Search

Cedrela kuelapensis T.D. Penn. & Daza (2010: 65–68). Cedrela has been considered endemic to northern Peru (Pennington & Muellner (2010), however, today it is known to be widely distributed, also, in the Loja province of Ecuador (Figure 5). Field characteristics: —Tree up to 18 m high and 65 cm dbh, slightly fissured grayish bark, rounded crown. The flowers have pink petals with margin cream. Flowering and phenology: — The species shows asynchronous phenology, as happens with other species of the genus in Ecuador. In December of 2017, for example, in the northeast of Loja, some trees had leaves and others were defoliated, while towards the central part of the province, a few trees had flowers and others were presenting young leaves. In August 2018 on the other hand, when a strong dry season was present in the central and southern part of the province (e.g., in Nambacola and Cariamanga sites), the trees were defoliated and some had old fruits; meanwhile, towards the northeast of Loja, the trees presented leaves and very young inflorescences. Distribution and habitat: —Until now, the species was considered endemic to Peru (Pennington & Muellner 2010). In Ecuador, C. kuelapensis inhabits only the seasonally semi-deciduous forests of southern Ecuador, in the province of Loja, northern Peruvian border. The first collections of this species in Ecuador were made in 1995, in forest remnants occurring ~ 1600m in elevation, between Malacatos and El Tambo localities. Recent collections during this investigation (Table 1) expand the distribution of the species, which is now reported between 700 and 1600m in elevation. All the collected individuals were found in degraded areas along roads, pastures, and forest remnants. In Loja, this species occurs in ecosystems like those where it grows in Peru; it grows associated with Jacaranda sparrei A.H. Gentry (1977: 138) and Vachellia macracantha (Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow 1806: 1080) Seigler & Ebinger (2005: 160), but it has also been located at about 700m in elevation, usually growing on the banks of watercourses, in dry forests dominated by Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willdenow 1809: 720) Sprengel (1895: 596). Conservation status: — Cedrela kuelapensis has a potential distribution area that covers a large part of the province of Loja (Figure 3), which significantly increases the previously known distribution area in Peru. However, it must be considered that the forests of this Ecuadorian province are mainly at secondary succession stages. Also (and according to resulting maps, Figure 3), the species faces a habitat loss of 54%, calculated after applying criterion A, an Extent of Occurrence (EOO) of 1,167.182 km ², and an Area of Occupancy (AOO) of 20 km ². These data, which were analyzed under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN, 2019), suggest that the species could be evaluated as Endangered. However, considering that the potential reduction in its population size is at least 61% and a maximum of approximately 80% (W. Palacios pers. obs.), and that the trees mainly occur in secondary forests and are sparse and distant from each other, the species should be evaluated as Critically Endangered (CR A2c) for the country. Specimens examined: — ECUADOR. Loja: Cantón Olmedo, vía a Surapo, 1660 m, October–November 2018, Sanchez & Gonzaga 124 (LOJA). Malacatos-El Tambo road, near the village El Era, 1600 m, 16 May 1995, Borgtoft et al. 104298 (LOJA, QCA). Km 12 Malacatos-Gonzanamá, 1280 m, 4°12’S, 78°21’W, 21 November 1995, Merino et al. 4617 (LOJA). Catamayo, vía intervalles Malacatos-Catamayo, 2 km antes de El Tambo, 1533 m, 4°04’S, 79°18’W, 24 December 2017, Palacios 18284, 18285 (QCNE). Cariamanga, Vía Cariamanga-Colaisaca, aprox. 7 km, sector San Pedro, 1835 m, 4°20’06’’S, 79°06’W, 24 December 2017, Palacios 18292 (QCNE). Macará, Sabiango, lecho de quebrada, hacia el NW de Sabiango, Bosque seco, 760 m, 4°21’S, 79°49’W, 27 December 2017, Palacios 18288 (QCNE). NC: cedro blanco., Published as part of Palacios, Walter A., Torres, Maria De Lourdes, Quintana, Martina Albuja, Asadobay, Pacarina, Iglesias, Juan, Quillupangui, Richard, Rojas, Estefania, Santiana, Janeth, Sola, Augusto & Rivas-Torres, Gonzalo, 2023, A new species and a new record for Cedrela (Meliaceae, Sapindales) in Ecuador: morphological, molecular, and distribution evidence, pp. 127-138 in Phytotaxa 595 (2) on pages 136-137, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.595.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7905812, {"references":["Pennington, T. D. & Muellner, A. N. (2010) A monograph of Cedrela (Meliaceae). Dh books, Milborne Port, 112 pp.","Gentry, A. H. (1977) A new Jacaranda (Bignoniaceae) from Ecuador and Peru. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 64: 138 - 139. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 2395242","Willdenow, C. L. von (1809) Enumeratio Plantarum Horti Botanici Berolinensis 2. 75 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 165500","IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee. (2019) Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 14. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. Available from http: // www. iucnredlist. org / documents / RedListGuidelines. pdf (4 May 2023)"]}

