Corresponding author: David H. Lorence (
Academic editor: S. Razafimandimbison
Se describe e ilustra
Lorence DH, Dietzsch AC, Kelly DL (2015)
L. O.
During the course of an ecological survey of montane rain forest vegetation in Cusuco National Park in Honduras (Figure
Map showing location of Cusuco National Park. Inset map showing position of Honduras.
Honduras. Prov. Cortes, W of San Pedro Sula. El Cortecito campsite (near left bank of river), Parque Nacional El Cusuco, Sierra de Merendón, UTM 361834 1716534 + 11 m, 1333 m alt., 5 July 2013, D. L. Kelly, A. C. Dietzsch & W. Lopez 15079 (Holotype
Differs from its congeners by the combination of large, obovate leaves with long red petioles, glabrous or glabrate intervenal areas, red stipules, inflorescences 2–4-flowered, sparsely pubescent, with red axes, flowers with red hypanthium and calyx, and mature fruits dark red with long pedicels.
Tree 10 m high, branchlets 5–6 mm in diam., glabrous, finely ribbed when dry, with sparse, pale +/- ellipsoidal lenticels.
Scan of Holotype specimen of
Only two individual trees were located, about the same size and within a few meters of each other. The site is within Cusuco National Park, in the upper slopes of the Sierra del Merendón. These upper slopes (highest point 2242 m) are largely covered by montane rain forest vegetation. The bedrock is composed of a mixture of gneiss and schist (
The type locality, at 1333 m, is at the bottom of a deep, narrow valley, about 25–50 m from the bank of a small river. The site is riparian rain forest, dominated by tall trees, mainly
The name honors the Cusuco National Park in which it was found.
1 | Leaves glabrous beneath or strigillose only on the costa, even when young. | |
2 | Leaves 3.5–10.5 cm long, 0.8–2.5 cm wide |
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2’ | Leaves 7–29 cm long, 1.8–12 cm wide. | |
3 | Calyx lobes 2.5–8 mm long, ovate-lanceolate to oblanceolate |
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3’ | Calyx lobes 1–2 mm long, semicircular to narrowly triangular |
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1’ | Leaves pilose-strigillose, strigillose, or sericeous beneath, at least when young. | |
4 | Branchlets glabrous; petioles 4.5–9 cm long; inflorescences 2–4-flowered; pedicels 10–28 mm long; hypanthium and calyx tube glabrous |
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4’ | Branchlets densely strigillose to sericeous; petioles 0.1–5 cm long; inflorescences 3–25-flowered; pedicels (0)1–10 mm long; hypanthium and calyx tube densely strigillose-villous to sericeous. | |
5 | Mature flowers with calyx lobes 2.5–8 mm long, calyx tube 0.5–1 mm long; pedicels 1–10 mm long; Mexico, Guatemala |
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5’ | Mature flowers with calyx lobes 1–6 mm long, calyx tube 1–4 mm long; pedicels 0–4 mm long; Guatemala to Panama. | |
6 | Mature flowers with calyx tube 3–4 mm long |
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6’ | Mature flowers with calyx tube 0.6–2 mm long. | |
7 | Mature flowers with calyx lobes 2.5–6 mm long, calyx tube 1–2 mm; Guatemala |
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7’ | Mature flowers with calyx lobes 1–5 mm long, calyx tube 0.6–1 mm; Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama |
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This is the third species new to science discovered in Cusuco National Park by the Operation Wallacea Forest Botany team, the others being the tree
Sadly, this type locality is within 0.5 km distance of areas of extensive clear-fell, deep within the National Park, that were logged in the period 2010–13. Although the range of
Funding for fieldwork was provided by Operation Wallacea. DLK and ACD thank Dr Tim Coles, Dr Steve Green and all ‘Op Wall’ staff and volunteers for their support, also the local guides, in particular Sr. Wilmer Lopez Cortes. We thank Ben Nyberg (NTBG) for preparing the map, and Neil Brosnahan (NTBG) for preparing the figures.