Rochefortia barloventensis Irimia & Gottschling, 2015

Rochefortia barloventensis Irimia & Gottschling View in CoL , sp. nov.

Type:— CARIBBEAN, LESSER ANTILLES, LEEWARD ISLANDS, FRANCE. Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante: Fréchy district, near Grelin , on wooded hillside, elevation 65–125 m, 15º57’N, 61º17’W [retroactively inferred], 25 May 1960 (fl, fr): G. R. Proctor 21020 (holotype: A! GoogleMaps , isotype: US-1111601 ! GoogleMaps ).

Etymology. During the first time of La Conquista, the Lesser Antilles from Puerto Rico through Trinidad were coined ‘Islas de Barlovento’. Directly translated, the term corresponds to the ‘Windward Islands’ that included more archipelagos than (today) under Anglo-American usage ( Humboldt 1836). The new species of Rochefortia is found in both regions of Windward Islands and Leeward Islands (in Anglo-American usage) and therefore, we refer to the old Hispanic term. The ‘Islas de Barlovento’ were also coined ‘Islas de los Canibales’ ( Humboldt 1836), but we refrain from the epithet <canibalorum> here in deference to the native people.

Morphological Description ( Figs 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ). Shrubs or small trees, 1.5–10.0 m high. Branches spreading, slightly pubescent when young, mostly glabrescent at maturity, gray-whitish, with numerous lenticels; thornes 0.5–0.7 cm long, axilar, alternate, simple, slender, acute, glabrescent; phyllotaxis fasciculate. Leaves simple, exstipulate, adaxially with cystolith-like structures in epidermal cells, abaxially glabrous; petiole 0.4–1.5 cm long, glabrescent, texture coriaceous; blade 1.3–3.0 cm long, 0.8–2.0 cm wide, obovate, sometimes circular, base cuneate, lateral vein in pairs of 4–5, arching; apex rounded to slightly emarginate, margin entire. Inflorescence 1.5–3.0 cm long, axilar or terminal, ebracteolate, branching sympodial, branches slender, glabrescent, peduncle 0.6–2.0 cm long. Flowers sometimes fragrant, pedicel 0.20–0.40 cm long. Calyx 0.35–0.45 cm long, synsepalous, imbricate, coriaceous, lobes 5, obovate, 0.30–0.35 cm long, 0.32–0.35 cm wide, ciliate at distal margin, adaxially somewhat hirsute, abaxially glabrous, sometimes with few clustered trichomes at the distal blade. Corolla 0.35–0.40 cm long, sympetalous, membranaceous, usually yellow or light-orange, occasionally green (Liogier 32280, MO! US!), tube infundibular, 0.10–0.20 cm long, lobes usually 5 (occasionally 4 or 6), 0.30–0.40 cm long at anthesis, obovate, with 5–6 parallel nerves and few glandular trichomes at tips. Stamens 5, epipetalous; staminate flowers with filaments 0.30–0.33 cm long, adnate to the corolla tube for 0.05–0.08 cm, anthers 0.25–0.30 cm long; pollen tricolporate, surface reticulate; pistillate flowers with filaments 0.10–0.13 cm long, adnate to corolla tube for 0.08–0.10 cm, anthers 0.12–0.14 cm long, dorsifixed, without pollen. Ovary superior, bicarpellate; in pistillate flowers 0.25–0.30 cm long, coenocarpous–syncarpous, surface glabrous, style bifid, united for 0.03–0.10 cm, stylar branches 0.25–0.30 cm long, stigmas 2, extensively capitate; in staminate flowers rudimentary, 0.20–0.25 cm long, choricarpous to symplicate at the base, stylodia 2, 0.10–0.12 cm long, surface apically tomentose. Fruit 0.5–0.6 cm long, 0.6–0.7 cm wide, drupaceous, spherical to widely depressed ovoid, deep orange to vermillion, turning blackish brown at maturity; pyrenes 4, 0.40–0.45 cm long, 0.30–0.35 cm wide, 0.20–0.25 cm thick, oval to ovate in outline, enclosing a single seed each.

