Ocotea caelestis Ortiz-Rodr. & Reveles, 2025

Ocotea caelestis Ortiz-Rodr. & Reveles sp. nov.

Figs 5 View Figure 5 , 6 View Figure 6

Type.

Mexico • Veracruz, Uxpanapa, 5 km south from Poblado 2 village , 17°11'28.4"N, 94°38'34.4"W, elev. 195 m, 1 May 2023, Hurtado-Reveles L. 1995 (holotype: MEXU; isotypes: NY, MO) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Similar to Ocotea bourgeauviana in having clustered leaves and a glabrous outer surface of the tepals, but differs from it in its smaller leaves and flowers, adaxial surface only pubescent at the base, tongue-shaped stamens with a sterile tip and with pubescent filaments (Table 1 View Table 1 ).

Description.

Trees, evergreen, 4–8 m tall, 8–12 cm DBH; bark smooth to slightly striate; twigs terete, densely covered with erect and adpressed, golden trichomes, glabrous with age, terminal buds 5 × 5 mm, densely covered with erect and adpressed golden trichomes. Leaves aggregated to alternate-verticillate, clustered near the apex of branches, 2–5 × 7–18 cm, coriaceous, elliptic to lanceolate, base acute to attenuate, apex acute to caudate, upper surface smooth, glabrous, lower surface densely covered with erect golden trichomes, midrib slightly raised on the upper surface, prominently raised on the lower surface; secondary veins 5–8 on each side, slightly impressed above, prominently raised below; petiole swollen, 5–8 mm long, densely covered with erect and adpressed, golden trichomes. Inflorescences, paniculate – cymose, axillary, 4–8 cm long, pedicels 1–3 mm long, the main axis, peduncles, pedicels and bracts densely covered with erect light – brown trichomes. Flowers bisexual, 4–5 mm in diam., tepals 6, subequal, ovate to elliptic, 2–3 × 1–2 mm, outer surface glabrous, inner surface with sparse, brown sericeous trichomes only near the base, stamens 9, in three whorls, white, ca. 1.5 mm long, filaments very short to anthers almost sessile, densely covered with small trichomes, anthers tongue-shaped, with a sterile tip which extends for ca. a third of the length of the total length of the anther, 4 – locular, pollen sacs in two pairs above each other, inner stamens with two globose glands at the base, staminodes capitate, ca. 0.8 mm long, filament short and pubescent, pistil glabrous, ovary ovoid, 10 × 8 mm, style glabrous, ca. 0.5 mm long. Fruit unknown.

Phenology.

This species has been collected with flowers from April to May.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the ethereal appearance of this species (from the latin caelestis = heavenly appearance). The fine and dense golden indument in young leaves and twigs gives it a particular brightness during the first hours of the day. Moreover, inflorescences in living specimens notably rise above the flaccid leaves, which combined with their soft whitish color and almost glassy look gives them an ethereal appearance.

Distribution.

Ocotea caelestis is known only from the Uxpanapa region in Veracruz, Southern Mexico (Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ).

Ecology and habitat.

Ocotea caelestis inhabits the tropical rainforests established on deep soils, with mean annual temperatures of 25 ° C and mean annual precipitation of around 3250 mm. It occupies areas close to the hill ridges.

Conservation status.

Based on the criteria established by the IUCN ( IUCN 2012, 2024), we conclude tentatively that the species is Critically Endangered [CR B 2 ab (ii, iii, v)]. Its area of occupancy (AOO) is 8.0 km 2, within the limits of the Critically Endangered status under criterion B. The species is known from one location (sensu IUCN 2024), also within the limit of Critically Endangered status. Furthermore, only two adult individuals within an approximate area of 1 km 2 have been found. The oldest collection near the type locality is more than 30 years old, suggesting that the species may persist in forest patches. Since the species is not found within any protected area, the increasing land use for livestock farming in the region is likely its main threat.

Additional specimens examined.

Mexico • Veracruz, Jesús Carranza, south from Poblado 2 village , 17°12'00"N, 94°38'30.0"W, elev. 200 m, 12 Apr 1987, Tom Wendt & H. Hernández G. 5622 ( MEXU) GoogleMaps .

Notes.

Within the Ocotea helicterifolia group, tongue-shaped stamens with a sterile tip have been reported only in Ocotea botrantha Rohwer , Ocotea sinuata (Mez) Rohwer , Ocotea tonii (Lundell) van der Werff , Ocotea verticillata Rohwer and now in Ocotea caelestis . The clustered leaves relate Ocotea caelestis to Ocotea verticillata , from which it differs in its smaller leaves, with acute to cuneate basis, smaller flowers, outer surface of tepals glabrous, inner surface pubescent only at the base, and capitate staminodes shape (see Table 1 View Table 1 ).

Vegetatively, Ocotea caelestis is very similar to Ocotea bourgeauviana (Mez) van der Werff and could hardly be separated in the absence of flowers. Flowering specimens of the two species can be easily distinguished. Flowers in O. bourgeauviana have trichomes distributed throughout the inner surface of the tepals (only at the base in Ocotea caelestis ), and its stamens are not tongue-shaped and do not have a sterile tip. Moreover, both species are allopatrically distributed (Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ).