Tovomita crassidactyla L. Marinho, 2025

15. Tovomita crassidactyla L. Marinho , sp. nov. – Fig. 31, 32.

Holotype: Panama, Panamá, Cerro Jefé near summit, along road to east about a quarter mile below tower, 09°15'N, 79°30'W, 750–850 m, 8 Jul 1987, G. McPherson 11175 ( PMA [ PMA23299 View Materials ] photo!; isotypes: MEXU [no. 711291] photo!, MO [MO-916461] photo!, NY!). GoogleMaps

Diagnosis — Tovomita crassidactyla is similar to T. xanthochlora , from which it can be distinguished by coriaceous (vs chartaceous) leaves, floral buds with an apiculate (vs rounded) apex, and shorter and thick pedicels ≤ 8 mm long (vs elongated [up to 19 mm long] and thin). Fruits of T. crassidactyla are pyriform, with a narrow base and without a rostrum (vs rounded, with a rounded base and conspicuous rostrum in T. xanthochlora ).

Description — Trees up to 20 m tall, prop roots conspicuous; exudate yellow. Petioles 1–4 cm long, green, smooth, lenticels absent. Leaf blades 7.2–20 × 2.5–8 cm, light brown to copper-coloured in sicco, black dots absent, coriaceous, oblong to obovate, base convex to decurrent, apex rounded rarely convex; papillae, lenticels and fungal spots absent; exudate canals inconspicuous. Venation: secondary veins 6–9 pairs, 10–17 mm apart from each other, forming angle 45°–50° to midvein, immersed adaxially, prominent abaxially, arcuate near margin; intersecondary veins present, one to two per intercostal area, much thinner than secondary veins, parallel to major secondary,> 50 % of subjacent secondary length; tertiary veins percurrent sinuous; intramarginal vein absent. Inflorescences: ♂ lax cyme with 5 basal branches and up to 27 flowers, lacking terminal flower, ♀ 3(–5)-flowered cyme, lenticels absent. Pedicels 5–8 mm long, green, thick, distal portion with same gauge, proximally articulated on lateral flowers of dichasia, sometimes appearing to be inarticulate; calyptrae and lenticels absent. Floral buds 7–8 mm long, spheroid, apex apiculate, lenticels absent. Sepals 4, 7–8 × 5–7 mm, circular to oblong, apex apiculate to rounded, green; petals 4, c. 17 × 5 mm, oblong, reflexed, apex rounded, white to greenish-white. Staminate flowers: stamens c. 80, 2–4.5 mm long, heterodynamous; filaments terete, white; anthers c. 1 mm long, coloration not seen, connective exceeding thecae; pistillode not seen. Pistillate flowers not seen. Capsules fleshy, 3.5–5 × 2.5–3 cm, 5-septate, pyriform when closed, not costate or lobed, rostrum absent, epicarp smooth, green when immature, green-brownish when mature, mesocarp pinkish to purplish-red; sepals, petals, staminodes and stigmas persistent. Aril orange.

Distribution — Panama (Colón, Panamá). Fig. 33.

Conservation status — Tovomita crassidactyla was assessed as Endangered EN B 1ab(i,ii,iv)+2ab(i,ii,iv) based on both Extent of Occurrence 600 km 2 and Area of Occupancy less than 30 km 2. Although some specimens were collected in conservation units such as Chagres and San Lorenzo National Parks, most of the paratypes were collected along roadsides.

Etymology — The specific epithet refers to the pedicels and flower buds, which are thick and finger-like, as in some anurans. It is adjectival, derived from Latin crassus,

thick, and dactylus borrowed from Greek δάκτυλος (daktylos), finger.

