Tovomita xanthochlora L. Marinho, 2025

62. Tovomita xanthochlora L. Marinho , sp. nov. – Fig. 87. Holotype: Costa Rica, San José, Tarrazú, San Lorenzo, Ladera oeste de Río Naranjito. Estribaciones de Cerro Diamante   GoogleMaps , 09°33'10"N, 84°01'15"W, 400–700 m, 3 Apr 1997, fl. ♂, J. Sanchéz & al. 749. (CR [no. 221795]; isotypes: NY!, US [ US 02960442] photo!).

Vernacular name — Mangle dulce.

Diagnosis — Tovomita xanthochlora is similar to T. crassidactyla , from which it can be distinguished by chartaceous (vs coriaceous) leaf blades, floral buds with a rounded (vs apiculate) apex, and more elongated (6.5– 19 mm long) and thinner (≤ 1 mm wide) pedicels (vs short [5–8 mm long] and thick [> 1 mm wide]). Fruits of T. xanthochlora are obovate-pyriform and have a conspicuous rostrum, unlike those of T. crassidactyla , which are pyriform, with a narrow base and without a rostrum.

Description — Treelets or trees up to 18 m tall, prop roots conspicuous; exudate yellow-orangish. Petioles 0.8–2.9 cm long, green, smooth, lenticels absent. Leaf blades 9.3–17.6 × 3.5–8 cm, light brown to copper-coloured in sicco, black dots absent, chartaceous, elliptic to slightly obovate, base convex to decurrent, apex convex to acuminate; papillae, lenticels and fungal spots absent; exudate canals inconspicuous. Venation: secondary veins 8–9 pairs, 10–27 mm apart from each other, forming angle 65°–70° to midvein, immersed adaxially, prominent abaxially, arcuate near margin; intersecondary veins present, one per intercostal area, much thinner and proximally connected to secondary veins, <50 % of subjacent secondary length; tertiary veins percurrent sinuous; intramarginal vein absent. Inflorescences: ♂ lax cyme with (3–)5 basal branches and up to 37 flowers, lacking terminal flower, ♀ 5-flowered cyme (on fruit), lenticels absent, dichasia sometimes reduced lacking central flower. Pedicels 6.5–19 mm long (c. 30 mm on fruit), green, distal and proximal portion with same gauge, proximally articulated on lateral flowers of dichasia; calyptrae and lenticels absent. Floral buds 5–6 mm long, spheroid, apex rounded, lenticels absent. Sepals 4, 5–7.5 × 4–6 mm, oblong to circular, apex rounded, green; petals 6, 8.5–9 × 5–7.5 mm, oblong to circular, reflexed, apex rounded, greenish-yellow. Staminate flowers: stamens c. 70, 3.8–4.5 mm long, heterodynamous; filaments dorsiventrally compressed, yellowish-white; anthers c. 1 mm long, yellowish-white, connective not exceeding thecae; pistillode not seen. Pistillate flowers: staminodes c. 70, c. 3 mm long, yellowish-white; ovary c. 4 mm long, 5-locular, yellowish, stigmas 5, subsessile, c. 0.2 mm in diam., yellowish-white. Capsules fleshy, 2.7–3.5 × 2.4–2.7 cm, 5-septate, obovate-pyriform when closed, slightly costate, rostrum present, 5–11 mm long, epicarp smooth, green when mature and immature, mesocarp pinkish to purplish-red; sepals, petals and staminodes caducous, stigmas persistent. Aril orange.

Distribution — Costa Rica (Limón, Puntarenas, San José), Panama (Bocas Del Toro). Fig. 33.

Conservation status — Since the Costa Rican herbaria were not visited, we assessed the species as Data Deficient (DD).

Etymology — The specific epithet refers to the coloration of the flowers, which are greenish-yellow. It is an adjective, derived from Greek ξανΘός (xanthos), yellow, and χλωρός (chloros), green.

Recognition and discussion — Tovomita xanthochlora differs from T. crassidactyla by the floral buds with a rounded apex and, especially, by the more elongated and thin pedicels (vs short and thick in T. crassidactyla ). The fruits of T. xanthochlora are rounded and generally have a conspicuous rostrum ( Fig. 87G), unlike those of T. crassidactyla , which are pyriform, with a narrow base and without a rostrum ( Fig. 32C). Other characteristics that are helpful to differentiate T. xanthochlora from oth- er similar species, such as T. longifolia , T. plumieri , and T. megantha are presented in Table 2 (also see Fig. 58).

Specimens examined — COSTA RICA: LIMÓN: Cordillera de Talamanca , along ridge descending to main fork of Quebrada Cañabral, 10°02'N, 83°25'W, 280–400 m, 6 Sep 1988, bud, M GoogleMaps . Grayum & al. 8847 ( CR, MEXU photo!) . PUNTARENAS: Reserva Florestal Golfo Dulce Aguabuena. Golfito, 08°43'20"N, 83°31'30"W, 50–150 m, 5 Aug 1991, bud, R GoogleMaps . Aguilar 186 ( CR, MEXU photo!, MO photo!); ibid., 31 Aug 1991, fl. ♀, R GoogleMaps . Aguilar 293 ( MO photo!); Osa Peninsula, Aguabuena , 3.5 km W of Rincón. Along trail leading north from house of don Quecho, W of BOSCOSA station, 08°43'N, 83°31'W, 300 m, 19 Jul 1992, bud, K GoogleMaps . Thomsen 12 ( C, CAS! CR, UC!); Aguabuena , 3.5 km W of Rincón. Four-hectare permanent sample plot 1 km N of BOSCOSA station in well-drained terrain with slopes of 15°–35°, 08°43'N, 83°31'W, 350 m, 5 Nov 1992, fr., K GoogleMaps . Thomsen 631 ( C, K!, NY!); ibid., 17 Jan 1993, fr., K GoogleMaps . Thomsen 230 ( C, CAS!, CR, UC!) . SAN JOSÉ: Tarrazú, San Lorenzo, Ladera oeste de Río Naranjito. Estribaciones de Cerro Diamante , 09°33'10"N, 84°01'15"W, 400–700 m, 3 Apr 1997, bud, J GoogleMaps . Sanchéz & al. 756 A ( CR, NY!); Tarrazú, Llanos de Santa María, Cerro Nene , finca de Henry Marín, 09°35'55"N, 83°59'50"W, 900–1300 m, 19 Aug 1997, bud, A GoogleMaps . Estrada & O . Valverde 1085 ( CR, K!, MEXU photo!); Acosta, Cuena del Pirrís-Damas, Fila San Jeronimo , c. 1 km, suroeste, línea recta de San Jerônimo de Acosta , 800 m, 7 Apr 2004, fl. ♀, B . Hammel & J . Morales 22945 ( INB photo!, MO photo!) . — PANAMA: BOCAS DEL TORO: along oleoducto road between continental divide and Chiriquí Grande, 08°50'–55' N , 82°09'– 15'W, 350–400 m, 30–1 Apr–Mai 1985, fr., B . Hammel 13702 ( MEXU photo!, MO); along road past Fortuna dam toward Chiriquí Grande , 08°50'N, 82°15'W, 300 m, 4 Mar 1986, fr., G GoogleMaps . McPherson 8530 ( MEXU photo!, MO) .