Molecular Diagnosis. Molecular ITS sequence data are available for four accessions of the new species ( Guadeloupe: Sastre 8265, P!; Proctor 21020, A!; Martinique: Sastre 9747, P!; and Puerto Rico: Liogier 32280, MO!). The sequences are deposited in GenBank as accession numbers KM893062, KM893064 (obtained from type material), KM893063 and KM893065, respectively. The nucleotides and their sequence positions, in which Rochefortia barloventensis sp. nov. differs from other species of Rochefortia , are summarised in Table 1 View TABLE 1 . The new species exhibits an autapomorphic adenine at sequence position 217.

Distribution ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). The new species is distributed over multiple Lesser Antillean islands including Guadeloupe: La Désirade, Grande-Terre (Porte D’Enfer); Îles des Saintes (Terre-de-Bas); Marie-Galante: Capesterre (ravine Pompierre), Saint-Louis (Bois de Folle Anse), Fréchy district, near Grelin; Martinique: near presqu’Île de la Caravelle; Montserrat: near Cannan River and Puerto Rico: near Fajardo. A number of historical collections (from, e.g., Duss, l’Herminier, Jussieu, Swartz) dating back to the 19 th century or before are not informative in terms of precise locality and date. However, many of them exhibit mature reproductive structures contributing to an improved understanding of species circumscription. The new species co-occurs with a single other species of Rochefortia , namely R. acanthophora in Guadeloupe ( Howard 1989) and Puerto Rico ( Irimia et al. 2015). Its southern most range appears to be represented by Martinique.

Habitat and ecology. Rochefortia barloventensis sp. nov. grows at low altitudes (sea level up to 125 m). It is found in arid coast lines, wooded hillsides, in thickets, mesophyll forests and coastal xerophytic forests.

Phenology. Collected in flower:April–May, July, September–October, December; in fruit: May–June, December– January.

Representative specimens examined. — Puerto Rico. Fajardo: El Convento , in forest, 18°19’N, 65°37’W [retroactively inferred], 15 Sep 1981 (fl), Liogier et al. 32280 ( MO! US!). GoogleMaps — Leeward Islands. Guadeloupe: Grande-Terre, Porte D’Enfer , 16°29’N, 61°26’W [retroactively inferred], 19 Jul 1982 (fl), Barrier 3747 ( G! P! P! US!) GoogleMaps ; La Désirade , 16°19’N, 61°3’W [retroactively inferred], 10 Oct 1981 (fl), Barrier 3300 ( A! B! G! P!) GoogleMaps ; Îles des Saintes , Terre-de-Bas, 15°51’N, 61°38’W [retroactively inferred], 22 Nov 1986 (fl, fr), Sastre 8265 ( P! P!) GoogleMaps ; Les Saintes , Terre-de-Bas, littoral du SE Hulliers très arides, alt. 30 m, 15°50’N, 61°38’W [retroactively inferred], 13 Jan 1994, (fr), Vivant s. n ( P!) GoogleMaps ; Marie-Galante , Capesterre, ravine Pompierre, 15°53’N, 61°13’W [retroactively inferred], 3 Apr 1982 (sterile), Barrier 3413 ( P!) GoogleMaps ; Saint-Louis , Folle Anse, 15°58’N, 61°17’W [retroactively inferred], 5 Oct 1981 (sterile), Barrier 3232 ( F! G! P!) GoogleMaps ; Bois de Folle Anse , 15°58’N, 61°18’W [retroactively inferred], 13 Jun 1982 (fl, fr), Barrier 3533 ( B!, P!). GoogleMaps — Windward Islands. Martinique: Caravelle, Château Dubuc , 14°46’N, 60°53’W [retroactively inferred], 9 Apr 1998 (fl), Sastre 9747 ( P!) GoogleMaps .