A New Ocotea (Lauraceae) from the High Mountains of Costa Rica and Panama

Abstract

Ocotea pharomachrosorum (Lauraceae), of the Ocotea helecterifolia-group from Costa Rica and Panama, is described here. Within the large genus Ocotea Aublet (Lauraceae), this new species belongs to the Ocotea helecterifolia-group. This group contains numerous borderline cases between the genera Ocotea, Nectandra, and Phoebe (Rohwer, 1991; 1992 in litt.). However, its outer tepals are glabrous inside, the inner ones have only few papillae and the anthers are fleshy and smooth, not papillate, nor hood-shaped; these are all Ocotea-like characters. Although this species was collected for the first time several years ago, the material was insufficient to describe it. This collection was treated by Rohwer (1991) as Ocotea sp. A and by Burger & van der Werff (1991) as a species of uncertain position. Ocotea pharomachrosorum Gomez-Laurito, sp. nov. TYPE: Costa Rica. San Jose: Dota, San Gerardo, Finca de Efrain Chacon, 10?32'20N, 83?49'05W, 2,100-2,200 m, 10 feb. 1992, J. Gomez-Laurito, J. A. Lopez, A. Mora & W. Barillas 12160 (holotype, CR; isotypes, F, MO, K, USJ). Figure 1. A speciebus quas Rohwer ad species e turma helecterifolia ascripsit combinatione indumenti densissimi crispati cum basibus foliorum inaequilateralibus et nervis lateralibus utroque 3-5 distinguenda. Trees 8-12 m tall, 30-40 cm D.B.H., trunk straight, terete; bark grayish with transverse lenticels; inner bark yellowish; wood hard. Leafy branchlets densely grayish tomentulous with curled and matted hairs. Leaves alternate, distant; petioles 2.53.5 cm long; lamina 9-19 cm long, 5-7.5 cm broad, narrowly ovate to ovate-elliptic or ovate-oblong, tapering to short-acuminate apex, obtuse to rounded at the base, the sides of lamina unequal at the base with the sides 2-6 mm distant on the petiole, drying stiffly chartaceous or subcoriaceous, the upper surface glabrous and lustrous but with hairs above the slightly elevated proximal major veins, tertiary venation slightly elevated, lower surface densely yellowish gray or whitish gray tomentulous, the hairs minute (0.1-0.3 mm) and curved, with 3-5 major secondary veins on each side, the basal secondaries often strongly ascending, central secondaries arising at ngles of 35?-500. Young leaves very dense brownish tomentose. Inflorescences solitary and axillary to distal leaves or undeveloped leaves near the shoot tip, paniculate with short lateral branches subtended by conspicuous (4-7 mm) oblong bracts, peduncle, rachis and bracts densely brownish gray omentulous. Flowers white, delicately scented; 6 te als 4-5 mm long, 3 mm wide, externally pubescent, internally scarcely papillose; 9 fertile stamens, 6 outer, 3 inner, subsessile, thick, fleshy, smooth with hairs at base of filaments; glands sessile, 0.6 mm long. Ovary ovoid, glabrous. Style 1 mm long; stigma capitate. Cup 8-13 mm long, obconic, redtinged. Berry ellipsoid, 3.5 cm long, up to 2 cm wide, green to purple at maturity. This new species and other Lauraceae are an important food source of one of the most beautiful birds in Central America: the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachros mocinno), hence the name. Ocotea pharomachrosorum is easily distinguished by its dense gray tomentum of branchlets and undersides of leaves; unusual long petioles to 3.5 cm long; subcoriaceous leaves with only 3-4 pairs of major veins and sides of the lamina unequal at the base. Moreover, the young leaves and shoots are conspicuously dense brownish tomentose. It is presently known from the Pacific slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica, and adjacent Chiriqui highlands in Panama, from 1,600 to ca. 2,300 m elevation. Paratypes. Same locality as type: Julio Sdnchez s.n. (CR, USJ). PANAMA. CHIRIQUI. Vic. of Boquete, Finca Collins, El Velo, 12 Mar. 1963 (US) Steam et al. 1985. Acknowledgments. I am grateful to William C. Burger (Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, U.S.A.) and Jens G. Rohwer (Institut fur Systematische Botanik und Pflanzengeografie, Heidelberg, Germany) for critical readings of the manuNOVON 3: 31-33. 1993. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.11 on Mon, 17 Oct 2016 05:33:49 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms