Phytoneuron

Zamora, N.A. 2013. A new species of ^'caw/a (Chrysobalanaceae) from northeastern Costa Rica. Phytoneuron 2013-26: 1-6.
Published 9 April 2013. ISSN 2153 733X

Nelson A. Zamora
Institutes Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio)

.i-i i ■ niM.j--

Heredia, COSTA RICA
nzam ora@inbio. ac. cr

ABSTRACT

Licania arachicarpa N. Zamora, sp. no v.. from Costa Rica is described and illustrated with
photographs and distribution maps provided. A member of sect. Hymenopus Benth., it is most similar
to and has been confused with /.. glabriflora.

KEY WORDS: Central America, Chrysobalanaceae, Costa Rica. Licania; taxonomy

The tree genus Licania Aubl. (Chrysobalanaceae) is essentially neotropical in distribution,
with the exception of four species in tropical Asia. A total of 214 species is known from the
Neotropics, with the greatest diversity and abundance in the Guianas and Amazon Basin (Prance
1972, 1989, 2004). Seventeen species have been recorded from Costa Rica (Zamora et al. 2004),
including the one herein described as new.

LICANIA ARACHICARPA N. Zamora, sp. nov. TYPE: COSTARICA. Heredia. Sarapiqui, Finca La
Selva, the OTS Field Station on the Rio Viejo just E of its junction with the Rio Sarapiqui,
about 100 m, 14 Feb 1982 (fl), Hammel 11149 (holotype: CR; isotypes: CAS, LSCR, MO,
NY). Figures 1-3.

The new species is most similar to Licania glabriflora Prance, from which it differs chiefly by its
flowers with four petals and three or (rarely) four stamens, fruits with many longitudinal ridges and
sulcate, and surface conspicuously rugulose or blistered (vs. five petals, five stamens and smooth fruits).

Small to medium size tree, 6-15 m; trunk with reddish and smooth baric, very young twigs
densely sericeous; stipules linear to lanceolate, 5-7 mm long, intrapetiolar, hispidulose and persistent.
Petioles 6-10 mm long, sparsely sericeous, eglandular, terete. Leaf blades elliptic, 5.5-16 cm long,
2.5-8.2 cm wide, usually apiculate at the apex and cuspidate or abruptly acuminate (the acumen to 15
mm), cuneate to acute or obtuse at the base, plane or nearly so above upon drying but slightly bulla te-
reticulate when fresh, glabrous on bom surfaces (except sometimes sparsely sericeous on the midrib
near the base below); midrib prominent; primary veins 4-9 pairs, prominent below; paliside glands
often present, below near the base. Inflorescences paniclulate-racemose, sessile, usually axillary or
sometimes ramiflorous, 1-4 cm long, the rachis and branches densely whitish sericeous or
hirsutulose; bracts and bracteoles 1-2 mm long, usually persistent and densely hirsutulose. Flowers
yellow-green, ca. 2 mm long; pedicels ca. 0.5-1 mm, glabrous, articulate at the base; receptacle
urceolate, glabrous at the base and sparsely hirsute at the apex, densely hirsute within. Sepals 4;
calyx lobes obtuse, puberulous; petals 4, subulate, densely pubescent; stamens usually 3 (rarely a
fourth smaller and abortive), equal or shorter than the calyx lobes, the filaments fully connate; ovary
ovoid, ca. 0.5 mm, hispidulose, with 2 ovules; style glabrous, curved, arising from the base of the
ovary. Fruits drupaceous, oblong or cylindrical, 3^ cm long, 1.5-1.8 cm wide, rounded at both
ends, glabrous, with many longitudinal ridges and sulcate (more visible especially when dry), the
surface conspicuously rugulose or blistered; mesocarp thin and fleshy; endocarp bony and thick, with

Zamora: New species of Licania from Costa Rica

many longitudinal muricate to pustulate ridges, the surface sulcate and densely granulose surface.
Seed 1, oblong, reddish, filling the whole seed chamber.

Etymology. The epithet alludes to the distinctive fruits of this species, much resembling
those of the peanut (Arachis hypogaea L., Fabaceae).

