Magnolia tapichalacaensis Á.J.Pérez & E.Rea, 2025

Magnolia tapichalacaensis Á.J.Pérez & E.Rea , sp. nov. ( Figs 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )

Type:— ECUADOR. Zamora Chinchipe: Cantón Palanda, Parroquia Valladolid , Reserva Tapichalaca , sector Quebrada Honda-Palmeras , bosque montano sobre suelo con arenisca, 2200–2500 m, 12 Sep 2024, Pérez, Hidalgo & Ramón 12198 ( holotype: QCA-254427 (fl in alcohol, fl bud, young fr); isotypes G-G01094193 (fl bud), LOJA (fl bud), QCNE (fl bud), UTPL (fl bud)) .

Magnolia tapichalacaensis is like Magnolia bankardiorum Dillon & Sánchez Vega (2009: 7) View in CoL and Magnolia lozanoi Vázquez & Castro-Arce View in CoL in Vázquez-García et al. (2012: 114), but differs from these in several morphological features ( Table 2).

Trees 15–25 m tall; 20–45 cm dbh. Outer bark rugose with short longitudinal fissures, brown with grey spots; inner bark granulate, yellowish brown, fragrant. Twig internodes 3.5–7.1 × 0.3–0.5 cm in juveniles, 0.8–2.5 × 0.3–0.5 cm in adults, with oblong lenticels. Petiole without stipular scar, terete to subterete, 1.1–1.9 × 0.12–0.2 cm in juveniles, 0.6–1.6 × 0.15–0.2 cm in adults, glabrous in juveniles, glabrescent to glabrous in adults, and sometimes with a bunch of trichomes in the petiole axil and along the annular scar on the branch. Leaves elliptic, 15.3–21.1 × 6.9–10.0 cm, pale green on both sides, glabrous to tomentose only along the midrib in juveniles, 5.4–13.6 × 2.5–6.4 cm, green above, pale green below, abaxially tomentose in adults, apex acute to obtuse, base cuneate to obtuse, margin entire, secondary veins 10–20 on each side of the midrib, midrib canaliculate above, raised beneath, reticulate tertiary venation; stipules 3.5–10 cm long in juveniles, glabrous, 2–7 cm long in adults, glabrous to villous. Flowers 5.6–7.5 cm in diam., terminal, solitary, fragrant; hypsophylls 1, abaxially tomentose, adaxially glabrous, embracing, 2.6–3.0 × 1.6– 1.4 cm, broadly ellipsoid, pale green; flower buds ellipsoid; peduncle 1.5–3.5 cm long, glabrescent; sepals 3, pale green, oblong to obovate, 3.1–3.7 × 1.4–1.8 cm, abaxially villous to pilose, adaxially glabrous, base truncate, apex rounded; petals 9–10, creamy white, navicular, oblanceolate, the three outer ones 3.7–4.2 × 1.5–2.0 cm, concave in the upper third, the inner ones 3.2–3.9 × 0.8–1.5 cm, gradually narrower basally; stamens 54–63, 1.0–1.3 × 0.1–0.2 cm, the connective 0.5 cm long, brittle and entangled; gynoecium ellipsoid, 1.4–1.7 × 0.6–1.0 cm, densely tomentose, stigma 0.4 cm long, pale green, deciduous, glabrous; carpels 4–5. Fruit immature, ellipsoid, densely tomentose; seeds not seen.

Etymology:— Named after the type locality, a ca. 5700-ha reserve owned and managed by the Jocotoco Foundation.

Distribution, habitat and ecology:— Known thus far only from the type locality, a montane forest remnant at Quebrada Honda, between 2200–2600 m, in Zamora Chinchipe Province ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). According to the Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador 2013, this area is montane evergreen forest of the southeastern Andean Cordillera (BsMn02; Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Field observations indicate that M. tapichalacaensis co-occurs with the following tree species: Handroanthus cf. chrysanthus ( Bignoniaceae ), Ceroxylon echinulatum , C. amazonicum and Bactris sp. (all Arecaceae ), Inga rubella ( Fabaceae ) and Byrsonima homeieri ( Malpighiaceae ). The adjacent Parque Nacional Podocarpus is close to the type locality ( 5 km by air). As such, it seems likely that the new species described here may also occur there. Additionally, some recently described species from northern Peru (e.g., Inga rubella and Agouticarpa spinosa ) have been recorded in Quebrada Honda during the explorations described here, indicating that M. tapichalacaensis may also occur in northern Peru ( Amazonas and Cajamarca Departments).

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

Conservation status:— Known only from a single population of eight adult individuals and ten juveniles in the forest remnants at Quebrada Honda, covering an area of less than 4 km 2. Given the narrow distribution of the species, the constant threats to its habitat (e.g., cattle pasture expansion) and limited private conservation efforts, the species should be considered critically endangered (CR B2ab(iii)) ( IUCN 2024). In situ and ex-situ conservation and restoration programs are urgently needed.

Additional specimens examined:— ECUADOR. Zamora Chinchipe: Cantón Palanda, Parroquia Valladolid, Reserva Tapichalaca, Fundación Jocotoco, sector Quebrada Honda-Las Palmeras, 2200–2500 m, 11 Sep 2024 (sterile), Pérez et al. 12182 ( LOJA, QCA) ; ibid., 11 Sep 2024 (steril), Pérez et al. 12183 ( LOJA, QCA, QCNE, UTPL) ; ibid., 12 Mar 2025 (fl bud), Pérez et al. 12679 ( QCA, QCNE) ; ibid., 12 Mar 2025 (fl bud), Pérez et al. 12684 ( LOJA, QCA, QCNE, UTPL) ; ibid., 27 Oct 2024 (fl, fl bud), Jaramillo & Mendoza 3098 ( GUAY (fl bud), LOJA (fl in alcohol), QCA (fl in alcohol), QCNE (fl in alcohol)) .

Notes:— Magnolia tapichalacaensis belongs to M. sect. Splendentes, which is characterised by species with stipules free from the petiole and a long connective appendage embedded in the gynoecium ( Figlar & Nooteboom 2004, Wang et al. 2020). Although M. tapichalacaensis resembles M. bankardiorum and M. lozanoi , it can be easily differentiated from them by vegetative features, especially the long white-greyish tomentose trichomes along the underside of leaves and hypsophyll (vs. glabrous in M. bankardiorum and shorter pubescence in M. lozanoi ). Differences in reproductive features are also present ( Table 2).

In Ecuador, although all Magnolia species from M. sect. Splendentes are distributed in the south-eastern provinces of Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe along the Cordillera del Cóndor ( Pérez et al. 2020; Table 1); M. tapichalacaensis is found in the eastern Andean foothills of the Cerro Tapichalaca Mountain range. Furthermore, it is worth noting that, based on field observations, the habitat where this new species occurs also shares similar species and soil types with the Cordillera del Cóndor ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). Although there are relatively few genetic studies on the diversity, evolution, and biogeography of Neotropical Magnoliaceae (e.g., Guzmán-Díaz et al. 2022, 2025, Veltjen et al. 2022, Aldaba-Nuñez et al. 2024), studies suggest that it is imperative to expand species sampling to disentangle their phylogenetic relationships and resolve infrageneric classification, which has been challenging. Thus, further exploration and sampling in Quebrada Honda–Palmeras are necessary to not only explore the evolutionary and ecological relationships associated with Magnolia diversity but also to underscore the importance of future conservation and restoration actions. Currently, the Jocotoco Foundation is monitoring seed production to initiate a propagation program while also implementing in-situ and ex-situ conservation actions.