Myrcia landimiana Proença & M.Ibrahim, 2014

Proença, Carolyn E. B., De Oliveira, Marla I. U., Sobral, Marcos & Landim, Myrna F., 2014, Novelties in Myrtaceae: contributions to the Flora of the State of Sergipe, Brazil, Phytotaxa 173 (3), pp. 217-225 : 220-221

2.2. Myrcia landimiana Proença & M.Ibrahim , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1F–H , 2A–C )

Similar to Myrcia bergiana Berg (1857: 194) in leaf shape and indumentum, but differing in the narrower, tapering leaves that are 2.3– 3.1 as long as wide (1.4–2.7 in M. bergiana ) opaque, consistently ochraceous-ferrugineous trichomes (shiny, deeply ferrugineous to cupreous hairs but these becoming pale gray with age in M. bergiana ), bullate old leaves (plane old leaves in M. bergiana ),

pauciflorous inflorescences with larger flowers, bracts leafy and equaling the mature buds in size (bracts very early caducous in M. bergiana ) and truncate, unequal calyx lobes that are erect-explanate in the fruits.

Type: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Entre Rios, RPPN Lontra Saudade , 30 May 1998 (fl.), Jesus et al. 539 (holotype HUEFS!, isotypes ALCB, HUNEB, UB!) .

Tree 10–15 m high, dbh 20–40 cm with all parts densely pubescent when young, including outer surface of petals and fruits, the upper surface of the leaves and fruits glabrescent with age; trichomes ocraceous-ferrugineous, thinner on the leaves. Leaves with lamina 8.1–15.4 × 2.2–5.7 cm, elliptic, leaf ratio 2.3–3.3; apex acute, long-acuminate or attenuate; base acute or obtuse, revolute; upper surface of the new leaves opaque and reticulate, mature leaf upper surface shiny and slightly bullate, with the secondary and third level venation reticulate and obscurely elevated; petiole 4–8 mm long, robust. Flowers in pauciflorous panicles in the terminal leaf axils, with 4–5 nodes and c. 4–18 flowers; peduncules 1.3–2.6 cm long; mature flower buds not seen, immature flower buds totally hidden by the bracts, these c. 3.5–4 mm long; calyx lobes unequal, 2.5–3 mm long, aestivation quincuncial; stamens in 2–3 whorls, style 5–7 mm long, with trichomes at base; ovary bilocular, 2-ovulate per locule. Berries c. 7–10 mm diam., slightly oblate, purplishblack and glabrous at maturity, crowned by the erect-explanate, densely pubescent calyx lobes.

Paratypes:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Camamu. 1 March 1967 (fl.), Belém & Pinheiro 3364 (UB!) . Sergipe. Indiaroba, Fazenda Sabão , 23 March 2009 (buds), Gomes & Santos 282 (ASE! UB!); Itaporanga d’Ajuda. Fazenda Trapsa, 21 July 2009 (fr.), 1100°S, 37.31°W, Souza - Alves s.n. (ASE 15430!) .

Vernacular name:— Murta.

Distribution:— Apparently endemic to Northeastern Brazil (Bahia and Sergipe).

Ecology:— Collected in the Brazilian Atlantic coastal forests and in nearly evergreen forest (mata subperenifólia); the single collection which registered the altitude cites this as 120– 150m. This species is part of the diet of a rare primate, Callicebus coimbrai Kobayashi and Langguth (1999) , the macaco-guigó, whose distribution is also restricted to Bahia and Sergipe ( Souza-Alves et al. 2011); the voucher was quite naturally left unidentified by these authors, but the citation of the voucher allows us to identify it as part of the primate’s diet. Collected with buds and flowers in March and with mature fruits in July.

Etymology:— The specific epithet celebrates our co-author Myrna F. Landim, an ecologist who has collected extensively in Sergipe since 1995.

Figures

FIGURE 1. New or rare species of Myrtaceae from Sergipe and Bahia, Brazil. A–B. Eugenia brejoensis Mazine. Mature fruits and seeds (Landim et al. 1252, ASE), scale in cm. C. E. tephrogyna Sobral & Proença. Mature fruits (Paula-Souza s.n., ASE 15432). D–E. E. tephrogyna. Old flowers (Viana 471, ASE). F, H. Myrcia landimiana Proença & M.Ibrahim. Mature fruits (Paula-Souza s.n., ASE 15430). G. Myrcia landimiana. Young inflorescence with leafy bracts (Gomes & Santos 282, ASE). I–J. Myrcia ovina Proença & Landim. Inflorescence with persistent bracts and upper surface of mature leaf (Carneiro 264, UB). K. Myrcia spathulifolia Proença. Leaves and immature fruits (Carvalho Sobrinho 763, UB). L. Myrcia ramuliflora (O.Berg) N.Silveira. Leaves and inflorescence (Fonsêca s.n., ASE 405). Photographs: C.E.B. Proença.

FIGURE 2. Two new species of Myrcia from Sergipe, Brazil. A–C. Myrcia landimiana Proença & M.Ibrahim. Flowering branch, apical view and longitudinal section of an old flower (Jesus et al. 539, UB). D–E. Myrcia ovina Proença & Landim. Fruiting branch and mature fruit (Landim et al. 1675, ASE). Scale bar = 1 cm except in B & C = 5mm and E = 2 mm. Illustrator: Marcelo L. Ianhez.