arcuate near margin; intersecondary veins absent; tertiary veins convex to straight; intramarginal vein absent. Inflorescences: ♂ congested cyme with 5 basal branches and up to 20 flowers, ♀ single flower, sometimes covered by a broad calyptra, lenticels absent. Pedicels 9–34 mm long, green, distal and proximal portion with same gauge, proximally articulated on lateral flowers of dichasia; lenticels absent. Floral buds 8–18 mm long, ovoid to spheroid, apex apiculate, lenticels absent. Sepals 4, 6–18 × 5–16 mm, circular to ovate, apex apiculate, greenish; petals 6(–7), 5–20 × 3–11 mm, oblong, apex rounded, white. Staminate flowers: stamens 74–145, 4–12 mm long, heterodynamous; filaments terete, coloration not seen; anthers c. 1 mm long, connective not exceeding thecae; pistillode 2–2.5 mm high. Pistillate flowers: staminodes c. 109, 5–8 mm long; ovary c. 10 mm long, lobed, 5-locular, styles c. 3 mm long, stigmas 5, c. 3 mm in diam., coloration not seen. Capsules fleshy, 5–6.8 × 3– 4.6 cm, 5-septate, pyriform when closed, strongly costate, rostrum absent, epicarp smooth, green when mature and immature, mesocarp red; sepals, petals, staminodes and stigmas persistent. Aril orangish-red. Fig. 63, 64.

Distribution — Brazil (Amazonas), French Guiana (Saint-Élie), Guyana (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). Fig. 62.

Conservation status — Least Concern (LC, Engel & al. 2022).

Recognition and discussion — Tovomita maxima is similar to T. speciosa due to the large and coriaceous leaves and large floral buds. From this species, it can be distinguished by the apiculate (vs rounded) floral buds, and bracteoles forming a calyptra (vs bracteoles not forming a calyptra in T. speciosa ). Tovomita gazelii also has bracteoles forming a calyptra; however, the fruits of T. gazelii are diagnostic with an epicarp ornamented by woody projections ( Fig. 39I vs smooth fruits in T. maxima , Fig. 64D).

Selected specimens examined — BRAZIL: AMAZONAS: São Paulo de Olivença, upper Rio Solimões, Estrada Bomfim , 03°30'S, 68°57'W, fl. ♂, 25 Nov 1986, D. C. Daly 4430 ( NY!, US photo!) GoogleMaps . — FRENCH GUIANA: SAINT-ÉLIE: Montagnes de la Trinité, zone sud, Bassin de la Mana , 400 m, 04°34'N, 53°21'W, fr., 15 Jan 1998, Granville & Crozier 13646 ( B!, P!) GoogleMaps ; New road to Brazil ( Route de l’Est ), 7 km S of bridge over Comté riv- er, c. 52 km S of Cayenne, sterile, 12. Jan 1977, Mori 8898 ( P!) ; Montagne des Chevaux , carrière SCC., 28 m, 04°44'34"N, 52°26'12"W, fl. ♂, 23 Dec 2008, Tostain & al. 2488 ( NY!, P!) GoogleMaps . — GUYANA: UPPER TAKUTU-UPPER ESSEQUIBO: Akarai Mountains: height of land between drainage of Rio Mapuera ( Trombetas tributary) and Shodikar creek ( Essequibo tributary), 600–800 m, sterile, 19 Jan 1938, Smith 3000 ( NY!) .