134. Guatteria richardii R.E.Fr. — Map 29

Guatteria richardii R.E.Fr. (1939) 440. —

Type: L.C. Richard s.n. (holo P), French Guiana, Kourou River (‘in ripis fluvii Kourou’).

Guatteria montis-trinitatis Scharf in Scharf et al. (2006b) 548, f. 3, syn. nov. — Type: De Granville et al. 5947 (holo U; iso B, BR, CAY, G, K, NY, P, US), French Guiana, Montagne de la Trinité, 350 m, 13 Jan. 1984.

Tree 2–12 m tall, 1.5–5 cm diam; young twigs densely covered with erect, brown hairs, soon glabrous. Leaves: petiole 2– 6 mm long, 2–4 mm diam; lamina narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, 10–34 by 4–10 cm (leaf index 2.3–4.4), chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, not verruculose, dull, greyish above, greyish to greenish brown below, densely covered with appressed, brown hairs above, but very soon glabrous, except for the primary vein covered with a row of erect, brown hairs, densely covered with erect, pale reddish brown hairs below, base acute to obtuse, apex acuminate (acumen 10–20 mm long), primary vein impressed above, secondary veins distinct, 10–15 on either side of primary vein, flat to slightly raised above, smallest distance between loops and margin 2–4 mm, tertiary veins flat or slightly raised above, reticulate to percurrent. Flowers in 1–3(–4)-flowered inflorescences in axils of leaves or on leafless branchlets; pedicels 10–25 mm long, 1–1.5 mm diam, fruiting pedicels to c. 2 mm diam, densely covered with erect, brown hairs, articulated at 0.2–0.6 from the base, bracts 4–5, soon falling, lower bracts very broadly ovate, c. 2 mm long, uppermost bracts not seen; flower buds broadly ovoid; sepals free, broadly ovate-triangular, 6–8 by 5–7 mm, apex reflexed, outer side densely covered with erect, brown hairs; petals yellow in vivo, narrowly elliptic to ovate, 7–15{–26} by 5–9{–14} mm, outer side densely covered with erect, brown hairs; stamens c. 1.5 mm long, connective shield papillate, umbonate or not. Monocarps 15–25, black in vivo, black to reddish brown in sicco, ellipsoid, 6–8 by 4–5 mm, glabrous, except for some scattered hairs at the apex, apex rounded to apiculate (apiculum <0.5 mm long), wall c. 0.2 mm thick, stipes 7–15 by 0.5–1 mm. Seed ellipsoid, 7–8 by 5 mm, reddish brown, pitted to transversely grooved, raphe slightly raised.

Distribution — Suriname, French Guiana,Amazonian Brazil (Amapá).

Habitat & Ecology — In non-inundated or periodically inundated forest, on clayey to sandy soil.At elevations of 0– 500 m. Flowering: January, February, July, September to December; fruiting: January, February, April, November.

Vernacular names — Not recorded.

Note — Guatteria richardii slightly resembles the French Guianan endemic G. ouregou by its erect, brown hairs on the leafy twigs. It differs, however, by the primary vein retaining its indument above for some time (not soon becoming glabrous), yellow instead of orange to orange-yellow petals, and by much smaller monocarps (6–8 vs 8–15 mm long).