Phenology. Flowers are been observed from February to March, fruits in February and
September.

i i-'u- l .-i i_ nl, , ill ,i mil- i- ■ ■ ■ i -l - ii- ■ 1 1 .111. ■ - _ l .i. l .1 l- .1

base below; D-stipule; E-ramiilorous inflorescence; F-fruit; G-flower, internal view; H-flower, lateral view; I-
flower, top view Flowering material from Aguilar 7642 (LSCR); fruit from Aguilar 7603 (LSCR). Drawn by-
Claudia Aragon.

Zamora: New species of Ucan/afrom Costa Rica 3

Paratypes. COSTA RICA. Heredia: Canton de Sarapiqui, Parque Nacional Braulio
Carrillo, Cuenca del Sarapiqui, Estacion Magsasay, 10°24'04"N, 84°02'57"W, 200 m, 5 Sep 1997
(fr), Aguilar et al. 52.47 (CR, NB, MO); Canton de Sarapiqui, Estacion Biologica La Selva,
10°25'52"N, 84°00'13"W, 1410 m, 27 Feb 2003 (fr), Aguilar 7603 (LSCR); Canton de Sarapiqui,
Estacion Biologica La Selva, alrededor de la Estacion del Rio, 08°00'22"N, 10°25'51"W, 190 m, 24
Mar 2003 (fl), Aguilar 7642 (LSCR); Sarapiqui, Finca La Selva, the OTS Field Station on the Rio
Puerto Viejo just E of its junction with the Rio Sarapiqui, about 100 m, 14 Feb 1982 (fl), Hammel
11149 (CAS, CR, LSCR, MO, NY); Finca La Selva, Puerto Viejo, Sarapiqui. 10"26'N, 84°01'W, 11
Jul 1977, Hartshorn 1858 (CR); Sarapiqui, Cuenca del Rio Sarapiqui, Parceia # 10 Jose Antonio
Guzman, 10°38'31"N, 84°02'41"W, 100 m, 4 Oct 2005 (fl), Solano et al. 2719 (INB, MO);
Sarapiqui Cuenca del Rio Sarapiqui, Parceia # 10 Jose Antonio Guzman, 10°38'31"N, 84°02'41"W,
100 m, 6 Oct. 2005 (fl), Solano et al. 2722 (INB. MO).

Licania arachicarpa belongs to subgen. Licania sect. Hymenopus Benth. by virtue of its leaf
blades glabrous below and flowers borne on slender, primary inflorescence branches or in small
cymules with few [3(4)] stamens, equal to or shorter than the calyx lobes.

The first flowering material collected of this species (Hammel 11149, CAS!, CR!,LSCR!,
MO!, NY!), from the OTS La Selva Biological Station, was identified by G.T. Prance in October,
1983, as Licania glabriflora Prance, previously reported only from South .America. But later, Prance
(1989: 40) pointed out that the Costa Rican material differed from L. glabriflora "only in having three
rather than five stamens and often four rather than five petals." A careful study of more fertile
available material, including fruiting specimens (see exsiccatae), reveals that the floral differences
between L. arachicarpa (here described) and L. glabriflora are consistent in terms of the number of
petals and stamens. This study reconfirmed that the flowers of L. arachicarpa have four petals and
three stamens (sometimes with a smaller, abortive fourth one).

According to Prance (1972, 1989), the number of petals and stamens are very important
characters at species rank in sect. Hymenopus. For example, 16 of the 24 neotropical species in this
section (Prance 1989) consistently have five petals, and the rest lack petals. Stamen number is
variable among the neotropical species, but many species have five to eight, while only one species
{Licania littoralis Warm.) has four. Four species (L. fanshawei Prance, L. latistipula Prance, L.
minuscula Cuatrec., and L. silvae Prance) have three stamens. Those with three stamens have either
five or no petals.

Fruit characteristics have not been taken much into account to distinguish species in sect.
Hymenopus, apparently because fruits are still unknown for a significant number (ca. 8) of its species
(see Prance 1972, 1989). However, many species (ca. 14) are reported to have mainly smooth fruit
surfaces, while rugose or costate surfaces are rare. Fruits of L. glabriflora were unknown when the
species was described (Prance 1972); however, based on subsequent determinations (Prance 1991) of
some fruiting specimens (Froehner 362, NY; Granville 6571 , NY; Zarucchi 1278, NY), the fruit
surface of L. glabriflora is smooth. One of the most striking characters of L. arachicarpa is the fruit
type (the basis of the selected epithet): oblong or cylindrical, with many longitudinal ridges and a
very conspicuously rugulose or blistered surface (see Figs. IF and 2G).

