Eugenia gandhii N. Snow, 2015

Snow, Neil, Callmander, Martin & Phillipson, Peter B., 2015, Studies of Malagasy Eugenia - IV: Seventeen new endemic species, a new combination, and three lectotypifications; with comments on distribution, ecological and evolutionary patterns, PhytoKeys 49, pp. 59-121 : 68

Eugenia gandhii N. Snow sp. nov. holotype (Figure 10): http://www.tropicos.org/Image/100314906; living material: http://www.tropicos.org/Image/100160915

Haec species a congeneris madagascariensibus lamina foliari tenuiter coriacea elliptica usque obovata dense sed inconspicue glandulosa apice acuta acuminatave distinguitur.

Type.

MADAGASCAR. Prov. Toamasina: Nosy Mangabe, a 520 ha island in the Bay of Antongil, 5 km from Maroantsetra, 15°30'S, 49°46'E, 0-330 m, 9 Jan. 1989, G.E. Schatz 2482 + J.S. Miller (holotype: MO-4805069!; isotypes: MO-3708875!, P [P05260197]!, TAN).

Synonym.

Eugenia arthroopoda Drake var. ambalavensis H. Perrier in Mém. Inst. Sci. Madagascar, Sér. B, Biol. Vég. 4(2): 177. 1953. Nom. inval. (lacking Latin diagnosis, ICN, Art. 39.1, McNeill et al. 2012).

Description.

Shrubs to trees, 3-12 m. Trunk 3-8 cm dbh; outer bark of main bole reddish, papery to flakey and peeling. Foliage and reproductive parts glabrous except where noted. Branchlets terete to laterally compressed, reddish when fresh but drying brownish or grayish, glabrous but prominently glandular, the epidermis smooth but soon peeling (dried specimens) and often thin and narrow grayish strips or even threads. Leaves opposite, medium green (fresh), slightly to strongly discolorous, venation brochidodromous, thinly coriaceous (easily cracking when dried), surfaces matte. Axillary colleters lacking. Petioles 2.8-6 mm, slightly sulcate distally. Leaf blades (5.5-)9-16 × 2.5-6.0 cm, elliptic to occasionally obovate, base cuneate, apex acute to mostly acuminate or caudate, margins flat; adaxial surface glabrous, densely punctate (glands small and best seen with magnification); abaxial surface similar, lateral veins indistinct to prominent; intramarginal vein 1-3.5 mm from margin at midpoint of blade. Inflorescence terminal, axillary, or ramiflorous, of soliltary monads or in fascicles of 2-3 flowers. Pedicels 9-29 mm long × 0.8-1.2 mm thick, stiff, moderately glandular, ascending to erect, green. Bracteoles narrowly ovate to broadly rounded, 0.5-1.3 × 1.0-1.2 mm, stiff but thin, glabrous to minutely and sparsely sericeous on margin, often persistent in fruit. Hypanthium 4-5 mm long, cupuliform, densely glandular (some glands larger proximally). Calyx lobes 4, 6-9 × up to 11 mm, broadly elliptic to rounded, cream-colored (fresh), reflexed in flower, persistent and often crowning the fruit. Petals 4, 11-14 × up to 12 mm, widely elliptic to widely obovate (narrowly greatly at base), sparsely and minute ciliate marginally, densely glandular (glands of variable size but typically large proximally). Stamens 250-300, multiseriate, exserted; staminal disk short-hairy (trichomes slightly ferrugineous); filaments 8-15 mm, white; anthers globose, 0.3-0.5 mm, brownish, bearing a single large apical gland. Ovary apex glabrous but somewhat glandular. Style 8-10 mm; stigma narrow (scarcely if at all swollen). Berries 2.5-4.0 × 3.0-4.0 cm, subglobose to globose, purplish or violet (drying nearly black). Locules 2; placentation axile. Seeds up to 20 mm long and wide (available material possibly not fully mature), up to 6 per fruit, evidently often somewhat flattened, cotyledons and hypocotyl barely if at all differentiated.

Etymology.

The species honors Dr. Kanchi N. Gandhi (b. 1948) of Harvard University Herbaria, North American editor of the International Plants Names Index, and an expert of botanical nomenclature who has assisted colleagues with the proper usage of botanical Latin and interpretation of the Code over many years.

