Eugenia anisomischa Sobral & K.Coutinho, 2018

Sobral, Marcos, Faria, Jair E. Q. & Coutinho, Karoline, 2018, Five new Brazilian species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae), Phytotaxa 347 (1), pp. 59-70 : 59-61

1. Eugenia anisomischa Sobral & K.Coutinho , sp. nov.

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Palmeiras, Pai Inácio , 12 March 1997, P. Gasson & L. Natalino PCD (Projeto Chapada Diamantina ) 6182 (holotype CEPEC!, isotypes HUEFS!, SPF) . Figure 1 .

Diagnosis:—This species is morphologically related to Eugenia candolleana De Candolle (1828: 281) , from which it is distinguished through its shrubby habit (versus tree in E. candolleana ), indumentum (visibly pilose twigs, blades and flowers vs. glabrous or essentially so), shorter inflorescences (to 4 mm and with up to 6 flowers vs. to 15 mm and with up to 10 flowers), calyx lobes externally pilose and internally glabrous (vs. externally glabrous and internally pilose).

Description:—Shrub 1– 2 m. Twigs slightly applanate, grey, sometimes with glands to 0.5 mm in diameter, glabrescent or with simple erect grey trichomes to 0.5 mm, the internodes 10–25 × 1–2 mm; some twigs bear three to four series of glabrous or scarcely pilose cataphylls, the proximal ones widely elliptic, to 0.5 × 0.8 mm, the distal ones to 1 × 0.5 mm. Leaves with petioles 2–5 × 0.5–1 mm, adaxially sulcate, with sparse trichomes to 0.2 mm; blades elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 54–60 × 19–24 mm, 2.3–2.9 times longer than wide, markedly discolorous, lighter abaxially, the adaxial side glabrous except for the midvein, this with grey trichomes to 0.3 mm, the abaxial side more or less densely covered with simple trichomes to 0.5 mm that never conceal the surface; glandular dots 15 to 20 /mm², smaller than 0.1 mm in diameter, visible on both faces; base cuneate, sometimes a little decurrent along the petiole; apex acute or bluntly acuminate; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially; lateral veins 7 to 11 at each side, adaxially sulcate and abaxially moderately raised, leaving the midvein at angles about 60º; marginal vein 0.9–2.5 mm from the margin, the margin itself strongly revolute. Inflorescences axillary, mostly racemiform, occasionally auxotelic (i.e., the flowers apparently arising at the base of developed twigs) with dark red brown or grey trichomes 0.2–0.3 mm, the axis to 4 × 0.5 mm, mostly with four flowers, but some axes with two or six flowers; bracts ovate, to 0.8 × 0.5 mm; pedicels pilose as the inflorescences, of distinct sizes along one axis, the shorter ones 2–3 × 0.3 mm and the longer ones 8–11 × 0.2–0.3 mm; bracteoles ovate or triangular, 0.5–0.8 × 0.6 mm, glabrous or scarcely pilose, the margins finely ciliate, persisting after anthesis; flower buds elliptic or globose, 4 × 3–4 mm, the ovary and the calyx lobes uniformly covered by simple grey or brown trichomes to 0.2 mm, but in some cases the apex of the lobes is less densely pilose and darker; calyx lobes in two unequal pairs, the external ones hemispheric, 0.5–0.6 × 0.8–1 mm, the internal ones ovate or widely triangular, 1–1.2 × 1–1.6 mm, both pairs internally glabrous; petals four, obovate, glabrous or with scattered trichomes, 3–3.5 × 1.2–2 mm; stamens about 60 (scars in the staminal ring counted), to 2.5 mm, the anthers subglobose, to 0.3 × 0.2 mm, with one apical gland; staminal ring to 1.5 mm in diameter, glabrous; style to 4 mm, with ascending trichomes to 0.1 mm, the stigma slightly capitate and papillose; calyx tube absent; ovary with two locules with glabrous walls, with one or two ovules per locule. Fruits elliptic, glabrous, vinaceous when ripe, 10–16 × 7–12 mm, crowned by the calyx lobes; seed one, elliptic or reniform, to 7 × 5 mm, the embryo minutely and densely glandulose, with two discrete cotyledons and no visible hypocotyl.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:—This species was collected in savanna vegetation (“cerrado”) in the municipalities of Lençóis and Palmeiras, in Central Bahia, at 600–650 m elev.; flowers were collected in March, April and June, and fruits in January and March.

Conservation:—The municipalities of Lençóis and Palmeiras sum an area of about 2,000 km ² ( IBGE 2016), from which there are 29,000 known collections ( INCT 2016), with the considerably high average of 14 collections/ km². Considering this amount, the known existence of only six collections of this species may be an indicative of its rareness. Additionally, an estimate of its extent of occurrence (EOO; see IUCN 2001) via Geocat (see Bachman et al. 2011) is 282 km ², and suggests an Endangered (EN) status according to IUCN criterion B1. Although we do not have additional information for fulfilling the additional IUCN criteria—such as data on the decline of its habitat—we provisionally score this species as Endangered (EN; see IUCN 2001).

Affinities:—This species is morphologically related to Eugenia candolleana (type image: M barcode 0137734), from which it is distinguished through the characters given in the diagnosis. Considering the inflorescence morphology, consisting of racemiform axes with pedicels more than four times longer than the axis internodes, this species must be assigned to section Umbellatae O. Berg (1855 –1856: 204), according to the phylogenetic scheme proposed by Mazine et al. (2016).

Etymology:—The epithet is derived from the Greek words for “unequal peduncles”, alluding to the different sizes of the pedicels along one inflorescence.

Paratypes:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Lençóis, caminho para Mata de Remanso , 12º35’49” S, 41º21’46” W, 490 m, 30 January 1997, E. Saar, L. Passos, L. Funch, M.L. Guedes, B. Stannard & S. Atkins 4733 ( ALCB!) ; idem, assentamento Boqueirão , área de lote, 12º14’28” S, 41º17’02” W, 2 June 2001, D.L. Santana, D.M. Loureiro, L.J. Alves & M.L. Guedes 383 ( ALCB!) ; idem, 2 June 2001, D.L. Santana, D.M. Loureiro, L.J. Alves & M.L. Guedes 384 ( ALCB!, HUESB) ; idem, 12º34’00” S, 41º23’00” W, 17 March 2007, A.P.L. Couto 217 ( HUEFS!) ; mun. Palmeiras, Chapadinha , córrego do Cercado , 12º27’00” S, 41º25’00” W, 1996, A.M. Giulietti & L. Funch PCD (Projeto Chapada Diamantina ) 1628 ( ALCB!, RB!) ; idem, Vale do Cercado , mata próxima ao rio Santo Antônio , 12º25’55” S, 41º27’21” W, 5 April 2004, R.M. Castro, P.D. Carvalho, A.A. Conceição & C.V.D. Berg 948 ( HUEFS!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Eugenia anisomischa. Holotype (scale = 50 mm).