Tachigali pilosa van der Werff

van der Werff, H. 2013. Two new species of Tachigali (Leguminosae) from Brazil and Peru. Kew Bulletin 68: 295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-013-9455-z

Morphology General Habit

Trees, to 38 m

Morphology Twigs

Twigs terete or angular, young shoots densely pubescent with short, erect hairs, soon becoming glabrous; stipules 2-lobed, the larger lobe 2 – 4 cm, the shorter one about half as long, both strongly revolute, the secondary veins impressed and the lobes appearing like a pupa of a butterfly, densely pubescent with short, erect hairs on both surfaces, the pubescence wearing off with age

Morphology Leaves

Leaf rachis 30 – 100 cm long, mostly 40 – 60 cm, angular, densely brown pubescent with short, erect hairs, domatia lacking, leaflets 5 – 8 pairs, larger leaflets (from middle of the leaf) 20 – 40 × 7 – 13 cm, smaller leaflets (usually the basal pair) 8 – 18 × 5 – 10 cm, oblong or somewhat ovate (basal leaflets), the base symmetrical, rounded to cordate, the apex acute or acuminate (but tip often damaged), upper surface glabrous except for some erect hairs on the midrib and secondary veins, lower surface moderately pubescent with short, erect hairs, this discernible to the touch, the pubescence much denser on the major veins, surface of the lamina visible between the erect hairs, secondary veins 15 – 20 on each side, immersed on the upper surface, raised on the lower surface, tertiary veins weakly raised on the lower surface, scalariform

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences paniculate, to 30 cm long, the peduncle densely pubescent with brown, short, erect hairs, the distal branches covered with light brown, twisted hairs, the flowers sessile or with a 1 mm pedicel, floral bracts subulate, c. 3 mm, grey pubescent, falling off quickly and only present at the base of young buds; flowers 4 – 5 mm long, yellow, uniformly pubescent with appressed or ascending hairs, the hypanthium 1 mm long, turbinate, sepals 5, c. 3 mm long, the inner surface sparsely pubescent, the margin ciliate, petals 5, threadlike, c. 3 mm, distally yellow pubescent, stamens 10, 4 – 5 mm, yellow pubescent at the base, ovary c. 3 mm, covered with stiff, brown hairs, style 2 mm, glabrous; immature fruits 8 cm long, glabrous, seated in a symmetrical hypanthium

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Mature fruits not known

Distribution

Peru. Department Pasco, Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillen; one collection from Department of Huanuco, just N of the PN Yanachaga-Chemillen; 400 – 500 m alt.

Ecology

Primary lowland rainforest on the foothills of the Andes; 300 – 600 m alt.

Conservation

Tachigalipilosa has been collected in a small area of lowland forest in the departments of Pasco and Huanuco. Fertile collections are from trees 30 to 38 m tall. It is likely that the size of the trees has contributed to the paucity of collections. However, inventories of 1 ha forest plots have indicated that the trees are locally not rare. Trees of this species were found in both the Paujil plot and the RAINFOR 3 plot nine. With a few exceptions all trees occur in the protected National Park Yanachaga-Chemillen. Because there are no indications that there is a decline in habitat quality, extent of occurrence, area of occupancy or number of individuals, T. pilosa is assessed here as IUCN (2001) category Near Threatened (NT) due its restricted distribution. The plots where most individuals have been found are a day’s walk from the nearest road and it is therefore unlikely that logging will affect the populations in the near future.

Phenology

Flowering specimens have been collected in March and May. Mature fruits are not known.

Vernacular

The following vernacular names have been recorded for Tachigalipilosa: cheirapacay and tornillo blanco. According to R. Foster (pers. comm.) cheirapacae is the name locally used for Tachigali species; different species are separated by adding ‘blanco’, ‘amarillo’ or similar terms. The common name of Hartshorn et al. 2871 is chairapacae amarilla.

Note

Tachigalipilosa is easily recognised by the combination of revolute stipules, large, oblong leaflets with erect hairs on the lower surface and the absence of domatia. The revolute stipules, oblong leaflets with a symmetrical base and the flowers with pubescent, thread-like petals point to a relationship with T. chrysaloides van der Werff, but in that species the lower leaf surface is completely covered with a dense, appressed pubescence. T. cenepensis van der Werff has an indument consisting of short, erect hairs, but differs in having domatia in the leaf rachises and foliose stipules. Sterile specimens of T. pilosa were discussed in van der Werff (2008) under T. cenepensis and were tentatively identified as T. aff. cenepensis. Most isotypes of T. pilosa lack stipules, but stipules are present on different, sterile specimens collected during inventories of forest plots. Such sterile specimens have been added to fertile isotypes that lack stipules. Although in most cases sterile specimens are of little value, these specimens with stipules do help our understanding of T. pilosa. There is considerable variation in the length of the leaf rachises; they range from 30 to 100 cm, with most from 40 to 60 cm.