Eugenia pantanalensis Faria & Sobral, 2018

Sobral, Marcos, Faria, Jair E. Q. & Coutinho, Karoline, 2018, Five new Brazilian species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae), Phytotaxa 347 (1), pp. 59-70 : 63-65

3. Eugenia pantanalensis Faria & Sobral , sp. nov.

Type:— BRAZIL. Mato Grosso do Sul: Corumbá, Nhecolândia , Fazenda Berenice , 18º59’ S, 56º39’ W, 11 August 1988, A. Pott 4379 (holotype CGMS!, isotypes BHCB!, MBM!, CPAP!) . Figure 3 .

Diagnosis:—This species is morphologically related to Eugenia stictopetala , from which it is distinguished by its pilose leaf blades at least when young (versus glabrous), with secondary lateral veins scarcely visible (vs. visible), marginal vein discontinuous (vs. continuous), longer inflorescences (to 11 mm vs. up to 3 mm), longer pedicels (to 16 mm vs. up to 6 mm), longer calyx lobes (to 4 mm vs. up to 2 mm), these in unequal pairs (vs. equal) and elliptic fruits to 20 mm (vs. globose to 10 mm in diameter).

Description:—Tree 2– 5 m. Twigs slightly applanate, moderately longitudinally striate, grey, glabrous or with simple grey erect trichomes to 0.8 mm, the internodes 10–25 × 1–2 mm. Leaves with petioles 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous or with trichomes as the twigs, adaxially sulcate; blades elliptic, widely elliptic or sometimes obovate, 45–100 × 29–40 mm, 1.3–2.5 times longer than wide, concolorous or slightly discolorous, the young ones with at least the abaxial side densely covered with simple erect glistening trichomes to 0.5 mm, these occasionally more dense along the midvein, the adult ones mostly glabrous or occasionally with the indumentum more scattered; glandular dots about 6 /mm², about 0.1 mm in diameter, hardly visible even under light; apex widely acute; base cuneate; midvein sulcate adaxially or slightly elevated along a central furrow, strongly raised abaxially; lateral veins 6 to 9 at each side, sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, leaving the midvein at angles 60–70º; secondary lateral veins scarcely or not at all visible on both sides; marginal discontinuous, 1.5–4 mm from the strongly revolute margin. Inflorescences ramiflorous and axillary, racemiform but sometimes with the axis very reduced and then umbelliform, the axis to 11 × 1 mm, glabrous or with simple trichomes to 0.5 mm, with up to eight flowers, these irregularly set along the axis; bracts elliptic, glabrous, to 1 × 0.5 mm, persisting; pedicels 5–16 × 0.5–0.7 mm, glabrous or with simple erect trichomes as the twigs; bracteoles ovate or triangular, to 1–1.5 × 0.8 mm, glabrous or with trichomes to 0.2 mm abaxially, persisting after anthesis; flower buds globose or oblate, 4–5 × 5 mm; calyx lobes four, glabrous, in two unequal pairs, the external ones elliptic, to 3 × 3 mm, the internal ones elliptic, to 4 × 4.5 mm; with cilia to 0.1 mm; petals four, globose or obovate, glabrous, to 5 × 4 mm; stamens about 120 (scars counted), 6–7 mm, the anthers elliptic, to 0.7 × 0.4 mm, with one apical gland; staminal ring to 3 mm in diameter, glabrous; style to 6 mm, glabrous, the stigma punctiform, papillose; calyx tube absent; ovary with two locules with glabrous walls, with 9 to 19 ovules per locule. Fruits elliptic, glabrous, yellow turning dark vinaceous or black when ripe, 12–20 × 10–12 mm, crowned by the calyx lobes; seed one, elliptic, to15 × 12 mm, the embryo with fused cotyledons and no visible hypocotyl.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:—This species was collected in savannas (“cerrados”), and in non-floodable areas of the Pantanal region in central-western Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul at 120–160 m elev.; flowers were collected in June and August, and fruits in February, August, October and November.

Vernacular name:—“Cabeludinho” (fide Pott 4379).

Conservation:—The distances of the municipalities of Corumbá, Rio Verde de Mato Grosso and Ribeirão Cascalheira encompass an area of about 131,000 km ² (estimate via Geocat; see Bachman et al. 2011); such an area, if considered as the species Extent of Occurrence (EOO; see IUCN 2001) would point to a conservation status of Least Concern (LC), according to IUCN conservation criteria.

Etymology:—The epithet is allusive to the Pantanal (“wetland”) biome in central-southwestern Brazil, where the type and several paratypes were collected.

Affinities:—This species is morphologically related to Eugenia stictopetala (see additional comments on this species under E. cerradensis ), from which it is kept apart through the characters listed in the diagnosis. As in the case of E. cerradensis , due to its inflorescence morphology E. pantanalensis is assigned to section Umbellatae , according to the phylogenetic scheme of Mazine et al. (2016).

Paratypes:— BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: Cocalinho, Fazenda Tracajá , 13°02’04.4” S, 51°04’46.9” W, 7 August 2000, H.S. Lima, J.P. Neto & B.S. Marimon 563 ( NX, UB!) ; Ribeirão Cascalheira, 15 October 2003, C. Fernandes-Bulhão, D. Stefanello & E. Fragas Silva 327 ( HUFSJ!, NX). Mato Grosso do Sul: mun. Aquidauana, Fazenda Rio Negro , 5 November 2002, J. Christianini 266 ( HRCB!) ; idem, 30 November 2005, C. Donatti 363 ( HRCB!, HUFSJ!) ; mun. Corumbá, Fazenda Nhumirim , 18º59’ S, 56º39’ W, 26 September 1984, A. Pott 1385 ( CPAP, HUEFS!) ; idem, Fazenda Ipameri , 11 June 1994, G. Hatschbach, V. Pott & J.M. Silva 60923 ( ASU, HUFSJ!, INPA!, MBM!, UCS) ; idem, fazenda Cruz Alta , sub-região da Nhecolândia , pantanal, 19º01’45” S, 25º43’34” W, 120 m, 13 August 2005, A. Pott & V.J. Pott 13024 ( CGMS!, CPAP, HUFSJ!) ; Rio Verde de Mato Grosso, Serra da Alegria , 2 February 2012, 18.66404 S, 55.29782 W, J. Kuntz-Galvão, T.C. Barros & F. Cabral 663 ( RB!, UEC) ; without municipality (possibly Rio Verde de Mato Grosso), 25 km da Serra da Alegria , Fazenda Buritizal , 18º39’ S, 55º11’ W, 11 October 1993, A. Pott 6493 ( CGMS!, CPAP) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Eugenia pantanalensis. Isotype at BHCB (scale = 50 mm).