Recognition and discussion — The specimens previously identified as Tovomita longifolia from Costa Rica and Panama are described here as two distinct species, respectively T. xanthochlora and T. crassidactyla (see T. longifolia discussion). Tovomita crassidactyla can be distinguished from T. longifolia by the ascending secondary veins (forming angle 45°–50° to the midvein [ Fig. 12O] vs 65°–75° in T. longifolia [ Fig. 13M]) and spheroid floral bud (vs oblong to ovoid in T. longifolia ). Tovomita crassidactyla differs from T. xanthochlora by the coriaceous leaves with a rounded apex ( Fig. 12O and 32E; vs chartaceous with acuminate apex in T. xanthochlora [ Fig. 14T]), thick pedicel (vs thin), and floral buds with apiculate apex ( Fig. 32E; vs rounded in T. xanthochlora , Fig. 87D). The fruits are also different: in T. crassidactyla they are pyriform with a narrow base and without a rostrum ( Fig. 32C), while in T. xanthochlora , the fruits are obovate-pyriform, with a narrow base and evident rostrum. They are also slightly but distinctly costate, at least in life. ( Fig. 87G).

Some Panamanian specimens determined as Tovomita longifolia (not included in the new species) show significant morphological differences in the fruits and need to be further investigated whenever more materials become available. The specimens C. Galdames 446 ( PMA), from Panamá Province, and Greg de Nevers 6994 ( PMA), from San Blas Provinces, have asperous fruits with a distal portion of the pedicel dilated. These features are present in T. morii ; however, the presence of an evident petiole is not present in this species. In T. crassidactyla , the fruits are smooth and the pedicels are not dilated.

Additional specimens examined — PANAMA: COLÓN: Santa Rita Ridge road, 17.1 km from Boyd-Roosevelt Hwy., 21 May 1975, fr., S . Mori & J. Kallunki 6310 ( MO photo!, NY!); end of Río Boqueron road, 1500–2000 ft, 12 Apr 1978, bud, B . Hammel 2471 ( MO photo!, MEXU photo!, NY!); Carretera hacia el poblado de Piñas, 09°17'N, 80°01'W, 28 Aug 1996, fr., C GoogleMaps . Galdames & L . Guillén 3319 ( NY!); Atlantic Canopy Crane site, Fort Sherman , 09°17'N, 79°59'W, 150 m, 17 Jul 1997, bud, R GoogleMaps . Foster & al. 15721 ( F photo!, PMA photo!), ibid., fr., 15726 ( PMA photo!); Santa Rita Arriba, 2–4 km de la carretera Boyd-Roosevelt , 09°20'N, 79°46'W, 200– 250 m, 25 Mar 1999, bud, M GoogleMaps . D. Correa & al. 11504 ( NY!) . PANAMÁ: Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island , 22 Mar 1971, bud, R . Foster & T . Croat 2248 ( PMA photo!); ibid., East of Donato Trail 100, 22 Mar 1971, bud, T . Croat 14016 ( MO photo!, UC!); Premontane wet forest along new El Llano-Cartí road, 400–450 m, 12 Dec 1973, fr., M . Nee & al. 8790 ( MO photo!, MEXU photo!, NY 2 sheets!); Cerro Jefe , 1000 m, 29 Aug 1975, bud, S . Mori 8004 ( MO photo!, MEXU photo!, NY!, PMA photo!); San Blas, trail from end of road past Los Altos de Pacora region, Cerro Jefé , 09°17'N, 79°17'W, 600–800 m, 20–25 Apr 1985, bud, B GoogleMaps . Hammel & G . de Nevers 13576 ( GH!, MO photo!, PMA photo!); Along El Llano-Cartí road, near Nussagandi , 09°15'N, 79°00'W, 350 m, 21 Jul 1986, bud, G GoogleMaps . McPherson 9768 ( MO photo!, MEXU photo!, PMA photo!); Vicinity of Cerro Jefe , 09°15'N, 79°30'W, 650 m, 27 Aug 1986, bud, G GoogleMaps . McPherson 10015 ( MO photo!, MEXU photo!, PMA photo!); Carretera hacia Cerro Azul, cerca del centro de Salud , 20 Jul 1996, bud, E . Montenegro 1403 ( PMA photo!); alrededores de Cerro Jefe , 09°14'N, 79°22'W, 800 m, 6 Jun 2000, bud, C GoogleMaps . Galdames & al. 4438 ( MO, PMA photo!); Cerro Jefe , 09°12'N, 79°22'W, 850 m, 13 Sep 2001, bud, A GoogleMaps . Espinosa & C . Guerra 5328 ( PMA photo!) .