Myrcia altomontana Sobral & Zorzanelli, 2017

Sobral, Marcos, Costa, Idimá G., Souza, Marcelo C. & Zorzanelli, João Paulo F., 2017, Five new species and one new combination in Brazilian Myrtaceae, Phytotaxa 307 (4), pp. 233-244 : 238

3. Myrcia altomontana Sobral & Zorzanelli , sp. nov.

Type:— BRAZIL, Espírito Santo, Ibitirama, Parque Nacional do Caparaó , 20º29’25” S, 41º45’05” W, 25 January 2013, H.D. Dias & A.E. Silva 819 (holotype VIES! ; isotype HUFSJ! ).

Figure 3 .

Diagnosis:—This species is apparently related to Myrcia neocambessedeana , from which it differs by its twigs, blades, inflorescences and flowers with shorter and denser trichomes (to 0.3 mm and not individually visible by naked eye vs. up to 1.5 mm and individually distinguishable in M. neocambessedeana ), blades markedly discolorous when dry (brown adaxially and light tawny abaxially versus blackish adaxially and dark brown abaxially), and shorter, pauciflorous inflorescences (axis to 20 × 1 mm and consistently triflorous vs. axis to 45 × 1 mm, with up to five flowers), these two per branch (vs. up to four per branch).

Description:—Trees 3– 5 m. Twigs subterete, densely covered by simple light brown or grey erect trichomes to 0.3 mm; internodes 20–40 × 1.5–2 mm. Leaves with petioles 1.5–2.5 × 0.8–1 mm, adaxially applanate; blades ovateelliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 50–95 × 20–32 mm, 2.5–3.5 times longer than wide, moderately to markedly discolorous when dry, dull brown adaxially and yellowish abaxially, pilose on both sides, the trichomes adaxially scattered, to 0.2 mm, abaxially denser, with different sizes, 0.1–0.4 mm, these denser along the midvein; glandular dots smaller than 0.1 mm in diameter, ca. 15/mm², scarcely visible adaxially, sometimes raised abaxially, well visible when backlit; base cuneate or obtuse; apex acute or moderately acuminate in 5–10 mm; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially; lateral veins 18 to 23 at each side, visible or not adaxially, moderately raised abaxially, leaving the midvein at angles 60–70°; marginal vein 0.7–0.8 mm from the slightly revolute margin. Inflorescences triflorous, axillary, the axis 16–22 × 0.7–1 mm, the central flower sessile, the lateral flowers with pedicels 2–4 × 0.5 mm; bracts not seen; bracteoles not seen, deciduous before anthesis and leaving visible scars; flower buds obovate, 4.5–5 × 3.5 mm, densely covered with trichomes to 0.2 mm, a little more so on the ovary; calyx lobes five, about the same size, acute, 2 × 2–2.5 mm, reflexed at anthesis, pilose on both sides; petals obovate, to 3 × 3 mm, pilose abaxially; stamens not counted, to 5 mm, the anthers elliptic, to 0.4 × 0.3 mm, eglandular, the thecae somewhat displaced longitudinally; staminal ring to 3 mm in diameter, with trichomes to 0.1 mm; calyx tube to 1 mm deep, with trichomes to 0.1 mm; style to 6 mm, with trichomes to 0.2 mm, the stigma punctiform; ovary with two locules and two ovules per locule. Fruits immature, elliptic, 10–12 × 6 mm, crowned by the calyx lobes, these erect in fruit, with one or two seeds; seeds immature, not examined.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:—Presently known from montane forests at about 1350 m elev. from the municipality of Ibitirama, where it is occasionally frequent along the banks of Santa Marta river; flowers were collected in January and fruits in June.

Conservation:—All collections of Myrcia altomontana are from the Caparaó National Park, what can be a good indicative of a reasonable environmental protection. Nevertheless, since we do not have additional information for fulfilling IUCN criteria on environment, we score this species as DD (Data Deficient) according to IUCN conservation criteria ( IUCN 2001).

Affinities:—Apparently related to Myrcia neocambessedeana E.Lucas & Sobral ( Sobral et al. 2010: 55; replacing name for Gomidesia cambessedeana O. Berg (1857 –1859: 24; type image: P 02273013)), differing by the characters listed in the diagnosis. The structure of the anthers and the tawny indumentum adequately place this species in clade 3 from the phylogenetic scheme proposed by Lucas et al. (2011), which comprises the species formerly segregated in the genus Gomidesia O. Berg (1855 –1856: 6).

Etymology:—The epithet is allusive to the relatively high elevations where the species was collected, in the montane massif of Serra do Caparaó.

Paratypes:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Ibitirama, Parque Nacional do Caparaó , 12 June 2012, 20°29’28” S, 41°45’16” W, H.M.Dias, A.E. Silva, K.C. Castro, S.H. Kunz & N. Bruno 710 ( HUFSJ, VIES!) ; idem, H.M.Dias, A.E. Silva, K.C. Castro, S.H. Kunz & N. Bruno 740 ( HUFSJ, VIES!) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Myrcia altomontana. Isotype at HUFSJ.