Eugenia vattimoana Mattos (2005: 9)

Giaretta, Augusto, Lucas, Eve & Sano, Paulo Takeo, 2021, Taxonomic monograph of Eugenia sect. Schizocalomyrtus (Myrtaceae: Myrteae), a group within Eugenia with unusual flowers, Phytotaxa 524 (3), pp. 135-177 : 171-174

10. Eugenia vattimoana Mattos (2005: 9) .

≡ Calycorectes sellowianus O. Berg (1857: 356) . Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: s.d., F. Sellow s.n. (lectotype designated here: K! [000565054]; isolectotypes: B [probably destroyed], BM! [000043153], LE!, P! [05229296]). ( Figure 23 ).

Trees 2 to 15 m tall. Young leaves with appressed, dense, brownish trichomes up to 0.7 mm long, on both leaf surfaces, trichomes glabrescent but often persistent abaxially. Leaves with petioles 6–11 × 1.5–2 mm; blades 7–16 × 3.5–7 cm, elliptic or sometimes obovate; base acute or cuneate; apex acuminate, 0.7–1.5 cm long; midvein canaliculate adaxially; secondary veins 7–12 per side; marginal veins two, the innermost 4.5–10 mm from the margin, the outermost 1–3 mm from the margin. Inflorescences terminal or axillar, auxotelic, sometimes recovering vegetative growth; bracts 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, wide-ovate; rachis 1–20 mm long, flattened, puberulent; 1–4 pairs of flowers, pedicels 13–35 × 1 mm; up to one rachis per axil; bracteoles 1–2 × 1 mm, ovate, puberulent, persistent in fruiting material. Flower buds 5.5–7 × 4–5.5 mm, obovate, calyx lobes partially fused and nearly closed except for four vestigial free lobes at the tip, sometimes leaving an aperture of ca. 0.5 mm diameter, tearing irregularly at anthesis, into 3–4 lobes, 2–5 × 2.5–6 mm, puberulent outside; petals 2–4 × 2.5–3.5 mm, ovate or wide-ovate; stamens straight in the bud, filaments up to 6 mm long, anthers 0.6–1 mm long; staminal whorls flat, 5–7 mm diameter, rounded, slightly tearing at anthesis; style 5–7 mm long; ovary 2–locules, (3!)11–12 ovules per locule. Fruits 30 × 45 mm, globose, densely covered by brownish puberulent indumentum, crowned by the remnants of the irregular calyx lobes; seeds 1–2.

Etymology:— The specific epithet honours Ida de Vattimo-Gil (1928–1993), a researcher and expert in Lauraceae who worked for many years in the Instituto Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ) in Brazil.

Distribution and habitat:— Eugenia vattimoana occurs in Southeastern Brazil (Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro), known from the Serra do Mar and coastal plains, at elevations between 0 to 530 m ( Figure 24 ). Eugenia vattimoana can be a tree in sparse populations in coastal slopes and lowland forests, or shrubs reaching the shore in scrub vegetation on well-drained sandy soil (Restinga) in Ombrophilous Dense Forest, both in the Atlantic forest.

Phenology:— Flowers of Eugenia vattimoana have been collected from August to December; fruiting material has been collected from September to May ( Figure 6 ).

Conservation status:— Eugenia vattimoana is known from one disturbed protected area (PARNA da Tijuca) and non-protected areas, with EOO of 14,670 km ². Populations in protected disturbed sites are vulnerable to local extinction due to invasion of exotic species (e.g. Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamarck (1789: 209)) and habitat degradation from surrounding human communities. Fragmented populations also occur in mostly non-protected areas of Restinga vegetation under pressure from urbanization, experiencing habitat loss, population isolation and a decrease in habitat quality. Regional extinctions could result from the effects of fire, shade from high buildings and invasion of exotic species. Thus, it is suggested that this species should be rated as Vulnerable [VU B1ab(i, iii, iv)].

Comments:— Eugenia vattimoana was previously a synonym of E. brevistyla ( WCSP 2020) , however, it is here proposed as an accepted species. This arrangement is supported by the consistent homosepalous bud development pattern in Eugenia vattimoana whereas E. brevistyla (currently E. tenuipedunculata as proposed here) has a heterosepalous pattern as described in Giaretta et al. (2019b). As a consequence, the bud opens irregularly at anthesis in Eugenia vattimoana while the bud of E. brevistyla opens regularly. This distinction is also supported by the auxotelic inflorescence with up to one rachis per axil in Eugenia vattimoana (vs. fasciculiform with up to two rachises per axil) and persistent bracteoles (vs. deciduous before or after anthesis). Eugenia vattimoana can also be confused with E. neoriedeliana but differs in the often persistent brownish indumentum and abaxially leaf puberulence (vs. whitish indumentum and leaves glabrescent abaxially), inflorescence with one flattened rachis per axil (vs. up to three terete rachises per axil) and the flower bud tearing irregularly in 3-4 lobes (vs. tearing transversely at the calyx base resulting in a calyptra-like structure).

Specimens Examined:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Anchieta , 10 September 1987, fr., O . J . Pereira 1032 ( RB!, VIES!) . Rio de Janeiro: Armação de Búzios, 4 August 1999, fl., D. Fernandes 238 ( RB!); Cabo Frio , 6 December 2001, fl. and fr., G . S .Z. Rezende 52 ( RB!, SPF!); Cachoeiras de Macacu , 9 November 1984, fl., R . R . Oliveira 624 ( GUA!); Rio das Ostras , 1 May 1999, fr., H . N . Braga 272 ( RB!), 31 October 1999, fl., H . N . Braga 641 ( RB!, SPF!), 31 October 1999, fl., R . N . Damasceno 1161 ( RB!, SPF!); Rio de Janeiro, 1841, fl., Jaramir 5462 ( BM!), 20 December 2001, fl., C . A .L. de Oliveira 1940 ( GUA!, RB!), 7 October 1960, fl., C . Angeli 191 ( GUA!, K!, SP!), s.d., fl., J . Miers 3802 ( K!); São Pedro da Aldeia , 3 December 2001, fl. and fr., C . Farney 4441 ( RB!, SPF!) .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Frequency distribution (n) of flowering (black-line triangle) and fruiting (grey-filled triangle) stages based on herbarium material of Eugenia sect. Schizocalomyrtus.

FIGURE 23. Eugenia vattimoana. A. Leaf branchlet with flowers. B. Flowers. C. Auxotelic inflorescence with vegetative growth recovered. D. Fruit. (A: H.N. Braga 641; B: A. Lobão 163; C: G.S.Z. Rezende 52; D: O.J. Pereira 1032).

FIGURE 24. Distribution of Eugenia vattimoana.