Eugenia veraguensis, Flores, Rodolfo, Ibáñez, Alicia & Correa, Mireya D., 2016

Flores, Rodolfo, Ibáñez, Alicia & Correa, Mireya D., 2016, Eugenia veraguensis (Myrtaceae), a new species from Golfo de Chiriquí in Veraguas Province, Panama, with notes on Eugenia rhombea, Phytotaxa 270 (3), pp. 217-222 : 219-221

Eugenia veraguensis R. Flores & A. Ibáñez, sp. nov. ( Figures 2–4 )

Eugenia veraguensis is morphologically similar to Eugenia rhombea , but it is distinguished by the twigs with dichotomous branching patterns (vs. not dichotomous in E. rhombea ), chartaceous or subcoriaceous leaves (vs. coriaceous), petiole not sulcate with striate to lightly striate epidermis (vs. adaxially sulcate and smooth), shorter pedicels (less than 15 mm vs. up to 30 mm), calyx lobes smaller (the larger ones to 1.8 x 1.2 mm vs. up to 4 x 3 mm) with cuspidate apices (vs. rounded), stamens up to 30 (vs. up to 60) and staminal ring glabrous and to 1.2 mm in diameter (vs. pubescent and up to 3 mm in diameter).

Type:— PANAMÁ. Provincia de Veraguas: Parque Nac. Coiba, Las Salinas, Sur del sendero de los Pozos, 5 m, 7˚26’07.6” N, 81˚43’42.9” W, 20 April, 2008, fl., C. Galdames 6098, C. Vasquez, A. Ibáñez & F. Hernández (holotype, PMA!).

Shrubs ca. 1.5–5 m or small trees to 10 m; bark reddish or brown-reddish; branching dichotomous, with 4 to 6 leaves per branchlet; branches glabrous or with a few hairs; branchlets glabrous to pubescent, compressed at nodes. Leaf blades ovate, narrowly ovate, elliptic, broadly elliptic, or rarely rhombic, 3–6 cm × 1.5–3.6 cm, 1.5–2.5 times as long as wide; base rounded, acute to broadly acute, margins revolute, pubescent or sometimes glabrous; apex acute to broadly acuminate, sometimes rounded; chartaceous or subcoriaceous, when fresh dark green above and light green below, new leaves reddish; drying slightly discolorous, dull greyish to brown-greyish above, brown-greenish, brown to brown-greyish below; the midvein brown with a reddish tint, pubescent or sometimes glabrous, flat or depressed adaxially, convex abaxially, distally attenuating; lateral veins 5 to 8 per side, glabrous or sometimes with a few scattered hairs, straight and ascending, when dry conspicuous on both surfaces (more numerous in young leaves), sometimes inconspicuous above; marginal veins 1–2 mm (3 mm in new leaves) separated from the margin, glands numerous on both surfaces, sometimes inconspicuous above; petioles 1–3 mm, terete, pubescent or sometimes glabrous, with striate to lightly striate epidermis. Inflorescences axillary, shortly racemose to racemose, solitary; axis 0.5–5 mm; flowers 2 to 8; bracts 0.5–1.3 × 0.5–1 mm, ovate, persistent, margin usually ciliate and scarious, sometimes glabrous and scarious or glabrous; buds 1–1.5 mm, globose or ovoid. Flowers pedicellate, pedicels 6–16 × 0.5 mm, markedly glandular, glabrous or sometimes pubescent; bracteoles 0.5–1 × 0.5–0.7 mm, persistent, pubescent like the bracts, ovate, glandular, free in the base; hypanthium ca. 1 mm long, campanulate, prolongated 0.1–0.2 mm long above summit of ovary, like a neck, this separates the developing fruit from the calyx; calyx lobes four, membranaceous, with scarious margin, concave, in unequal pairs, the smaller 1.1–1.2 × 0.8–1 mm, the larger 1.6–1.8 × 1.1–1.2 mm, broadly elliptic, glandular, the apex cuspidate; petals four, 4–5 × 2–2.8 mm, ovate or ovoid with rounded apex, disk ca. 1.2 mm in diameter; staminal ring glabrous; stamens 20 to 30, 3–4 mm long; style ca. 3.5 mm long, glabrous. Ovary bilocular, with 4 to 8 ovules per locule. Fruits 8–10 × 8–10 mm, globose, black when mature; pericarp thin-walled (0.5–0.8 mm when dry) with glands, glabrous; calyx persistent. Seed one, smooth.

Eponymy:— The epithet of this species refers to the Panamanian Province of Veraguas.

Distribution:— Islands of Western Pacific Panama. Coiba National Park, Bahía Honda region, Cébaco Island.

Habitat and Ecology:— E. veraguensis is a shrub or small tree that grows in the understory of coastal scrub and forests on drier areas of Western Pacific Panama (Golfo de Chiriquí).

Phenology:— Collected in flower in April; collected in fruit March-June.

Conservation status: — Eugenia veraguensis is reported in eight locations, five of which are in protected areas, and therefore we do not consider there to be any threat to the largest populations of the species. For this reason, we believe the category Least Concern (LC) fits the IUCN Red List categories and criteria ( IUCN 2012).

