Tovomitopsis Planch. & Triana, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser . 4, 14: 261. 1860.

Marinho, Lucas C., Fiaschi, Pedro, Amorim, Andre M. & Bittrich, Volker, 2021, Clarifying the nomenclatural history of Tovomitopsis, a Brazilian endemic genus of Clusiaceae, PhytoKeys 181, pp. 49-64 : 49

Tovomitopsis Planch. & Triana, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser. 4, 14: 261. 1860.

Bertolonia ≡ Bertolonia Spreng., Neue Entdeck. Pflanzenk. 2: 110. 1820 ( ‘1821’), non Raddi (1820)

Type.

Tovomitopsis paniculata (Spreng.) Planch & Triana. ( Bertolonia paniculata Spreng.)

Description.

Small dioecious trees or shrubs with prop roots; axillary shoots with internodes regularly spaced from each other, grouped at the branch apex; exudates yellowish viscous on the branches and leaves. Leaves simple, opposite, decussate, petiolate; leaf blades chartaceous or coriaceous, light green in vivo, greenish to grayish in sicco, margin entire; venation simple brochidodromous, midvein prominent abaxially, flat adaxially; secondary veins slightly arcuate or straight, prominent abaxially, flat adaxially, forming angles between 40°-65° with the midvein; major secondary spacing generally regular; intersecondary veins parallel to major secondary veins, one per intercostals area; intramarginal secondary veins sometimes present. Inflorescences terminal, cymose, widely lax or congested, a single dichasium or a closed thyrse (the staminate more floriferous than the pistillate); bracteoles 2, triangular. Buds green, spheroid, apex rounded; sepals 2 pairs, green, decussate, base truncate, margin entire, apex rounded, outer pair smaller than inner pair and not enclosing the bud; petals 4, whitish, base truncate, margin entire, apex rounded. Staminate flowers with ca. 25 resiniferous stamens, filaments dorsiventrally compressed, yellow, sometimes the outer ones smaller than the inner ones, anthers lateral, yellow, thecae with longitudinal dehiscence, resiniferous glands present at the dorsal side of the anthers, pistillode inconspicuous. Pollen with general format in polar view subtriangular; isopolar, tricolporate, and with long ectocolpi; reticulate, and the semitectum not solid, but composed of twisted bacula. Pistillate flowers with staminodes similar to stamens; ovary 4-locular, 1 ovule per locule, styles 4, very short, distinct and persistent; stigmas 4, capitate, free from each other, persistent. Capsule pendant or straight on the branch, with 4 valves, epicarp smooth, green, mesocarp light red to purplish red. Seeds 1 per locule, each enclosed by a vascularized orange aril. Fig. 7 .

Figures

Figure 7. General morphology of Tovomitopsis. A habit B prop roots; C leaf undersurface D detail of leaf showing the veins E branch with leaves and staminate flowers F, G staminate flower H pistillate flower in the beginning of anthesis I pistillate flower in anthesis J open (left) and closed fruit (right). A-D, I, J T. paniculata E-H T. saldanhae. Photos A and J Marcelo Mig B Lucas Marinho C, D Ana Claudia Alencar E-G Rodrigo Penati H Luciano Pedrosa I Rodrigo Castro.