Cedrela angusticarpa W. Palacios, sp. nov. (Figures 1 & 2). Type:— ECUADOR. Esmeraldas: Quinindé, Rosa Zárate, Reserva FCAT, El Descanso, 513 m, 0°22’N, 79°40’W, 23 January 2022, fl., few old fruits attached to the branches, W. Palacios, F. Castillo & J. Olivo 18755 (holotype: QCNE 260031 - leaves and inflorescence; QCNE 260032 - leaves and fruits, isotype: MO). Diagnosis: — Cedrela angusticarpa is related to C. odorata. The distinctive characteristics of these species are: a) leaflets oblong to oblong-lanceolate, base obtuse or rounded, (8–)9–15 × (4–)5–6 (–7) cm in C. angusticarpa vs leaflets oblong, oblong-falcate, base usually strongly asymmetric and rounded on one side, acute or obtuse on the other, 7–14 × 2.5–4 cm in C. odorata; b) inflorescence a robust-erect panicle, 40–70 cm long in C.angusticarpa vs a curved panicle, 15–40 cm long in C. odorata; c) calyx with five teeth in C. angusticarpa vs calyx 2–3-lobed in C. odorata; d) fruits narrowly obovoid, 1.3–1.8 cm in diameter, base acute, sometimes slightly 5-angled when dry in C. angusticarpa vs fruits oblong or ellipsoid, 1.8–2.6 cm in diameter, base rounded or obtuse in C. odorata. Trees up to 30 m high; young branches 0.8–1.1 cm in diameter, glabrous, with circular or elliptic, scattered lenticels; young buds puberulent, covered by ovate scales 0.4–0.6 mm long. Leaves paripinnate, 45–70 (75) cm long; petiole 9–15 cm long, terete, glabrous, lenticellate; rachis 30–70(–80) cm long, terete, glabrous, lenticellate. Leaflets (6–)8– 10(–13) pairs, (8–)9–15 × (4–)5–6 (–7) cm, opposite or sub-opposite, oblong, oblong-lanceolate, rarely slightly falcate, coriaceous, glabrous or with very short and scattered trichomes, shinning above; apex acuminate; base rounded, symmetric or, less frequently, with a slightly uneven side; venation eucamptodromous; secondary veins 9–14 pairs, parallel to each other and curved towards the margin; intersecondary veins absent or inconspicuous, or only present between few pairs of secondary veins; tertiary veins inconspicuous or not visible to the naked eye; petiolules 3–5 mm long, terete. Inflorescence is a broadly pyramidal panicle, 40–70 cm long, curved; lateral branches up to ca. 35 cm long; peduncle and rachis lenticellate, glabrous. Flowers 8–9 mm long; pedicel 0.8–1 mm long; calyx cyathiform, 2–2.3 mm long, puberulent, 5-dentate, teeth ovate with acute apex, symmetric, 0.8–1.1 mm long, with obtuse or rounded apex; petals 5, oblong, oblong-spatulate or oblong-lanceolate, 7–7.5 × 1.8–2.1 mm, adnate to androgynophore in the lower half, moderately puberulent inside, densely puberulent outside; stamens (free portion) 1.9–2.1 mm long, glabrous; ovary broadly ovoid, glabrous, style with thick discoid head. Capsule narrowly obovoid and tapering towards the base, apex rounded, base acute, sometimes slightly 5-angulated in dry condition, 3.5–5.5 × 1.4–1.8 cm in diameter, with scattered lenticels; valves 0.7–1.1 cm wide. Seeds 3–3.5 cm long. Flowering and fruiting period: —Flowering occurs in the dry season, between July and September. The fruits are mature about seven months after flowering. Distribution and habitat: — Cedrela angusticarpa is restricted to the foothill forests of the western Andes Mountain Range of northern Ecuador, between 550 and 1300m in elevation mainly between the cantons of San Miguel de los Bancos and Santo Domingo, along the Las Mercedes road and in the mountains of Mache (canton Quinindé) between 400 and 700 m. As a result of the climatic modeling, it was observed that C. angusticarpa shows a relatively small potential distribution area in the provinces of Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, and Esmeraldas.Within this distribution, some individuals of this species can also be recorded in grasslands as part of the tree vegetation that farmers leave as shade or to keep individuals for high-quality wood provision (Figure 3). Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the narrow fruits recorded in this taxon, although the length is equivalent to that of other species. Conservation status of Cedrela angusticarpa: —Endemic to Ecuador. The modeled geographic distribution showed that the species’ habitat has been lost by ~80% due to the expansion of agricultural and livestock frontiers. As mentioned before, where found, most of C. angusticarpa individuals are growing in secondary forests. Calculated Extent of Occurrence (EOO) resulted in 1,607.06 km ², and the area of occupancy (AOO) was calculated to be 36 km ² for this species. Due to the habitat loss and its restricted distribution, and using IUCN Categories and Criteria (2019), the species should be considered as Critically Endangered (CR