115. Guatteria pacifica R.E.Fr. — Fig. 56; Map 25

Guatteria pacifica R.E.Fr. (1950a) 337. —

Type: Cuatrecasas 17150 (holo S 2 sheets; iso COL 2 sheets, F 2 sheets, L, S, US 2 sheets), Colombia, Valle del Cauca, Costa del Pacífico, Río Cajambre, Barco, 5–80 m, 21–30 Apr. 1944.

Tree 6–30 m tall, 6–50 cm diam; young twigs sparsely covered with appressed, brown hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 7–20 mm long, 3–4 mm diam, winged; lamina narrowly obovate to obovate, 15–34 by 6–13 cm (leaf index 2–2.9), coriaceous, densely verruculose,dull,dark brownish above,pale brown below, glabrous above, sparsely covered with appressed, brown hairs to glabrous below, base acute to attenuate, apex acuminate (acumen 5–15 mm long), primary vein impressed above, keeled below, secondary veins distinct, 11– 20 on either side of primary vein, flat to slightly impressed above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–4 mm, tertiary veins flat to slightly impressed above, reticulate. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets; pedicels 15–50 mm long, 1.5–2 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 3 mm diam, sparsely covered with appressed, brown hairs, articulated at 0.2–0.5 from the base, bracts 5–6, soon falling, the 2 upper ones 13–14 mm long; flower buds depressed ovoid; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 4–6 by 4–5 mm, appressed, outer side rather densely covered with appressed, brown hairs, densely so at the apex; petals green, pale green, cream or pale yellow in vivo, ovate to obovate, 11–30 by 7–15 mm, outer side densely covered with appressed, brown hairs; stamens c. 2 mm long, connective shield papillate, umbonate. Monocarps 10–35, green, maturing purple-black in vivo, brownish in sicco, narrowly ellipsoid, 13–20 by 4–8{–10} mm, sparsely covered with appressed, brown hairs, soon glabrous, apex apiculate (apiculum 0.5–1 mm long), wall 0.2–0.3 mm thick, stipes 4–10 by 1–2 mm. Seed narrowly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, 12–17 by 4–6 mm, shiny, reddish brown, pitted to transversely grooved, raphe raised to flat.

Distribution — Pacific coast of Colombia (Antioquia, Chocó, Valle del Cauca).

Habitat & Ecology — In primary or secondary rain forests or in premontane forests (Antioquia), along margins of rivers and creeks, on yellow clay or yellowish grey clayey loam. At elevations of 0–1450 m. Flowering: January, April to August, October; fruiting: April, July to October.

Vernacular names — Colombia: Cargadero (Cogollo et al. 3625, Faber-Langendoen et al. 889), Rayado (Faber-Langendoen et al. 1050).

Notes — Guatteria pacifica can be recognized by a combination of leaves densely verruculose on both sides (even visible by the naked eye), a primary vein keeled on the lower side of the lamina and long-pedicellate flowers.

Some material collected in the Colombian department of Antioquia (Cogollo et al. 3310, D.A. Sánchez S. et al. 271) is aberrant in having large monocarps (c. 20 by 10 mm) with longer stipes (to 14 mm long).