Salacia fugax Lombardi & M.Serna, 2017

Salacia fugax Lombardi & M.Serna View in CoL , sp. nov.

Type: COLOMBIA. Caquetá: Chiribiquete, cuenca media del Río Cuñare , 00°32’04”N, 72°37’58”W, 350 m, 15 Nov. 2000 (fl), H. Mendoza, A. Escobar, S. Medina & M. Leptuama 9610 (holotype, FMB! GoogleMaps ; isotype, COAH! GoogleMaps ). Figure 1 View FIGURE 1 .

Similar to Salacia mennegana and S. opacifolia by its acuminate leaves, short petioles, dried blade color, branched inflorescences, rotate flowers, and annular disc, differing by its puberulous indument, smaller and long acuminate leaves, young buds with apparent sepals, and the small pyriform fruits.

Liana, branches terete to tetrangular, puberulous, sparse or minutely lenticellate, drying dark-brown; hairs minute, unbranched, ferruginous. Leaves opposite, glabrous; stipules not seen, caducous; petioles 2–3(–3.5) mm, transversely sulcate, wrinkled above, drying dark-brown; blades (3.2–)4.6–6.1(–7.9) × 0.9–2(–3) cm, elliptic, with cuneate base, apex long acuminate, margin crenulate, thickened and cream colored, chartaceous, drying dark brown on the adaxial side, light brown on the abaxial side, dark punctuate on abaxial side, venation brochidodromous, midrib prominent on both sides, secondary veins inconspicuous on adaxial side, prominulous on abaxial side, tertiary veins inconspicuous on both sides. Inflorescence a slender compound dichasia, sometimes on leafless nodes, glabrous; peduncles 1.5–3.1 cm, branches opposite; bracts ca. 0.6 mm long, triangular; pedicels 2.5 mm long, terete. Flowers 4 mm wide at anthesis, color unknown; calyx lobes 5, 0.6 × 0.7–0.8 mm, triangular, margin scarious; petals 5, 1.2 × 0.7–0.9 mm, elliptic, ±carnose, spreading at anthesis, drying brown, margin scarious; disc 0.3 × 0.2 mm, annular-pulvinate, carnose, outer margin rounded; stamens 3, 0.5–0.6 mm long, filaments 0.3–0.4 mm, flattened, anthers 0.2 × 0.2–0.3 mm, reniform, basifixed, bilocular, introrse, dehiscence by slits bent at ca. 140°; pistil pyramid-shaped, ovary ca. 0.6 mm wide, 3-angled, corners rounded, fused to inner side of disc, 3-locular, with 2 axilar-apical ovules in each locule, style obsolete, stigmas dark, punctiform. Mature berries not seen, immature 1.9–2.6 × 1.1–1.9 cm, pyriform, exocarp crustaceous, ca. 1 mm thick, yellow-orange, drying dark-brown spotted with yellow or black marks; immature seeds 1.5 × 1 cm, ellipsoid.

Phenology:— Collected with buds and flowers in November, and with immature fruits from March to June– November.

Distribution and habitat:— Salacia fugax apparently occurs in disjunct areas in Colombia and Venezuela ( Figure 2 View FIGURE 2 ), at altitudes between 50 and 800–1300 m. It was recorded in the herbarium labels as occurring in humid and dry forests, and forested slopes. S. fugax is here considered as Data Deficient [DD] under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee 2017). There is no information about its population size or occurrence of this taxon within protected areas.

Vernacular:— Unknown.

Etymology:— The specific epithet of this species is an allusion to the hard-to-find flowering specimens needed for a proper description, while fruiting specimens have already been known for many years.

Salacia fugax resembles S. mennegana J.Hedin ex Lombardi ( Lombardi, 2009: 374) and S. opacifolia ( Macbride, 1930: 123) Smith (1940: 434) by its leaf shape, short petioles, dried leaf blade color, branched inflorescences, rotate flowers, and similar disc. Nevertheless, S. fugax can be recognized as distinct by its puberulous indument (vs. glabrous), leaves generally smaller and with longer apices ((3.2–)4.6–6.1(–7.9) × 0.9–2(–3) cm vs. (3.8–)8.1–14.8 x (0.9–) 2.7–6.2 cm in S. mennegana ; (4.5–)6.1–13(–19.7) x (1.9–)2.8–5.9(–7.7) cm in S. opacifolia ), young buds with apparent sepals (vs. calyx with closed aestivation in S. mennegana ), and smaller and different shaped fruits (pyriform vs. ellipsoid in both S. mennegana and S. opacifolia ).

Additional specimens examined:— COLOMBIA. Caquetá: Solano, Chiribiquete, Río Sararamano , bosque de tierra firme, 0°9’26”N 72°37’45”W, 350 m, 15 Apr 2001 (st), Mendoza et al. 11370 ( FMB) GoogleMaps ; Solano, PNN Serranía de Chiribiquete, cuenca alta del Río Mesay , bosque transicional entre bosque inundable y bosque de tierra firme, 0°14’54”N 72°56’05”W, 350 m, 20 Jan 2000 (st), Mendoza et al. 13736 ( FMB) GoogleMaps .

VENEZUELA. Amazonas: Dpto. Atabapo, Cerro Huachamacarí , base of main wall and slope below it, E side, 03º49’N, 65º43’W, 800–1300 m, 5 Nov 1988 (ifr), R. Liesner 25854 ( MO) GoogleMaps . Bolívar: Raul Leoni, 58 km SE de Pijiguaos , 06º09’N, 66º29W, 550 m, Jul 1989 (ifr), L. Delgado 389 ( MO) GoogleMaps ; Cedeño, bajo Caura, Cerro El Cangrejo , 06º38’N, 64º50W, 70 m, 8 May 1997 (ifr), W. Diaz et al. 3220 ( MO, NY) GoogleMaps ; Dist. Piar, W base of Amaruay-tepui, 2–3 km E of Río Acanan , 05º56’N, 62º16’W, 500 m, 20 Apr 1986 (ifr), B. Holst & R. Liesner 2639 ( MO, NY) GoogleMaps ; Cedeño, Boca de Nichare, bajo Río Caura , 06º32’N, 64º50’W, 50 m, 2 Jun 1997 (ifr), C. Knab-Vispo & A. Rodriguez 733 ( MO) GoogleMaps ; Raul Leoni, frente nº 29 , 04º32’N, 62º44’W, 400 m, Mar 1988 (ifr), E. Marin 108 ( NY, U) GoogleMaps ; Aripao, Río Yudi, helipuerto 10 , 05º27’N, 64º49’W, 280 m, May 1989 (ifr), E. Marin 347 ( NY) GoogleMaps ; Río Caura, 5–20 km S (río arriba) del Campamento Las Pavas (salto Para) , 06º15’N, 64º25’W, 220–240 m, May 1982 (ifr), G. Murillo & R. Liesner 8907 ( NY, U) GoogleMaps ; Cuadrícula de Investigación, campamento Dedemai, Río Tabaro , 06º21’N, 64º59’W, 120 m, 12 Apr 1994 (ifr), I. Salas TT-257 ( MO) GoogleMaps .