Plinia delicata Antunes, Salimena & Sobral, 2013

Antunes, Kelly, Salimena, Fátima Regina Gonçalves & Sobral, Marcos, 2013, Plinia delicata (Myrtaceae), a new species from southeastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 131 (1), pp. 45-48 : 45-47

Plinia delicata Antunes, Salimena & Sobral , sp. nov., Fig. 1 A–G

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Rio Preto, Serra Negra , trilha para o Burro de Ouro , 21° 58’11” S, 43° 53’21” W, 1400 m, 10 Apr. 2007, K. Antunes 248, N.L. Abreu, P.L. Viana, F.S. Souza , N.F. O. Mota, T . E. Almeida, A.M. Teles & B. Nordenstam (holotype CESJ, istotypes HUFSJ, RB, R) .

This species is related to Plinia pseudodichasiantha , from which it is distinguished through its smaller inflorescences and leaves.

Shrubs to trees 1.5– 4 m. Twigs glabrous, sericeous when young, with brown or grey trichomes. Leaves with petioles 1–3 × 0.8–1 mm, sericeous, with simple trichomes to 0.3 mm; blades discolored, brown when dry, lighter abaxially, elliptic to lanceolate or ovate, 9–35 × 5–12 mm, 1.6–3.3 times longer than wide, glabrous or with scattered asymmetrical dibrachiate trichomes to 0.5 mm on the abaxial surface of adult leaves, the young ones sericeous on both faces; base cuneate; apex acute; midvein adaxially sulcate and abaxially prominent; lateral veins 8 to 15 at each side, adaxially plain and inconspicuous, abaxially inconspicuous or slightly prominent; marginal vein 0.5–0.6 mm form the revolute margin. Inflorescences axillary, racemiform, 7–25 × 0.5 mm, with up to five flowers; flowers sessile or with pedicels to 2 × 0.3 mm; bracts lanceolate or linear, 1.5–5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, glabrous or ciliate, deciduous; bracteoles lanceolate, 1–4 × 0.3–0.5 mm, lanate or fimbriate, deciduous at anthesis, sometimes with colleters as the petioles; flower buds pyriform, 3–5 × 2–3 mm, lanate-sericeous; calyx lobes four, 1-2 × 1-2 mm, triangular, densely pilose on both sides, strongly reflexed at anthesis; petals elliptic or rounded, glabrous, to 2 × 2 mm; stamens about 100, 2– 2.5 mm, the anthers globose, 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter, with one apical gland; staminal ring to 3 mm in diameter, glabrous or with scattered white trichomes to 0.2 mm; calyx tube 0.5 mm deep; style to 3.5 mm, the stigma punctiform; ovary with two locules and two ovules per locule. Fruits globose, 4–7 mm in diameter, with sparse sericeous trichomes, crowned by the reflexed calyx lobes; seeds one or two per fruit, very immature in the material examined, globose or slightly reniform, the testa brown, somewhat adhered to the endocarp but easily detachable from it; embryo with two distinct cotyledons and apparently no hypocotyl.

Distribution, habitat and phenology: —this species was collected in rainforests at the locality of Serra Negra, in the municipality of Rio Preto, which is in the southern part of the state of Minas Gerais, and in the natural reserve of Rio das Pedras, in the municipality of Mangaratiba, which is in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It was collected in rocky outcrops from 1,050 to 1,400 m elev.; flowers were collected from January to May, and fruits were collected in April.

Affinities: —this species is related to Plinia pseudodichasiantha (Kiaersk.) G.M.Barroso ex Sobral (for description see Kiaerskou 1893, under Eugenia pseudodichasiantha ), a species from the Atlantic rainforests from Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, from which it can be distinguished through the following characters:

1. Blades 50–85 × 20–25 mm. with 20 or more lateral veins; bracteoles to 1 mm; plants from the interior of rainforests. ............................................................................................................................................ Plinia pseudodichasiantha

-. Blades 9–35 × 5–12 mm, with up to 15 lateral veins; bracteoles to 4 mm; plants from rocky outcrops ....................... ................................................................................................................................................................ Plinia delicata

Etymology:— the epithet is derived from the Latin word for "delicate", alluding to the small leaves of the species.

Paratypes: — BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Rio Preto, Serra Negra, trilha para o Burro de Ouro , 21 Apr. 2005, K. Antunes et al. 162 ( CESJ) ; idem, 22 Apr. 2005, K. Antunes et al. 172 ( CESJ) ; idem, 26 Febr. 2006, P.L. Viana & N.F. Mota 1924 ( BHCB, CESJ) ; idem, 20 May 2006, P.L.Viana et al. 2037 ( BHCB, CESJ) ; idem, 10 Apr. 2007, K. Antunes et al. 243 ( CESJ) . Rio de Janeiro: Mangaratiba, Reserva Ecológica Rio das Pedras , 18 Jan. 2001, J.M.A. Braga et al. 6620 ( RUSU, RB) .

Figures

FIGURE1. A–G: Plinia delicata (from the holotype) 1: A. General view of branch; B. Leaves; C. Longitudinal section of flower; D. Bracteole; E. Cross section of ovary; F. Flower bud; G. Fruit. (Illustrator: L. Menini Neto).