A2cd). This conclusion is validated by W. Palacios, Meliaceae specialist for Ecuador. Field characteristics: — Cedrela angusticarpa is a tree that reaches up to 30 m in height and ca. 1.6 m in dbh. Adult trees have rough or superficially cracked bark (Fig. 2A). In open places, the crown is wide, rounded, and dense (i.e. many leaflets and leaves), with a dark green color. Common names and local uses:—Local name: “cedro”. Farmers of the Santo Domingo and San Miguel de los Bancos use this species as wood provision (for building houses) and as cattle shading. On the other hand, in the mountains of Mache, where it seems that the populations were more abundant, between 1995 and 2005, the peasants sold the adult trees to merchants who, in turn, sold the wood in the national market. Taxonomic relationships:—Vegetatively, C. angusticarpa is close to C. odorata L. The taxonomic differences between these species are detailed in the diagnosis. At this point, one must remember that Pennington & Muellner (2010) indicate that C. odorata may be treated as a compound of species that include three taxonomic entities, one of which occurs in Ecuador and Guyanas. This observation was corroborated by Cavers et al. (2013), who used several molecular markers for phylogenetic analyses of Cedrela, with an emphasis on C. odorata. Using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence data obtained from a large sample of C. odorata from Central and South America and the Caribbean, and following the work done by Pennington & Muellner (2010), Cavers et al. (2013) identified 22 haplotypes, four of them corresponding to specimens from the coast of Ecuador, which formed a clade with C. montana Moritz ex Turczaninow (1858: 415) and C. angustifolia DC. (1824: 624), both of which are montane species. Despite having a close genetic affinity with these two montane species, most of the specimens analyzed by Cavers et al. (2013) were obtained from trees showing a clear C. odorata morphology. One of the specimens (Perez et al. 3255, QCA 133167) cited by Cavers et al. (2013) as belonging to C. odorata was analyzed here and placed under C. angusticarpa. Specimens examined: — ECUADOR. Esmeraldas: Quinindé, Santa Isabel, Refugio del Gavilán, REMACH, 541 m, 648298W, 41878N, 27 August 2020, Palacios et al. 18745 (QCNE); January 2023, Palacios et al. 18831, 18832 (QCNE). Pichincha: San Miguel de Los Bancos, vía principal a Quito, cerca del sector Solaya, aprox. 5 km antes de Los Bancos, 1100 m, 1180, 0°01’33’’N, 78°51’34’’O, 5 Jun 2019, Palacios 18435, 18445 (QCNE). Los Bancos-Las Mercedes, 605 m, 0°10’03’’S, 79°05’13’’W, 18 March 2007, Pérez et al. 3255 (QCA). Vía a Santo Domingo, sector 23 de June, potreros, 1191, 0°1’16’’S, 78°53’09’’W, 7 April 2019, Palacios et al. 18406 (QCNE). San Miguel de Los Bancos, sector Nuevo Amanecer, 857 m, 0°2’36’’S, 78°57’37’’W, 4 April 2019, Palacios et al. 18407 (QCNE). Vía a Santo Domingo, entre Mulaute y Las Mercedes, 698 m, 0°07’09’’S, 79°0’15’’W, 13 June 2018, Palacios et al. 18408 (QCNE). Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas: vía a Santo Domingo, sector Las Mercedes, 751 m, 0°10’44’’S, 79°01’50’’W, 6 June 2018, Palacios et al. 18466 (QCNE); sector río Achotillo, potreros, 581 m, 0°08’58’’S, 79°05’09’’W, 7 June 2018, Palacios et al. 18412, 18413, 18414 (QCNE). Molecular evidence supporting the differentiation of C. angusticarpa from C. odorata :—The PCoA, based on nine microsatellite loci, produced a two-dimensional plot for the first two principal coordinates (Figure 4), which accounted for 42.9% of the data variation. The samples of C. angusticarpa clearly formed their own genetic cluster when compared to C. odorata populations located in the Coast and Amazon regions in Ecuador, suggesting that they belong to a new, separate species., Published as part of Palacios, Walter A., Torres, Maria De Lourdes, Quintana, Martina Albuja, Asadobay, Pacarina, Iglesias, Juan, Quillupangui, Richard, Rojas, Estefania, Santiana, Janeth, Sola, Augusto & Rivas-Torres, Gonzalo, 2023, A new species and a new record for Cedrela (Meliaceae, Sapindales) in Ecuador: morphological, molecular, and distribution evidence, pp. 127-138 in Phytotaxa 595 (2) on pages 131-135, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.595.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7905812, {"references":["Pennington, T. D. & Muellner, A. N. (2010) A monograph of Cedrela (Meliaceae). Dh books, Milborne Port, 112 pp.","Cavers, S., Telford, A., Arenal-C, F., Perez-C, A. J., Valencia, R., Navarro, C., Buonamici, A., Lowe, A. J. & & Vendramin, G. G. (2013) Cryptic species and phylogeographical structure in the tree Cedrela odorata L. throughout the Neotropics. Journal of Biogeography 40: 732 - 746. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / jbi. 12086"]}

Allelematrix of Cedrela odorataand Cedrela spp. samples collected in the Galapagos Islands and mainland Ecuador (Coast, Andes, and Amazon) for genetic diversity and connectivity analyses.