Discussion: — Eugenia veraguensis resembles Eugenia rhombea morphologically as well as in its mainly coastal habitat, but is distinguished from it by the characters listed in the diagnosis. The specimens of E. veraguensis that we studied comprised two groups, one with pubescence on branchlets, petioles, veins, margins, bracts and pedicels, while the other group is nearly glabrous.

Since the specimen Castroviejo 14702SC previously supported the occurrence of E. rhombea in Panama ( Landrum et al. 2009) and this specimen is here considered as a paratype of the new E. veraguensis , we conclude that E. rhombea does not occur in Panama. The number of Eugenia species currently known for Panama thus remains as 38.

Paratypes:— PANAMÁ. Provincia de Veraguas. P. N. Coiba. Brincanco. Norte de la Isla, 1 m, 7˚51’59.05” N, 81˚47’45.03” W, 29 May 2004, fr., A. Ibáñez & al. 3133AI ( PMA!, MO, F, SCZ, UCH) ; P. N. Coiba. Las Salinas, 1 m, 7˚26’6.94” N, 81˚43’22.61” W, 20 April 2008, fr., A. Ibáñez & F. Hernández 5649AI ( PMA!, MO, F, SCZ, UCH) ; P. N. Coiba. Manila, 5 m, 7˚22’34.45” N, 81˚47’6.51” W, 24 March 1998, fr., S. Castroviejo & al. 14702 SC ( PMA!, MO, F, MA, SEL) ; P. N. Coiba. Río Barco Quebrado , 20 m, 7˚22’57.87” N, 81˚42’6.82” W, 21 October 2005, sterile, A. Ibáñez & C. Núñez 4453AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba, W de Playa Blanca , 20 m, 7˚ 22’59.09” N, 81˚40’36.08” W, 7 December 2005, sterile, A. Ibáñez & C. Núñez 4484AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Jicarita. Norte de la Isla, 5 m, 7˚13’19.27” N, 81˚48’18.74” W, 29 June 2004, sterile, A. Ibáñez & al. 3509AI ( PMA!, SCZ) ; P. N. Coiba. Río Colorado , 40 m, 7˚19’58.80” N, 81˚39’43.42” W, 5 December 2005, sterile, A. Ibáñez & C. Núñez 4528AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Contreras, Isla Escorpión , 7˚50’27.90” N, 81˚45’14.78” W, 11 January 2012, sterile, J. Carrión & al. 526JFC ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Islote al SW de Brincanco , 7˚51’13.45” N, 81˚47’51.53” W, 13 March 2011, sterile, N. León & al. 379NL ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Uva, 5 m, 7˚48’52.38” N, 81˚45’24.11” W, 2 june 2004, sterile, A. Ibáñez & al. 3268AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Río Negro , 20 m, 7˚23’10.24” N, 81˚44’48.21” W, 21 March 2006, sterile, A. Ibáñez & al. 4846AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Brincanco. Costa N de la isla, 1 m, 7˚51’51.99” N, 81˚47’26.14” W, 31 May 2004, fr., O. Rodríguez & al. 251JR ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Jicarón. Costa SE de la Isla, 1 m, 7˚14’44.26” N, 81˚47’56.69” W, 3 July 2004, sterile, O. Rodríguez & al. 398JR ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Punta Anegada, 1 m, 7˚20’25.76” N, 81˚36’14.01” W, 21 October 2004, sterile, A. Ibáñez & al. 4052AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Uva. De N al S de la isla, 10 m, 7˚48’42.28” N, 81˚45’27.68” W, 3 June 2004, sterile, A. Ibáñez & al. 3325AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Jicarón. Filo SW de la Isla, 200 m, 7˚15’34.39” N, 81˚48’42.00” W, 22 August 2005, sterile, A. Ibáñez & al. 4395AI ( PMA!) ; P. N. Coiba. Manila. 10 m, 7˚22’34.45” N, 81˚47’6.51” W, 23 March 1998, A. Ibáñez & al. 689AI ( F, MA) ; Golfo de Montijo, Isla Cébaco, 31 m, 7˚30’16.02” N, 81˚11’5.00” W, 27 April 2012, fr., M. Ayala & al. 1078 MA ( PMA!, MO) ; Golfo de Montijo. Isla Cébaco , 17 m, 7˚29’34.44” N, 81˚12’16.14” W, 6 August 2011, sterile, R. Flores & al. 1070 RF ( PMA!, MO) ; Soná. Bahía Honda. Mitad N de la isla Canales de Tierra, 2 m, 7˚45’16.13” N, 81˚34’42.12” W, 3 July 2001, sterile, S. Castroviejo & al. 16214 SC ( PMA!, MA) ; Soná. Bahía Honda. Isla María , 7˚40’59.95” N, 81˚28’41.07” W, 13 January 2012, sterile, J. Carrión & al. 589JC ( PMA!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Eugenia veraguensis. Holotype (Galdames et al. 6098, PMA).

FIGURE 3. Eugenia veraguensis. A. Mature fruiting individual showing the characteristic dichotomous branching with 4-6 leaves per branchlet (Ibáñez et al. 3133AI), photo A. Ibáñez. B. Flowers and red new leaves (Galdames et al. 6098), photo C. Galdames.

FIGURE 4. Eugenia veraguensis. Glabrous staminal ring (Ibáñez et al. 5649AI), photo M. Madrid.