Eugenia espinhacensis Bünger & Sobral, 2013

Bünger, Mariana De O., Sobral, Marcos & Renato, João, 2013, Two new Atlantic Forest Myrtaceae from Brazil, Phytotaxa 147 (2), pp. 55-60 : 58-60

Eugenia espinhacensis Bünger & Sobral sp. nov. ( Fig.3 )

This species is related with Eugenia bocainensis , but can be distinguished by the acute rufescent sepals, rufescent pedicels and tomentose ovary.

TYPE:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Estrada de Virgem da Lapa à Diamantina, 10 December 1980 (fl,fr), Cordeiro et al s/ n (holotype BHCB 164426!, isotype SPF 22498!) .

Trees to 5 m tall; twigs with rufescent, apically subquadrate trichomes to 0.8 mm long × 1.2–3 mm thick. Leaves with petioles 3–9 × 1–1.6 mm, pubescent; blades elliptic, 50–95 × 13–27 mm, chartaceous, discoloured when dry, adaxially glabrescent, the abaxial side with trichomes on the midvein, acuminate apices, acute or atenuate bases; midvein sulcate adaxially, raised abaxially; lateral veins 14 to 20 on each side, scarcely or not visible on either side, sometimes faintly raised abaxially; marginal vein 1.2–2.1 from the plane margin. Inflorescences auxotelic, subterminal or lateral, pedicels 7–12 × 0.8–0.9 mm, rusty-pubescent; bracteoles concealing the ovary ovate, 3.4–8.4 × 2.9–5.8 mm, apice acute, rusty-pubescent, persistent at anthesis; ovary tomentose; calyx lobes 4, of equal size, ovate, apices acute, 7–8 × 5–6.1 mm; staminal ring ca. 5 mm diameter. Fruits globose, 10.5–14.5 mm diameter, sparsely pubescent, one seeded, the seeds ca. 8 mm diam.; embryo with two fused cotyledons and no visible hypocotyl.

Aditional specimens examined:— BRAZIL: Minas Gerais, Barão de Cocais, Mina de Baú , February 2008 (fl), Filho et al. 142 (OUPR!); Catas Altas, Serra do Caraça, 23 October 1999 (fr), Mota 86 (BHCB!, isoparatype SP!).

Distribution:— Eugenia espinhacensis is a tree from Atlantic montane forests at altitudes of 900–1000 m. It is currently known from Serra do Caraça, Barão de Cocais and near Diamantina in the Espinhaço Range in the state of Minas Gerais. These forests are distributed near cangas and campos rupestres, which are quartzite and hematite-rich rocky outcrops, and thus are probably under the risk of habitat disturbance by mining activities.

Phenology:— flowers were collected in November and fruits in October.

Etymology:— the epithet alludes to the Espinhaço Range, from where the type collection comes.

Conservation status:— In the localities, few individuals or small populations (<50 individuals) were found and the region is under a historical anthropic pressure like mining activities. According to the criterion A2c and D ( IUCN 2013), the species is considered Endangered.

Discussion:— Eugenia espinhacensis is apparently related to Eugenia bocainensis Mattos , an Atlantic rainforest species collected from the northeastern state of Bahia to Rio de Janeiro, from which it can be distinguished through the following characters:

1. Sepals obtuse, glabrous abaxialy, pedicels and ovary strigose; coastal rainforests of Bahia to Rio de Janeiro .............

................................................................................................................................................................. E. bocainensis 1. Sepals acute, rufescent, pedicels rufescent and ovary tomentose; rocky outcrops of central Minas Gerais ..................

.............................................................................................................................................................. E.espinhacensis

Figures

FIGURE 3. Eugenia espinhacensis Bünger & Sobral, holotype specimen (Cordeiro s/n (fl, fr), BHCB 164426)