Fridericia podopogon (DC.) L. G. Lohmann

7. Fridericia podopogon (DC.) L. G. Lohmann in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 99: 443. 2014 ≡ Spathodea podopogon DC., Prodr. 9: 205. 1845 ≡ Macfadyena podopogon (DC.) Griseb. in Cat. Pl. Cub. 195. 1866 ≡ Neomacfadya podopogon (DC.) Baill., Hist. Pl. View in CoL 10: 26. 1888 ≡ Arrabidaea podopogon (DC.) A. H. Gentry View in CoL in Rhodora 79: 439. 1977. – Holotype: Cuba, Havana, 1829, R. de la Sagra 293 (G-DC barcode G00133616 [image! and photo F negative no. 33894!]). – Fig. 6A–C, 7.

= Bignonia simplex A. Rich. View in CoL in Sagra , Hist. Fis. Cuba, Bot. 11: 104. 1850. – Holotype: Cuba, Guanabo, s.d., R. de la Sagra s.n. (P barcode P00608127!).

= Phryganocydia brevicalyx Standl. View in CoL in Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser. 4: 261. 1929. – Holotype: British Honduras, Tower Hill, 1928, J. S. Karling 39 (F accession code F-559725 [image!]; isotype: US barcode US 00125803 [image!]).

Morphological description — Lianas, evergreen, up to 10 m high. Branches terete to subquadrangular, striate and sparsely lenticellate, grey when dry, puberulous, with simple trichomes; without interpetiolar ridge, with interpetiolar glandular fields; prophylls of axillary buds triangular, not apiculate, 0.5–1 mm long. Leaves (1 or)2-foliolate; petiole 0.3–1.1 cm long, puberulous, with simple trichomes (sometimes glabrescent and puberulous only at canalicule); petiolules with equal lengths, (0.4–) 0.7–1.2 cm, glabrous to pubescent, with simple trichomes; blade chartaceous, smooth, margin entire, lateral leaflets elliptic, 5–10 × 2–5.2 cm, base cuneate, rounded or subcordate, apex acute to attenuate, adaxially not vernicose, glabrous throughout, abaxially glabrescent throughout and puberulous, without pocket and with trichomes tuft, venation pinnate (sometimes resembling palmate actinodromous basal), secondary veins raised, tertiary veins raised, without pocket and with trichome tuft domatia. Inflorescences axillary, thyrse with abortion of lateral buds (sometimes resembling a raceme), with 1 or 2 orders, first-order peduncles 0.5–0.8 cm long, second-order 0.4–0.5 cm, glabrous; bracts not seen, caducous; bracteoles linear, 1–1.2 mm long, persistent; pedicels 0.5–0.8 cm long. Calyx tubular, not costate, irregularly split, 1–1.8 × 0.5–0.8 cm, lepidote with glandular peltate trichomes, chartaceous, green, with glandular areas. Corolla infundibular, zygomorphic, furrowed, 2.5–4 cm long, 0.7–0.9 cm wide at tube mouth, externally puberulous, without glands, upper lobes almost completely fused, 0.2–0.4 cm free, lower lobes 0.8–1.2 × 0.5–1.2 cm, margin rounded and flat, white, lavender, pink or magenta. Androecium with all stamens includ- ed; longer filaments 1.1–1.5 cm long, shorter filaments 0.7–1.3 cm; staminode 1.5–2 mm long; anthers 1.9–2.1 long, connectives not protruding. Gynoecium with ovary cylindric, 1.3–2.9 × 0.8–1 mm, smooth, densely lepidote, style 1.6–2.1 cm long; stigma lanceolate; nectar disk annular and smooth under ovary, 0.8–1.1 × 1–1.2 mm. Fruit linear, flat, margins not raised, central ridge not raised, valves coriaceous to woody, hispid, 18–23 × 1.2–1.5 cm, glabrous; septum coriaceous. Seeds elliptic, body elliptic, 1.1–1.3 × 2.8–3.1 cm, wings opaque, c. 0.05 mm wide, margins entire.

Phenology — Produces flowers from March to December. Fruits were collected from May to February.

Distribution and habitat — Fridericia podopogon is distributed mostly in dry forests, also occurring in moist forests of Petén and Yucatán. This species is distributed through Belize ( Belize, Cayo, Orange Walk and Toledo), Cuba ( Cuba, La Habana and Pinar del RÍo), Guatemala ( Petén) and Mexico ( Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo and Yucatán).

Conservation status — Fridericia podopogon is categorized as Least Concern (LC) based on its Extent of Occurrence ( 242,342 km 2). However, this species is suggested to be Endangered (EN) based on its Area of Occupancy ( 128 km 2): EN B2ab(i,ii,iii).

Remarks — Fridericia podopogon is morphologically close to F. craterophora . However, the distributions of these two species are very distinct, with the former endemic to N Central America and Mexico and the latter restricted to Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. Fridericia podopogon can be distinguished by the shorter prophylls 0.5–1 mm long (vs 1.7–2.1 mm long in F. craterophora ), inflorescence with 1 branching order and peduncle 0.5– 0.8 cm long (vs 2 branching orders and first-order peduncle 1.4–6 cm long in F. craterophora ) and upper lobes of the corolla mostly fused, with only 0.2–0.4 cm free at the apex (vs 0.6–1.1 cm free in F. craterophora ). The other species of the “ Neomacfadya clade” with an overlapping geographical distribution is F. schumanniana , which is easily distinguished from F. podopogon by the lateral leaflets 5–10 × 2–5.2 cm (vs 9–15 × 5.4–9.5 cm in F. schumanniana ) and tubular calyx 1–1.8 cm long (vs obconic calyx 1.6–2.7 cm long in F. schumanniana ).