Ecclinusa ramiflora Martius (1839: 2)

Völtz, Rafael R., Alves-Araújo, Anderson & Goldenberg, Renato, 2020, Native Species of Sapotaceae Juss. in Paraná, Brazil, Phytotaxa 430 (4), pp. 224-276 : 243

3.1 Ecclinusa ramiflora Martius (1839: 2) . Figure 11

Trunk section cylindrical or occasionally slightly fluted, unbuttressed or sligtly buttressed; bark pale-grayish to light brownish-gray, rough; slash whitish, tangential section with longitudinal streaks, discoloured to brownish, with abundant latex. Stems with young shoots light brownish-yellow, soon pale-grayish, not lenticellate, angled at first, becoming rounded, young shoots tomentose, soon glabrous. Stipules 2.3–3.4 mm long, lanceolate or narrow-ovate, abaxial surface tomentose or pubescent, margin ciliate. Petiole 11.5–18.0 mm long., grooved and narrowly winged, tomentose. Leaf blade chartaceous, 8.0–20.0 × 2.5–6.5 cm, narrow-elliptic, elliptic or oblanceolate, apex acute or shortly acuminate, base acute to cuneate, adaxial surface glabrous, but tomentose on the midrib and secondaries, abaxial surface tomentose or pubescent, midrib sunken on the adaxial surface, raised on the abaxial surface, secondaries 14–22 pairs, slightly sunken on the adaxial surface, raised on the abaxial surface, tertiaries flat on the adaxial surface, raised on the abaxial surface. Inflorescences 6–10-flowered. Pedicel absent. Flowers greenish in vivo; sepals ca. 2.5 mm long, lanceolate, apex acute, margin entire, abaxial surface sericeous-tomentose, adaxial surface sericeous-tomentose or pubescent, without a broad glabrous marginal stripe; corolla in staminate flowers ca. 4.0 mm long, tube ca. 1.0 mm long, lobes ca. 3.0 mm long, in pistillate flowers ca. 3.5 mm long, tube ca. 1.0 mm long, lobes ca. 2.5 mm long, ovate, apex acute or obtuse; filaments ca. 1.5 mm long, glabrous, anthers 0.8 mm long, glabrous; ovary ca. 1.5 mm long, ovoid, style absent, stigma 5-lobed. Fruit ripening brown-orange, ca. 3.8 × 5.2 cm, oblate, exocarp chartaceous, mesocarp fleshy, calyx persistent. Seeds ca. 2.0 × 1.3 cm; scar ca. 20 mm long, narrow-obovate.

Selected material: — BRAZIL. Paraná: Guaraqueçaba, 3 December 2016, R.R. Völtz 1106 ( EFC, MBM, NYBG, RB, UPCB). Guaraqueçaba, 1 September 2017, R.R. Völtz 1368 ( EFC, MBM, NY, RB, UPCB, VIES). Guaraqueçaba, 9 January 2018, R.R. Völtz 1466 ( MBM, RB).

Additional selected material: — BRAZIL. São Paulo: Cananéia, 29 November 1989, M.R.F. Melo 730 ( SP, UPCB).

In Paraná Ecclinusa ramiflora have been found only in its Northestern portion, in the Atlantic coast mountainous region on hill slopes up to 400 m elev., in Submontane Atlantic Rain Forest. Collected with flowers in December, immature fruits in September and ripening fruits in January. Although the bark pattern is vary variable, ranging from wavy fissured to lenticellate or with dippled marks, it can be recognized by the whitish slash that turns into brownish, evidencing the longitudinal striations on the surface. The caducous stipules that leave a scar (sometimes obscured by the indument), the leaves with percurrent, oblique tertiary veins strongly raised on the abaxial surface, the absence of intersecondaries veins, and flowers and fruits directly attached on the stems are important features for field recognition. During the fruiting period, abundant fruits can be observed in the ground around the tree.

Conservation Status: —This species was listed as “Not evaluated” ( NE) by CNCFlora (2018).The only population of E. ramiflora known for Parana grows inside a protected area. The loss of habitat to agriculture or urbanization is the main problem to its conservation.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Ecclinusa ramiflora. A. Habit. B. Bark. C. Slash. D. Abaxial surface of the leaf. E. Pistillate flower, longitudinal section. F. Adaxial surface of the pistillate corolla. G. Staminate flower, longitudinal section. H. Adaxial surface of the staminate corolla. I. Lateral and frontal view of the seed. J. Fruit. K. Stem with flower. L. Detail of the indumentum. M. Detail of the stem showing the stipules and stipules scar. (A–G, K from R.R. Völtz 1106; I–J, L–M from R.R. Völtz 1466) (ov: ovary; sc: seed scar; st: stamen; stp: stipules and stipules scar).