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Carapa.org - alticola

Carapa alticola Kenfack & A.J. Pérez sp. nov.

Ref. Kenfack, D. & Peréz. Á. J. (2011). Two new species of Carapa (Meliaceae) from Western Ecuador. Systematic Botany 36(1)1-5.

Type

The type has been collected at an altitude of 1711 m on 24 Mar. 2007 at Pichincha in Equator, along the highway from Quito, about 5 km from Pero Vicente de Maldonado.

Tree and leaves

Carapa alticola is a medium sized tree up to 30 m tall and 80 cm in diameter. It has a straight bole that is unbranched high in primary forest,  though may be variously branched in disturbed forest with branches spreading upwards. The trunk is flanked with buttresses up to 2 m high. Its bark is smooth and thin, and appears pink when slashed.

It have long leaves between 35 and 60 up to 100 cm long, with petiole from 12-20 cm long, 0.5—1.2 cm in diameter, with a swollen base generally with 2 nectaries. The rachis is 20—40(—65) cm long, glabrous with 4 to 6 or 7 leaflet pairs, with petiolule 0.8—1.7 cm long.  The  blade is 13—20 cm long, 8—11 cm wide (basal leaflets) to 20—44 cm long and 8—13 cm wide (apical leaflets), glabrous beneath, oblong to obovate, the apex rounded, truncate to emarginate, not mucronate, the base cuneate; midrib prominent beneath, glabrous, secondary veins prominent, 8—16 on each side, network of tertiary venation loose and flat.

Inflorescence and flowers

Inflorescence develop in the axils of fully developed or reduced scale-like leaves. They are less than 20 cm long and erected. They are poorly branched, with peduncle 2.5 to 8 cm long. Carpellate flowers are unknown. Staminate flowers are 4-merous, sessile or subsessile, with a pedicel between 0.8 and 2.5 mm long, and glabrous. (Photo: © David Kenfack, CTFS, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University).

Fruit and seeds

Fruit length range 12-20 cm long and  diameter is 10—15 cm. They are globose, narrowed basally into a stipe, beaked at apex, green to brown and densely lenticelate. Each have 4 valves, with a median rib,  and lack warty excrescences, surface being with numerous nectaries. Seeds are 4.1 x 7.1 (L x W) and up to 4 per valve, with a hilum 1.8 x 1 mm  (L x W); testa is dark brown and smooth. (Photo: © David Kenfack, CTFS, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University).
 

Phenology

Ecology

Carapa alticola trees occurs in Western Ecuador and grow in premontane moist forest between 600—2200 m altitude. C. alticola may occur in Southern Colombia, but we did not have any collection from there

References

Kenfack, D. (2011) A synoptic revision of Carapa (Meliaceae). Harvard Papers in Botany 16 (2): 171-231.

Kenfack, D. & Peréz. Á. J. (2011). Two new species of Carapa (Meliaceae) from Western Ecuador. Systematic Botany 36(1)1-5.