Myrcia ovina Proença & Landim, 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 : 221-223

2.3. Myrcia ovina Proença & Landim , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1I–J , 2D–E )

Somewhat similar to Myrcia guianensis (Aublet 1755: 506) de Candolle (1828: 245) in leaf shape, venation and size, as well as flower size and shape, but differing in the long, white, soft indumentum which gives the leaf undersurfaces and flowers a combed look, and the pauciflorous, regularly pyramidal panicles in which the terminal branches are often perfect 3-florous dichasia with sessile flowers in the forks, and bracteoles that surpass the floral buds, also by fruits that are a deep orange before maturing black.

Type: — BRAZIL. Sergipe: Pirambu. 10 December 1981 (fl.), Carneiro 264 (holotype ASE!, isotype UB!) .

Shrub 1–2 m high, all parts densely velutino-sericeous, including the outer surface of the petals and fruits, the upper leaf surface and fruits glabrescent; trichomes white, long, ascendent, appearing as if combed; old branches scaly. Leaves with lamina 2–4.5 × 1.4–2.3 cm, wide-elliptic, leaf ratio 1.3–1.9; apex rounded to obtuse; base obtuse or rarely rounded; margin finely but strongly revolute; upper surface lustrous in old leaves, with the midvein canaliculateprominent; secondary veins prominulous on the upper surface of young leaves but becoming almost imperceptible in old leaves, forming a slightly crenulate marginal vein c. 1mm from the point where the margin curves; marginal vein more strongly prominent than the secondary veins in the young leaves; petiole 3–4 mm long, applanate on the ventral surface. Panicles in the upper leaf axils, strongly pyramidal, bracteate, long-pedunculate, with 3–4 nodes and c. 15–25 flowers; lateral branches usually ending in a perfect 3-florous dichasium, with a central sessile flower in the fork and shortly-pedicellate lateral flowers; peduncules 2.1–4 cm long, flattened. Floral buds c. 2.5–3.5 mm long, turbinate, bracteoles 4–7 mm long, linear, persistent to after anthesis; calyx lobes deltoid, c. 1 mm, subequal, aestivation quincuncial, apex obtuse or rounded; petals glabrous internally, with sparse pustuliform glands; staminal disk circular, pilose; stamens c. 90 organized in roughly 2 whorls, the filaments inflected in the bud, hiding the anthers; anthers 0.2 mm long, with the locules parallel, eglandular; hypanthium prolonged in a cup above the level of stylar insertion, hypanthial cup internally glabrous; style c. 6 mm long, glabrous; ovary 3-locular, 2-ovular per locule. Berries maturing light green, deep orange, bright red and finally black.

Paratypes:— BRAZIL. Sergipe: Japaratuba , 17 December 2010 (fl), Donádio 120 ( ASE!) ; 24 April 2012 (fr.), Farias et al. 75 ( ASE!) ; Pirambu. November 1976 (fl.), Fonseca s.n. (ASE 405!); 14 September 1995 (buds, fl., fr.), Landim 608 (ASE!, ASU, HUEFS) ; 28 January 2006, Ribeiro 621 ( ASE!) ; 15 January 2011 (fl.), Landim 1596 ( ASE!) ; 26 May 2012 (fr.), Prata et al. 2999 ( ASE!) ; 13 June 2013 (fr.), Landim et al. 1675 (ASE!, UB!) .

Distribution:— Apparently endemic to northeastern Brazil (Sergipe), it has been collected in Japaratuba and Pirambu. The species occurs in the Reserva Biológica de Santa Isabel.

Ecology:— The species has been collected in coastal white sand scrub (Restinga) and sandy plateaus not far from the sea. It was collected with buds in September, with flowers in September, October, November, December and January and with fruits in April, May and September.

Etymology:— The specific epithet celebrates the collector of the type, one of the most prolific early collectors in Sergipe, Sra. Ecilene Morais Carneiro, active between 1981–1983. The epithet ovina is also appropriate since the collector’s surname, carneiro, means sheep or ram in portuguese, and the undersides of the leaves are densely covered with white hairs.

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.