A new species of Licania (Chrysobalanaceae) from Cordillera del Cóndor, Ecuador.

A new mid altitude species of the predominantly lowland genus Licania, Licania condoriensis from Ecuador is described and illustrated.

Introduction

A worldwide monograph of the Chrysobalanaceae was published in 2003 (Prance and Sothers 2003a, b). Some recent collections from Ecuador made in 2005 are of an undescribed species of . This genus of 218 speciesis predominantly a lowland one and all three collections of this new species, , are from an altitude of over 1,100 m. Table 1 lists 14 montane and submontane species of that occur mainly at altitudes of over one thousand metres.

Table 1.

Species of (Chrysobalanaceae) occurring mainly at above 1000 m.

Species	Locality	Altitude
Licania subgenus Moquilea section Moquilea
Licania durifolia Cuatr.	Colombia, Ecuador, Peru	500–2000 m
Licania cabrerae Prance	Colombia: Antioquia	2200–2550 m
Licania montana Prance	Venezuela: Lara	1300–1500 m
Licania hedbergii Prance	Ecuador: Napo	1600 m
Licania longicuspidata Prance	Ecuador: Carchi	650–1800 m
Licania cariae A. Cardozo	Venezuela: Aragua	1100–2000 m
Licania chiriquiensis Prance	Panama: Chiriqui	1007–1200 m
Licania subgenus Moquilea section Leptobalanus
Licania jefensis Prance	Panama: Chiriqui	1007 m
Licania subgenus Licania section Hymenopus
Licania pakaraimensis Prance	Venezuela: Bolívar	1400 m
Licania subgenus Licania
Licania subrotundata Maguire	Venezuela: Dist. Federal	1200–2000 m
Licania aracaensis Prance	Brazil: Amazonas	1000 m
Licania pittieri Prance	Venezuela: Aragua	1100–2200 m
Licania tepuiensis Prance	Venezuela: Bolívar	1350 m
Licania condoriensis Prance	Ecuador: Zamora-Chinchipe	1130–1685 m

Description

Prance sp. nov.

urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77132009-1

http://species-id.net/wiki/Licania_condoriensis

Fig. 1

Figure 1.

Prance: A habit B leaf undersurface showing reticulation from the deep stomatal cavities C ovary cross section D flower E bracteole F flower section. (Drawn from Neill & Quizhpe 15076 by Flora Bamford).

Ab foliis subcoriaceis, haud nitidibus, haud dense brunneo-tomentosis, staminibus 7-8 differt.

Type.

Ecuador. Zamora-Chinchipe, El Pangui, Cordillera del Cóndor, plateau of Contrafuerte, Tres Patines, W of main Cóndor ridge above Jardin Botánico of EcuaCorriente Copper Company, 03°37'48"S, 78°26'50"W, 1685 m. 2 Dec 2005, D. Neill & W. Quizhpe 15076 (holotype K; isotypes, MO, QCNE).

Small tree 3–7 m tall, young branches appressed puberulous, soon glabrous. Leaf lamina broadly ovate, 2.5–6 × 1.5–3.5 cm, subcoriaceous, acute or with short blunt acumen at apex, rounded to subcuneate at base, margins entire, glabrous and dull with densely reticulate prominulous venation above, with well-developed stomatal cavities beneath, the venation flattened around slit-like apertures of cavities, the venation glabrous and the cavities filled by a mass of white, unicellular simple hairs; veins 13–15 pairs, plane above, prominulous beneath; petioles glabrous, 3–10 mm long, rugose, with two sessile glands near apex. Stipules lanceolate, early caducous. Inflorescences short once-branched panicles 3–5 cm long, lateral branches borne at 90 degrees to rachis, the rachis and branches densely yellowish-brown tomentose. Flowers c 2 mm long, sessile or subsessile on primary branches of inflorescence; bracteoles oblong-triangular, acute, 1–1.5 mm long, tomentose on exterior and with ciliate margins. Receptacle campanulate, 1.5 mm long, yellowish-brown tomentose on exterior; calyx-lobes c. 1 mm long, acute, triangular, densely tomentose on exterior, tomentose within; petals absent; stamens 7–8, included, filaments equaling or shorter than the calyx lobes in length, c. 0.8 mm long. Ovary inserted at base of receptacle, unilocular with 2 ovules; style pubescent at base. Young fruit only seen, puberulous, glabrescent, unilocular.

Additional specimens examined.

Ecuador. Morona-Santiago: Limon Indanza, Cordillera del Cóndor, Centro Shuar Yunkumas, Cerro Chuank Naint, 03°03'31"S, 78°14'48"W, 1,130 m, 19 Dec 2005, A. Wisum & Grupo Shuar de Conservación 326 (K, MO, QCNE); same locality, Asociación Nunkui, 03°3'34"S, 78°14'45"W, 1,150 m, 19 Dec 2005, C. Morales, A. Wisum & C. Kajekai 1593 (K, MO, QCNE).

This distinct mid-altitude PageBreak belongs to Section of the genus and is probably most closely related to Fritsch from Roraima in Guyana, but differs from in the much less coriaceous, more acute leaves with a dull rather than shiny upper surface and in lacking the dense pubescence that covers the stomatal cavities of the latter and in the greater number of stamens. The leaves of are very similar to those of (Hofmanns. ex Roem & Schultes) Kuntze subsp. octandra, but it differs in the fewer stamens (7-8 vs 9-12) that are included rather than far exserted. All collections of are from the Cordillera del Cóndor for which this species is named.