Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 223 
This cloud-forest taxon, sister to Betulaceae 
(Kato et al., 1998), appears to be the only 
family of flowering plants endemic to Meso- 
america, where it is now known from south- 
ern Mexico to Panama. 
At least three other new genera based 
on new discoveries (rather than taxonomic/ 
nomenclatural realignments) have been de- 
scribed from Costa Rica during the last 12 
years: Gamanthera, Povedadaphne, and Rup- 
tiliocarpon. The first two genera (both mono- 
typic, rare, and endemic to Costa Rica) be- 
long to the taxonomically difficult Lauraceae, 
of which 30 species (of 128 total in Costa 
Rica) were described in this period (cf. Burger 
& van der Werff, 1990; Gonzalez, manuscript). 
Ruptiliocarpon 1s a sometimes large tree, quite 
common on the Osa Peninsula and in the Golfi- Ruptiliocarpon caracolito 
to region; nevertheless, no specimens collected Photo by Reinaldo Aguilar 
in Costa Rica before 1984 have been found. Our material was originally thought to be- 
long to the order Sapindales, but was ultimately rejected by all Manual specialists 
working on families of that order. Luckily, we chanced upon descriptions of Lepi- 
dobotrys, an African genus of just one species, remarkably and sufficiently similar to 
identify our plant as a new genus and species in the Lepidobotryaceae (Hammel & 
Zamora, 1993). 
New records of known taxa are often vir- 
tually as interesting and informative as taxa 
new to science. Native species of four addi- 
tional new families for Costa Rica have been 
brought to light during recent years: Canella- 
ceae (Pleodendron), Droseraceae (Drosera), 
Linaceae (Linum), and Santalaceae (Acantho- 
syris). More than 120 other genera (included 
in 60 families) have been recorded as new to 
the country during the Manual project (see 
Table 6). Most of these new records are of 
genera previously known from south of Costa 
Rica, but not from the north. Acanthosyris, 
Actinostemon, Allosanthus, Aparisthmium, 
Caryodaphnopsis, Chromolucuma, Crypto- 
carya, Dicella, Newtonia, Parabignonia, Pari- Acanthosyris annonagustata 
Mt 
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Wi Zamora et al 2938 
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