Diospyros morenoi (Ebenaceae), a New Species from Nicaragua

Abstract

Diospyros morenoi, a new species from the oak forests of northwestern Nicaragua, is described, and its relationships to similar Central American species are discussed. A new species of Diospyros encountered in the course of preparing a treatment of the Ebenaceae for the Flora de Nicaragua is here described and illustrated. Diospyros morenoi A. Pool, sp. nov. TYPE: Nicaragua. Departamento de Madriz: S of Somoto, between Valle Santa Teresa and El Rodeo, 13027'N, 86034'W, 800-900 m, heavily grazed oak forest on rocky slopes, 12 July 1983 (immature fr), W. D. Stevens & Pedro P Moreno 22224 (holotype, MO; isotypes, BM, CR, EAP, F, FHO, HNMN not seen, MEXU, MICH, NY, P, TEX, US). Figure 1. Arbor grandis. Folia infra dense villosa. Infructescentia pedicellis geminatis, 12-15 mm longis. Calyx in fructu tomentosus, fere ad basim 5(6)-lobus, lobulis lanceolatis apice acuminatis, valde reflexis. Fructus lO0-locularis, exocarpio ca. 0.75 mm lato. Large tree, young branches tomentose with scattered, long, yellowish hairs. Leaf blades elliptic with acute apex and base, 8.3-10.5 cm long, 3.54.5 cm wide, 6-10 pairs of secondary veins, adaxial surface puberulent, abaxial surface densely villous; petiole 3-8 mm. Flowering material unknown. Fruiting pedicels paired, 12-15 mm long; calyx tomentose, 5(6)-lobed almost to base, lobes ca. 15 mm long, lanceolate with acuminate apex, strongly reflexed from base; fruit (probably immature) depressed-globose, green, glabrescent, puberulent at base and apex, to ca. 4 cm wide, and ca. 2.5 cm high, exocarp ca. 0.75 mm thick, 10-locular, 6-7seeded. Diospyros morenoi appears to be most closely related to Diospyros conzattii Standley (including Diospyros pergamentacea Lundell), endemic to the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. They are similar in having a calyx 5-lobate nearly to base with the lobes lanceolate with acute to acuminate apices and strongly reflexed in fruit. The fruit walls of D. conzattii are also relatively thick (S. Knapp, pers. comm.). Diospyros conzattii differs in having glabrous leaves. Only two species from Central America, in addition to D. morenoi, have densely pubescent leaves and a calyx 5-lobate nearly to base. Diospyros rekoi Standley, known from the Mexican states of Guerrero and Mexico, is perhaps the more similar. The only mature fruit that I have seen is moldy and fragmented, with the calyx missing. Immature fruits to 2 cm wide have ascending calyx lobes with acute to obtuse apices. The fruits are densely velutinous with the exocarp 0.35 mm thick. Diospyros oaxacana Standley, known from the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, has pistillate flowers solitary in the leaf axils, calyx lobes reflexed in fruit, oblong to slightly pandurate with obtuse to acute apices, and fruit with exocarp 0.3 mm thick. Acknowledgments. I thank W. D. Stevens and Sandra Knapp for their advice and encouragement, John Myers for providing the illustration, and Roy Gereau for assistance in preparing the Latin description. NovoN 7: 189-190. 1997. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.85 on Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:22:38 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms