Guatteria novogranatensis R.E.Fr.

15. Guatteria novogranatensis R.E.Fr. View in CoL — Fig. 18 View Fig ; Map 3

Guatteria novogranatensis R.E.Fr. (1939) 496, f. 29a, b. — Type: Lawrance 552 (holo S; iso BM, MO, U), Colombia, Boyacá, El Umbo Region , 130 miles NW of Bogotá, 1100 m (‘ 3500 ft. ’), 27 Oct. 1932.

Cauliflorous tree 20– 30 m tall, 50–120 cm diam; young twigs densely covered with erect hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 4 – 5 mm long, 3– 5 mm diam; lamina narrowly obovate to narrowly elliptic, 25– 50 by 8 –16 cm (leaf index 2.8 – 3.2), chartaceous, densely verruculose, pale brownish green above, brown below, glabrous above, densely covered with appressed to erect hairs on large veins, otherwise rather densely covered with appressed hairs below, base long-attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen 15– 20 mm long), primary vein impressed above, more or less keeled below, secondary veins distinct, 25–30 on either side of primary vein, impressed above, with a more or less distinct marginal vein, smallest distance between loops and margin 4 –7 mm. Flowers on densely branched compact clusters, on the trunk; pedicels 35– 40 mm long, 2.5 –3 mm diam, fruiting pedicels 40– 60 mm long, densely covered with appressed hairs, articulated at c. 0.2 from the base, bracts not seen; flower buds not seen; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 10–13 by 6 –10 mm, appressed, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; petals pale green to yellow in vivo, ovate-oblong, 15–20 by 8 –12 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed hairs; stamens 2– 2.5 mm long, connective shield papillate. Monocarps 20– 40, colour in vivo unknown, blackish brown in sicco, ellipsoid, 18– 20 by 7–8 mm, glabrous, apex 137 apiculate (apiculum to 1 mm long), wall c. 0.2 mm thick, stipes 8 –12 by 1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 18– 20 by 7 mm, dark, shiny brown, longitudinally and transversely striate.

Distribution — Colombia ( Boyacá, Sur de Santander).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated forest.At elevations of 100 –1100 m. Flowering: January, February; fruiting: October.

Vernacular names — None.

Other specimens examined. COLOMBIA, Boyacá, El Umbo Region , 130 miles NW of Bogotá, 1100 m (‘ 3500 ft. ’), 23 Feb. 1933, Lawrance 635 ( MO, US, U) . Sur de Santander, near Barranca Bermeja, Magdalena Valley , between Río Sogamoso and Río Colorado, Camp Mesa, 100–500 m, 1 Jan. 1935, Haught 1485 ( S, not seen) .

Note — Guatteria novogranatensis was collected from a very large tree 30 m tall and with a diameter of 1.2 m! It looks quite similar to the Amazonian species G. longicuspis , both being cauliflorous and sharing most leaf characters. G. novogranatensis differs by a dense indument on large leaf veins below (vs mostly sparsely so) and by larger sepals ( 10 –13 mm long vs 5 –7 mm long). It should not be ruled out that future research will prove the two taxa to be conspecific.