Six new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from Amazonian Brazil
Author
Souza, Maria Anália Duarte De
Author
Sobral, Marcos
Author
Amorim, Gabriela
text
Phytotaxa
2022
2022-02-28
536
3
197
212
journal article
20330
10.11646/phytotaxa.536.3.1
aa47eed7-8189-4944-9229-fcdc9af730f7
1179-3163
6331824
2.
Eugenia humaitana
Sobral & M.A.D.Souza
,
sp. nov.
Type
:—
BRAZIL
.
Amazonas
:
Humaitá
, rodovia do estanho, a
150 km
de Humaitá
,
8
o
7.5’ S
,
61
o
49’ W
,
25 September 1979
,
G. Vieira
,
J. Zarucchi
,
A.S.L. Silva
,
C.D.A. Mota
&
O.P. Monteiro
145
(INPA!,
holotype
; isotypes RB!, MO, NY, US).
Figures 2
,
3
.
Diagnosis:—This species is morphologically related to
Eugenia cribrata
McVaugh (1969: 174
; image F 0065132F), but differs by its elliptic blades 47–76 ×
18–36 mm
, 2–2.6 times longer than wide (
versus
narrowly elliptic blades, 66–111 ×
22–44 mm
, 2.5–3 times longer than wide in
E. cribrata
), with acute or slightly acuminate apex, the acumen 3–5% of the blade’s length (
vs
. visibly acuminate, the acumen 10–17% of the blade’s length), glabrous bracts, pedicels and flowers (
vs
. pilose), pedicels 2.5–5 ×
0.5–0.6 mm
(
vs
. 15–20 ×
0.5 mm
) and sepals in two unequal pairs (
vs
. about the same size); it may also resemble
Eugenia egensis
De Candolle (1828: 281
; for additional description see
McVaugh 1958: 695
;
type
image M 0137682), but differs by its concolorous or slightly discolorous blades (
vs
. visibly discolorous in
E. egensis
), 2–2.6 times longer than wide (
vs
. 2.5–3.5 times longer than wide), with apex acuminate to 3–5% of the blade’s length (
vs
. acuminate to 10–25% of the blade’s length), with glandular dots 3 to 8/mm², these of unequal size, the larger ones to
0.2 mm
in diameter (
vs
. glandular dots 20 to 30/mm², these about the same size and smaller than
0.1 mm
in diameter), intramarginal vein
2–4 mm
from the margin (
vs
.
0.5–1 mm
), inflorescences fasciculiform, without a developed axis (
vs
. racemiform, with an axis
3–20 mm
long), pedicels 2–5 ×
0.5–0.6 mm
(
vs
. 10–15 ×
0.1–0.2 mm
) and sepals in two unequal pairs (
vs
. about the same size).
FIGURE 3.
Eugenia humaitana
. Detail of blade with marked glandular dots (left) when compared with
E. egensis
(right; specimen of
E. egensis
:
A.R. Lourenço
379
, INPA!). Scale = 5 mm.
Description:—Shrub to
2 m
.
Plants glabrous except for scattered rufescent cilia
0.1–0.2 mm
in the bracteoles and sepals. Twigs glabrous, applanate, drying light grey; internodes 17–35 ×
1–2 mm
. Leaves with petioles semiterete, adaxially applanate, black when dry, 4–6 ×
1.7–2 mm
; blades elliptic or slightly elliptic–obovate, 47–76 ×
18–36 mm
, 2–2.6 times longer than wide, concolorous or slightly discolorous, adaxially dull dark brown or blackish when dry, sometimes lighter abaxially; base cuneate; apex acute or acuminate in
2–4 mm
; glandular dots 3–8/mm², in two or more distinct sizes, the larger ones to
0.2 mm
in diameter, black when dry, visible and raised on both sides, more visibly so abaxially; midvein adaxially biconvex, occasionally becoming flat in older blades, abaxially strongly raised; lateral veins 8–9 at each side, leaving the midvein at angles 60–70°, finely raised adaxially and more visibly so abaxially, secondary lateral veins and higher order venation occasionally perceptible; intramarginal veins usually two, the inner one
2–4 mm
, the outer one
0.9–1 mm
, and occasionally a third vein perceptible
0.2–0.3 mm
from the usually plane margin, this with a dark brown shining girdle to
0.2 mm
wide. Inflorescences axillary or ramiflorous, fasciculiform, the central axis not developed, with 2–4 flowers; bracts widely ovate, to 1 ×
1 mm
; pedicels 2.5–5 ×
0.5–0.6 mm
, applanate; bracteoles ovate or elliptic, to 1 ×
0.8–1.2 mm
, persisting after anthesis, sometimes carenate; flower buds not seen; ovary to
1 mm
, somewhat verrucose; sepals four, elliptic or widely triangular, in two slightly unequal pairs, the smaller ones 1.5–2 ×
2 mm
and the larger ones 2–2.5 ×
2–2.6 mm
, sometimes with a hyaline margin to
0.2 mm
wide, patent after anthesis, glandular as the blades, the glands sometimes markedly excavate; petals, stamens and style not seen; staminal ring to
2.2 mm
in diameter and
0.4 mm
thick; calyx tube absent or to
0.1 mm
deep; ovary with two internally glabrous locules, with 8 to 11 ovules per locule. Fruits not known.
Distribution, habitat and phenology:—This species is presently known only from the
type
specimen, collected in lowland sandy fields (“campinas”) of the municipality of Humaitá, in the southern portion of the state of
Amazonas
; flowers were colleted in November.
Affinities:—This species is morphologically close to
Eugenia cribrata
, a species known from
Colombia
and
Venezuela
(
Govaerts
et al.
2022
) due to its marked glandular dots, and may occasionally be confused with the widespread South American
Eugenia egensis
; it is compared with both species in the diagnosis. Considering its fasciculiform inflorescences it may be assigned to
Eugenia
section
Umbellatae
, according to the sectional classification of
Mazine
et al.
(2016
,
2018
).
Conservation status:—The municipality of Humaitá has an area of
33,111 km
² from which there are recorded 9,657 collections, resulting in the low collection index of 0.3 collection/km². Considering that the species is known only from the
type
, collected forty years ago, the species must be scored as Data Deficient (DD) according to IUCN conservation criteria (
IUCN 2019: 72
).
Etymology:—The epithet is allusive to the collection site, the municipality of Humaitá.