Other important morphological differences separating L. arachicarpa from L. glabriflora (in
the sense of its type) are the usually apiculate, cuspidate or abruptly acuminate (with the acumen to
15 mm) leaf apices (vs. acuminate, with the acumen 5-9 mm, in L. glabriflora), usually densely
whitish-hirsutulose inflorescence rachises (vs. sparsely hirsute), and fully connate (vs. connate only in
the basal half) stamen filaments.

Zamora: New species of Licania from Costa Rica

4

Figure 2. Licania arachicarpa: A-trunk; B-leaves and inflorescences; C-stipule; D-lower leaf surface at base
and axillary inflorescence; E-ramiflorous inflorescence; F-flowers; G-fruit; H-endocarp; I-seed. Flowering
material from Aguilar 7642 (LSCR); fruit from Aguilar 7 60S (LSCR). Photos by R. Agmlar (OET/OTS).

Careful study of all Costa Rican material previously identified as Licania glabriflora has
revealed that the realL. glabriflora (in the sense of its type) occurs only on the Osa Peninsula, in the
lowlands of the southern Pacific slope. Several collections from that area (e.g., Aguilar 1567. CR,
INB, MO; Aguilar & Hammel 1391, INB, MO; G. Herrera 4767, CR, INB, MO) agree very well in
leaf size and shape, petal and stamens numbers, and fruit type with the type and original description
of the aforementioned species. A fruiting collection from this region (Aguilar 1567) is consistent
with the notion that fruits of L. glabriflora have a smooth surface.

Numerous additional collections from the Osa Peninsula previously identified as Licania
glabriflora (e.g., Aguilar 4817, CR, INB, NY; Gentry et al. 78769, CR, MO; Thomsen 8, CR;
Thomsen 812, CR; Thomsen 1051, CAS, CR, NY; Thomsen 1062, CR; Thomsen 1265, CAS, CR,
NY) belong to yet a different species and need further study. This entity is eliaracterized by its larger
(4.6 x 2.3 cm), oblong fruits with a conspicuously and densely granulose-lenticeliaTe surface.

Distribution, habitat, and conservation

Licania arachicarpa is considered a locally endemic species, restricted geographically to the
northern zone of Costa Rica. An intensive vegetation survey by two major projects (see
Acknowledgments), in which the author was involved, and a national tree account (Zamora et al.
2004) confirm that its distribution is mainly within the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor (Fig.
3), where it occurs in tropical wet forest formati ons over a more or less flat, undulate or hilly terrain.
A tree survey using 1 ha plots in the San Juan-La Selva Corridor demonstrated that this species has a

Zamora: New species of Ucan/afrom Costa Rica 6

low abundance, and it was categorized as rare. Important populations or individuals are protected in
the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge, the Organization for Tropical Studies La Selva Biological
Station, and other remaining areas of this Corridor.

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was possible due to support of a Darwin Initiative project (No. 162/12/020)
''Capacity Building for Biodiversity Conservation in Nicaragua and Costa Rica' (INBio/Darwin
Initiative/Univ. Wales, Bangor-UKVCATIE) and the Digital Flora project at the La Selva Biological
Station (OET/MOBOT/CR-USA/NSF). I want to thank Claudia Aragon for preparing the illustration,
Michael H. Grayum for his excellent comments and review on a previous version of this article,
Reinaldo Aguilar for the photographs, Esteban Ocampo for help on the colour plate, and Marcia
Snyder for the map.

LITERATURE CITED
Prance, G.T. 1972. Chrysobalanaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 9: 1—409.
Prance, G.T. 1989. Chrysobalanaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 9S: 1-267.

Prance, G.T. 2004. Chrysobalanaceae. Pp. 100-102 in N. Smith, S.A Mori, A Henderson, D.W.

Stevenson, and S.V. Heald (eds.). Flowering Plants of the Neotropics. Princeton Univ.

Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Zamora, N, Q. Jimenez, and L.J. Poveda. 2004. Arboles de Costa Rica. Vol III. Centro Cientifico
Tropical, Conservacion Internacional and Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad. Ed. INBio.