Vernacular names.

Gavoala (Ravelonarivo 103); gavoalabe.

The name “guaavaala” appears on one specimen, but native speakers inform us that it is a nonsensical name based on a combination of the common English name guava (for members of Psidium , a Neotropical genus) and ala, meaning locally "of the forest".

Phenology.

Flowering January through June; fruiting March through November.

Distribution.

Endemic to northeast Madagascar, recorded from the Island of Nosy Mangabe, the Masoala Peninsula, and in and around the Anjaniharibe Reserve (Figure 11).

Habitat and ecology.

Humid and typically dense forests; 0-1424 meters.

Conservation status.

With an "Extent Of Occurrence" (EOO) of 9,504 km2, an "Area Of Occupancy" (AOO) of 45 km2 and five subpopulations, three of which are situated within the protected area network (Anjanaharibe-Sud, Marojejy and Nosy Mangabe), Eugenia gandhii is assigned a preliminary status of "Least Concern" [LC] following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2012).

Comments.

Perrier de la Bâthie’s Eugenia arthroopoda H. Perrier var. ambalavensis H. Perrier was based on a single collection from the lowlands just to the south of Marojejy Reserve, but we have little doubt that it is conspecific with the material we include in Eugenia gandhii , which ranges from the nearby Anjaniharibe Reserve to the southwest of Marojejy to the Masoala peninsula and Nosy Mangabe farther south.

The thinly coriaceous leaf blades of Eugenia gandhii are suggestive of Eugenia vatomandrensis H. Perrier, which thus far is known as a coastal species from near Vatomandry north towards Soanierana ( Perrier 1953a). However, the leaves of Eugenia vatomandrensis are rounded to subcordate and nearly sessisle, which contrast with the distinctly petiolate, cuneate leaf blades of Eugenia gandhii .

Specimens examined.

MADAGASCAR. Prov. Antsiranana: Vallee de la Lokoho (Nord-est), près d’Amalavanonio, 9-10 January 1949, H. Humbert + G. Cours 22804 (P [P00118089, P00118090]!); Réserve Spéciale d’Anjanaharibe-Sud, aux environs du sommet, 1161-1424m, 14°46'15"S, 49°28'00"E, 21 Mar.-7 Apr. 1994, D. Ravelonarivo 103 et al. (KSP [KSP000010, KSP000011], MO-6135429, P [P04884879]); Réserve Spéciale Anjanaharibe-Sud, Ambodisatrana, aux environs des sommets, 14°32'45"S, 49°35'15"E, 809-1364 m, 25 May-3 Jun. 1994, D. Ravelonarivo et al. 174 (KSP [KSP000013]); Réserve Spéciale d’Anjanaharibe-Sud, village d’Andranotsarabe, suivant la route Nationale d’Andapa-Bealanana de la piste vers à l’W, Ambatomainty, Camp No. 2, 14°44'42"S, 49°27'42"E, 1185-1335 m, 3 Nov. 1994, D. Ravelonarivo 516 + P. Rabesonina (KSP [KSP000012], P[P04885352]); Réserve Spéciale Anjanaharibe-Sud, suivant la piste pour Ambalaheva, haute rivière d’Andramonta, 14°36'40"S, 49°24'12"E, 628-1879 m, 22 Feb. 1996, D. Ravelonarivo et al. 929 (KSP [KSP000015, KSP000014], MO-6135429, P [P05208458]). Toamasina: Maroantsera Tampolo, Péninsule Masoala, env. 1 km NW du camp (site du posé du radeau), 15°42'77"S, 48°58'25"E, 100-200 m, 1 Nov. 2001, O. Poncy 1548 + S. Rapanarivo (K, P [P00373064], TEF); Nosy Mangabe, 5 km from Maroantsetra in the Bay of Antongil, 15°30'S, 49°46'E: all sterile specimens collected by G.E. Schatz + A. Gentry from 13-23 April 1988: 2010 (MO-3599534), 2020 (MO-3599524), 2100 (MO-3598203), 2137 (MO-3598167; P [P05156045]), 2197 (MO-3596402), 2210 (MO-3596403), 2261 (MO-3597989), 2294 (MO-3597957), 2296 (MO-3597954).