Regresar

Four new tree species from Ecuador

Abstract:

Four new tree species of Ecuador belonging to four families are described: Carapa amorphocarpa (Meliaceae) and Hasseltia crassa (Salicaceae) from the slopes of the Cerro Golondrinas, near the border with Colombia; Gloeospermum crassicarpum (Violaceae) from shared border of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; and Gyranthera amphibiolepis (Malvaceae) from the foothills of eastern Ecuador. Carapa amorphocarpa is distinguished easily by its thick leaflets with rounded or shortly emarginated apices and especially by its enormous amorphous fruits. Hasseltia crassa is distinguished by its large, coriaceous, thick leaves with deeply impressed venation and the inflorescence, which is relatively short and robust. Gloeospermum crassicarpum is characterized by the corolla, which is orange and apically curved, and the fruit, which has a thick mesocarp. Gyranthera amphibiolepis is characterized by the digitate leaves and the flowers, which are up to 8 cm in length, and have a staminal tube that shows the anthers in a similar arrangement to that of Ochroma (Malvaceae).