flora neotropica - CNCFlora

68 Flora Neotropica
Additional specimen studied. BRAZIL. MINAS GERAIS:
Estacao Biol6gica de Caratinga, 22 May 1984 (y fr), P.
M. Andrade 252 (BHCB, NY).
This species is named for the Monteclaro Reserve
where it occurs in a vestige of Atlantic
coastal forest that harbors this and many other
severely endangered species.
This species is most closely related to Couepia
sandwithii from the Guianas and C. bernardii
from western Amazonia. It differs primarily in
the larger flowers and in the inflorescence which
is much more open and with the flowers borne
in pairs on long articulated pedicels. In addition,
the petioles of C. monteclarensis are much longer
and the secondary veins wider apart. This is a
most distinct and easily recognized species. The
two collections come from a small remnant of
the Brazilian Atlantic coastal forest on the Fazenda
Montes Claros in eastern Minas Gerais.
The fact that new species are still being collected
in what is left of those forests emphasizes the
importance of their conservation. It is fortunate
that World Wildlife Fund and the Fundaqao
Brasileira para a Conservaqao da Natureza have
a project at Montes Claros. It is to be hoped that
this important tract of land can be permanently
preserved.
6-8.1. Couepia canescens (Gleason) Prance, Acta
Bot. Venez. 9: 119-120. 1974. Type. Vene-
zuela. Amazonas: Cerro Duida (fl), Tate 870
(holotype, NY; isotype, K).
Parinari canescens Gleason, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 59:
370. 1931.
Couepia cognata (Steudel) Fritsch var. cognata pro parte
sensu Prance, Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 9: 149. 1972.
Tree to 10 m tall, the young branches tomentellous.
Leaf lamina oblong to oblong-lanceolate,
coriaceous, 2-6.5 x 1.5-3.2 cm, cuneate to
rounded at base, acuminate at apex with acumen
2-5 mm long, glabrous above except on midrib,
densely brown-lanate pubescent beneath, the pubescence
obscuring rather prominent venation
with parallel primary veins; midrib impressed
and tomentellous towards base above, prominent
and lanate pubescent beneath; primary veins
10-12 pairs, plane or slightly impressed above,
prominent beneath; petioles 2-3 mm long,
densely tomentose, terete. Stipules ca. 1 mm long,
linear, tomentose, caducous. Inflorescences terminal
and subterminal racemes 1.5-3 cm long,
the rachis densely brown tomentose. Bracts and
bracteoles elliptic, ca. 1 mm long, tomentose on
exterior, caducous. Receptacle campanulate,
straight, not curved, 3-4 mm long, brown-to-
mentose on exterior, glabrous within except for
deflexed hairs at throat; pedicels 0.5-1 mm long.
Calyx lobes five, acute, tomentose on exterior.
Petals five, white, glabrous. Stamens 12-16, uni-
lateral with a few short staminodes opposite them.
Ovary villous. Style glabrous except at extreme
base. Fruit globose; exocarp glabrous and ver-
rucose when mature; pericarp hard and thick,
undifferentiated, densely lanate within.
Distribution (Fig. 98). Guayana Highland region
of Venezuela.
Additional specimens examined. VENEZUELA.
AMAZONAS: Cerro Duida, Serra Parima, 54 km NW of
Rio Orinoco, 2?27'N, 63?56'W, 18-23 May 1972 (fr),
Steyermark 106117 (NY), (fl), Steyermark 105936
(NY). BOLIVAR: Km 119 S of El Dorado, 12 Jan 1964
(fr), Steyermark & Dunsterville 93035 (NY, VEN); SE
bluffs of Chimanta-tepui, 21 May 1953 (fr), Steyermark
75526 (NY); Abucapa-tepui, NW of Chimanta,
18 Apr 1955 (st), Steyermark 75127 (NY).
Couepia canescens is closest to C. cognata, but
differs in the shorter racemose inflorescence, the
shorter thicker pedicels, the calyx tube that is
campanulate and erect, not curved, the shorter
and caducous bracteoles, and the shorter pubescence
of the inflorescence and flowers. In Couepia
cognata the inflorescence is nearly always a
slightly branched panicle; only rarely is it reduced
to a raceme and then it is longer than that
of C. canescens. These two species are ecologically
distinct. Couepia cognata is a small tree of
the forest on higher mountain slopes.
6-13.1. Couepia scottmorii Prance, sp. nov. Type.
Panama. Prov. Panama: Cerro Jefe, 1000 m,
14 Jul 1975 (fl), Mori 7116 (holotype, NY;
isotype, MO). Fig. 15.
Species C. magnoliifoliae affinis, sed foliis mi-
noribus, 2.5-5 cm longis, nervis primariis 8-14
jugis, petiolis 2-5 mm diversa; a C. habrantha
foliis minoribus, bracteolis minoribus caducis,
nervis primariis impressis differt.
Tree to 15 m tall, the young branches sparsely
puberulous. Leaf lamina elliptic, thickly coria-
ceous, 2.5-5 x 1.6-3 cm, rounded to slightly
subcordate at base, apiculate to bluntly acumin-
ate at apex, the acumen 0-5 mm long, glabrous