Eugenia sulcatifolia L.D. Meireles & Mazine, 2017

Mazine, Fiorella F., Meireles, Leonardo Dias, Sobral, Marcos & Valdemarin, Karinne Sampaio, 2017, New species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from São Paulo state, Brazil, Phytotaxa 296 (3), pp. 265-273 : 270-272

3. Eugenia sulcatifolia L.D. Meireles & Mazine , sp. nov.

Type: — Brazil. São Paulo: mun. Ubatuba, fazenda Capricórnio, trilha parcela F, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar , núcleo Picinguaba , 23°22’52”S, 45°04’45”W, 105 m, 03 January 2006 [erroneously referred as 2009 in the collection label], J.A.M.A. Gomes & C.B. Virillo 649 (holotype: UEC!; isotypes: IAC!, RB!, SORO!). Figure 3 .

This species is related to Eugenia umbrosa O. Berg (1857 –1859: 656) from which it can be distinguished by the broader leaf blades (8.1–16.8 cm vs. 4.8–5.0 cm), obovate bracteoles (vs. ovate bracteoles) and slightly costate ovary (vs. smooth).

Tree to 5 m. Plants glabrous except for the leaves, sometimes with simple red-brown trichomes, the flowers (pedicels and ovaries) and fruits covered with simple and ochraceous or red-brown trichomes to 0.5 mm. Twigs terete to moderately aplaned, gray when dry, the internodes 50–160 × 2.5–5.1 mm. Leaves with petioles terete to slightly canaliculate adaxially, 8–15 × 2–4.1 mm, rugose; blades widely elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 16–33 × 8.1–16.8 cm, 1.8–1.9 times longer than wide, drying dull green, slightly concolorous, glabrous or sometimes with red-brown simple trichomes arise the midveins and laterals veins, bullate when fresh, rugose when dry; glandular dots occasionally somewhat raised on both sides and evident through light, 6–8/mm², of unequal sizes, the larger ones to 0.1 mm diam.; apex acuminate to cuspidate; base widely attenuate to obovate, sometimes cordate; midvein plane adaxially, strongly raised abaxially; lateral veins 13–21 at each side, plane adaxially, raised abaxially, leaving the midvein at angles of 70–75 degrees; marginal veins two, the inner one 2.8–7.3 mm, the outer one 0.9–1.3 mm from the margin, the margin itself plane to slighted revolute. Inflorescences terminal, axillary or occasionally ramiflorous, umbelliform, apparently with 3–5 flowers, the axis 1–3.5 mm long, glabrous to puberulous, with rufescent simple trichomes; bracts ovate to triangulate, 1.2–1.3 × 0.9–1.7 mm, glabrous or covered with red-brown trichomes to 0.5 mm, deciduous; pedicels terete, plane to slightly canaliculate, 5.8–9.4 × 0.7–0.9 mm in flower and 4.7–22.9 × 1.3–2.6 mm in fruit, covered with red-brown or ochraceous simple trichomes to 0.5 mm; bracteoles obovate to triangulate, 1.5–4.6 × 1–3.1 mm, the apex acuminate, concave, slightly costate, punctate, persisting at anthesis; flower buds globose, costate 6.8–8.8 × 5–6.5 mm, ovary uniformly covered by simple red-brown trichomes to 0.5 mm; calyx lobes four, in two unequal pairs, widely ovate, punctate and concave, the outer ones 5.5–5.8 × 6.7–8.1 mm, the inner ones 2.1–2.8 × 2.3–3.9 mm, uniformly covered by simple red-brown simple trichomes to 0.5 mm as the ovary; petals four, elliptic, densely punctate, 11.2– 12.1 × 9.7–11.1 mm, glabrous, the globe of petals visible in the same plane or above the calyx lobes; stamens ca. 150, filaments 6.2–17.7 mm, the anthers elliptic, 1.1–1.5 × 0.7–1.0 mm, eglandular; staminal ring circular, 4.9–5.4 mm in diam. and 1.4–1.5 mm in width, glabrous; style 15–16 mm, glabrous, the stigma slightly capitate and papillose; ovary with two locules and 6–9 centrally attached ovules per locule. Fruits ellipsoid to globose, 23.6–37.7 mm diam., slightly costate, densely covered with ochraceous or red-brown trichomes to 0.5 mm, with one to three globose seeds to 15.8 × 9.3 mm, the testa not adhered to the endocarp, the embryo with cotyledons strongly coalescent, without a visible hypocotyl.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology: — Eugenia sulcatifolia is a small tree from coastal lowland rainforest of the northern portion of Brazilian state of São Paulo, in the “Núcleo Picinguaba” of the State Park of Serra do Mar, in the municipality of Ubatuba. It was collected along the margins of Indaiá River in the Fazenda Capricórnio, and in Cachoeira da Canela at Trilha do Corisco, between 100 to 200 meters elev. Flowers were collected in January; fruits were collected between March and September.

Conservation: —The “Núcleo Picinguaba” of the State Park of Serra do Mar is located in the municipality of Ubatuba, from which are known all the collections of the species. It has an area of 724 km ² with ca. 6,500 botanical collections ( CRIA 2016), resulting in an average of 8.9 collections/km², which can be considered a good sampling effort.Although these localities lie in a protected area, it allows sustainable uses, specifically tourist activities. Eugenia sulcatifolia is known from seven collections in three populations. The area of occupancy (AOO; see IUCN 2016) estimated via Geocat ( Bachman et al. 2011) is 12 km ² (criterion B2 of IUCN 2016) and the declining of habitat quality due the anthropic pressure (criterion a(i) and b(iii) of IUCN) suggested the inclusion of Eugenia pithecocephala under the Endangered (EN) category of IUCN Red List for the present.

Affinities: —This species is apparently related to Eugenia umbrosa O. Berg (1857 –1859: 582), because of the glabrous twigs, rugose leaves, and persistent bracteoles at anthesis. They are set apart through the characters cited in the diagnosis. As referred above, Eugenia umbrosa has been sampled in the phylogeny of Eugenia proposed by Mazine et al. (2014), being circumscribed in “ Eugenia clade 9” ( Eugenia sect. Umbellatae ). We also believe Eugenia sulcatifolia is part of this same large clade.

Etymology: —The epithet “sulcatifolia ” is allusive to the deeply sulcate veins of the leaves.

Paratypes: — BRAZIL. São Paulo: mun. Ubatuba, Fazenda Capricórnio, próximo ao rio Indaiá ( Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar , Núcleo Picinguaba ), Floresta Ombrófila Densa Submontana , 23 o 22’52”S, 45 o 04’45”W, 105 m, 06 March 2006, J.A.M.A Gomes & C.B.Virillo 651 (IAC!) ; Floresta Ombrófila Densa de terras baixas, 25 September 2006, E. Ramos, R.B. Torres & S. Santos s.n. (IAC 48262!, UEC 178176 !) ; 04 January 2007, E. Ramos, H. R. Gonçalves & S. Santos 167, 168 (IAC!, HUFSJ); Subindo a Serra do Mar, rumo a Taubaté , interior da Mata, 29 July 1983, J.R. Pirani & O. Yano 807 (SPF!, SP) ; Picinguaba, Mata Atlântica de Encosta, Trilha do Corisco , 23 o 18’40” S, 44 o 48’44”W, 150 m, 19 September 1996, M. Sanchez & F. Pedroni 712 ( UEC!, SP!) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Eugenia sulcatifolia L.D. Meireles & Mazine. a. Holotype deposited at UEC. b. Detail of fruit from the paratype deposited at UEC (scale 2 cm).