Sloanea filiformis D.Sampaio & V.C.Souza, 2011

Sampaio, Daniela & Souza, Vinicius C., 2011, Three new species of Sloanea (Elaeocarpaceae), Phytotaxa 16, pp. 45-51 : 45-47

Sloanea filiformis D.Sampaio & V.C.Souza , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Affinis Sloanea rufa stylo 4-basen versus partitus et antherarum connectivum aristatus differt.

Type: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Barreiras, margem do Rio de Janeiro, floresta de galeria, 2 November 1987, Queiros 2105 (holotype UEC!, isotypes HUEFS!, K!) .

Tree 4–5 m high. Branchlets rufous-tomentose, not lenticelate, striate; apical bud rufous-tomentose, covered by many cataphylls; axillary buds tomentose. Leaves alternate to subopposite, concentrated or not at the apex of the branches; stipules ca. 5 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, rufous-tomentose, ovate or lanceolate, persistent on young branches; petioles 1–6 cm long, densely rufous-pubescent, striate, finely caniculate on the upper portion; leaf blade 8–20 cm long, 5.5–12 cm wide, rufous-tomentose on the abaxial surface, sparsely puberulent on the adaxial surface, elliptical or obovate, base obtuse, apex obtuse or rounded, margin finely serrate; venation craspedodromous, midrib grooved on the adaxial surface, prominent on the abaxial surface; domatia absent. Inflorescences axillary or cauliflorous botryoids; peduncle 1–2.5 cm long, sparsely tomentose, laterally flattened, striate; bracts deciduous, not observed; bracteoles 2–3 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, rufous-tomentose, ovate, entire or lacerated, persistent; pedicels 1–4 mm long, sparsely tomentose, flattened, striate. Flowers with 6–8 sepals, not covering the reproductive organs in the floral bud just before anthesis, 3–4 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, densely rufous-pubescent on both surfaces, lanceolate, variable in size and shape, uniseriate, apex acuminate, margin flat; filaments ca. 1.5–2 mm long, pubescent; anthers ca. 1–1.5 mm long, pubescent, elliptical or ovate; connective prolonged into a long aristate awn, 3–3.5 mm long, glabrous; ovary ca. 2 mm long, rufous-tomentose, elliptical, sessile; style ca. 4–6 mm long, glabrous, deeply 4-divided to the base; floral receptacle pubescent. Fruit with 4 valves, 1.5–3 cm long, 0.4–0.5 cm wide, elliptical, pubescent to densely pubescent, covered by pubescent bristles with setulose apex, 3–4 mm long. Seed 1, ca. 20 mm long, ca. 7 mm wide, elliptical, aril red or orange.

Habitat:—Savanna and Amazonian forests.

Distribution:— Sloanea filiformis occurs in Brazil, and it was collected in gallery forests of Bahia State, north of Mato Grosso State, as well as in the Amazon Rainforest of Rondônia State.

Etymology:—From the Latin filiformis , meaning thread-like, referring to the connective which is prolonged into a long aristate awn.

Observations:— Sloanea filiformis is characterized by the connective which is prolonged into an aristate awn, and by the style which is deeply 4-fid to the base. This species is considered to be similar to Sloanea rufa Planch. ex Bentham (1861: 68) due to its rufous hairs that cover the vegetative and reproductive structures, and also due to the shape (elliptical or obovate) and size (8–20 cm long) of the leaf blade. However, S. filiformis has stipules with entire margins which are deciduous on older branches. Sloanea rufa has the style divided into four only at the apex, its connective is prolonged up to 1.5 mm long, and its stipules are fimbriate and persistent on mature branches. Sloanea filiformis flowers from August to November, and fruits from June to September.

Paratypes: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Barreiras, margem do Rio de Janeiro, floresta de galeria, Queiros 2105 ( HUEFS, UEC, K); Barreiras, estrada para Brasília, BR 242 , Cachoeira do Acaba Vida no Rio de Janeiro, mata de galeria, Amorim et al. 574 ( CEPEC, K) . Mato Grosso: Alta Floresta, ca. 3 km N of road from Alta Floresta to River Apiacá, Thomas et al. s.n. ( INPA, K, MG, NY); Sinop, 7 km E of BR 163 , N of Rio Celeste, Thomas et al. s.n. ( INPA, K, MG, NY); Xavantina, ca. 6 km of Xavantina, Argent et al. s.n. ( K) . Rondônia: Porto Velho, UHE Samuel , dique da margem esquerda, ramal do desmatamento da Pedreira, solo argiloso, Dionizia et al. s.n. ( INPA, K) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sloanea filiformis. A) Flowering branch; B) Open flower; C) Detail of stamen; D) Detail of the flower; E) Detail of ovary (Queiroz et al. 2105); F) Detail of the branch with fruits (Amorim et al. 574).