Eugenia cherimolioides

Parra-O, Carlos, 2021, Thirteen new species, new records, and a new combination on Colombian Myrtaceae, Phytotaxa 497 (3), pp. 175-210 : 176-181

2. Eugenia cherimolioides C. Parra-O., sp. nov.

Type:— COLOMBIA. Cundinamarca: Albán, “granjas del Padre Luna ‘El Gran Ciudadano’”, 2000 m, 18 May 2002 (fr.), C. Parra-O. et al. 224 (holotype COL 476976 !, isotypes COL 476680 !, CUVC!, FMB!, HUA!, JAUM!, JBB!, UDBC!, UIS!). Figures 2 , 3 a-b .

Diagnosis:—This species is most similar to Eugenia cupulata Amshoff (1942: 160) , from which it is distinguished by having dibrachiate hairs (versus simple hairs in E. cupulata ), bracteoles not connate (vs. connate), ovaries with 5–11 ovules per locule (vs. 30–50 ovules), fruits 3.6–5.8 cm in diameter (vs. ca. 1 cm in diameter), these rugose, moderately bullate, and not ribbed or sometimes shallowly ribbed (vs. always smooth).

Description:—Tree, 4–15 m tall; hairs when present 0.1–0.4 mm, T-shaped asymmetric hairs, drying golden brownish; young branches compressed to subcompressed, gray, glabrous; old branches terete, gray, glabrous. Leaf blades elliptic or oblong-elliptic, (8) 13–20 × (4.5) 6–8.7 cm, coriaceous, discolorous, the upper surface glabrous, with impressed glandular dots not perceptible, the lower surface usually glabrous, with impressed glandular dots; apex shortly acuminate, the acumen (2) 5–10 mm; base subobtuse, sometimes acuminate; margin entire; midvein slightly convex to convex and usually glabrous to occasionally slightly puberulous above, markedly convex and usually glabrous or sometimes scarcely pubescent below; lateral veins 10–15 pairs, slightly convex to convex and glabrous above, convex and usually glabrous to occasionally slightly puberulous below, marginal veins 2, the innermost markedly arched, 3–15 mm from the margin, the outermost 0.5–2 mm from the margin; petioles 1.2–2 cm long, brown pinkish above, gray below, rugose, sometimes lenticellate, glabrous, moderately canaliculate adaxially. Inflorescences axillary, abbreviate or well developed racemes, 1.2–5.2 cm long, with 4–8 (12) flowers, the axes compressed, moderately pubescent, brownish orange when dry; peduncles 1–4 × 2–3 mm; bracts narrowly elliptic or depressed ovate, 1.4–3.7 × 1.3–2 mm, moderately pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, truncate in the base, deciduous; bracteoles 2, axillary at base of hypanthium, lanceolate or ovate, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.8 mm, moderately pubescent, deciduous after anthesis; flower buds globose, 9–11 mm long, 7–10 mm in diameter, moderately pubescent, in a subcompressed pedicel 4–20 × 0.8–1.2 mm, moderately pubescent; calyx lobes 4, in unequal pairs, the outer pair depressed ovate or broadly ovate, 5.5–7.4 × 4.6–6 mm, the inner pair widely ovate, 6.8–9 × 5.4–8 mm, both coriaceous, moderately pubescent outside, glabrous to scarcely pubescent inside, apex obtuse or subobtuse, brown-reddish outside, greenish inside (in scheda); petals usually 4, sometimes 5–6, white (in scheda), the commonly found 4 petals elliptic or broadly ovate, 9–12 × 7–8.5 mm, subcoriaceous, glabrous or sometimes scarcely pubescent at margin, apex obtuse, base truncate, the 1–2 additional petals narrowly elliptic, oblong or narrowly obovate, 6.2–7 × 1.8–3.8 mm, subcoriaceous, glabrous or sometimes scarcely pubescent at margin, apex obtuse, base attenuate but truncate in the distal portion; hypanthium 3.3–4 mm in diameter, not prolonged above the ovary, moderately pubescent outside, glabrous inside, disk semi-quadrangular, 3–5 mm, scarcely to moderately pubescent; style 7.8–8.7 mm long, glabrous; stamens 100–150, white (in scheda); filaments (1.5) 4.8–8.5 mm, anthers ellipsoid, 1.1–1.7 mm long, with 1 apical gland, 1–2 glands in the medial portion and 1–2 glands in the base; ovary 2.1–2.5 mm in diameter, 2–locular, 5–11 ovules per locule. Fruits globose or ellipsoid, golden brown to light brown when dry, 3.6–5.8 cm in diameter, moderately puberulous, rugose, moderately bullate, sometimes shallowly ribbed; seed 1, globose or ellipsoid, sometimes slightly reniform, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 cm, seed coat coriaceous, whitish (in scheda), slightly bullate; embryo eugenioid with fused cotyledons and no visible hypocotyl, with minute dark brownish glands.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Eugenia cherimolioides seems to be endemic to Colombia; it is known from subandean forest in Cundinamarca and Santander Departments between 1790–2200 m elev. Some trees of this species grow up to 20–25 m, and they produce abundant fruits every two or three years; their seeds are consumed by rodents (G. Morales, personal communication). Eugenia cherimolioides has been collected with buds and flowers from September to November, and with fruits in March, May, and September.

Conservation:—This species has been found in localities of two Departments in Colombia and such localities are separated by a minimum of 170 km; with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 4,098.316 km 2 and an area of occupancy (AAO) of 20 km 2, and known from seven localities, its conservation status is assessed as Least Concern, or LC, following IUCN Red List criteria ( IUCN 2019).

Etymology:—The specific epithet of the new species refers to the resemblance of its fruits to those of Annona cherimola Miller (1768: 5 ; Annonaceae ), who is also known in Colombia as ‘chirimoyo’ o ‘chirimoya’.

Common name:—“chirimoyo” (Morales et al. 3067).

Affinities:— Eugenia cherimolioides is apparently related to E. cupulata , and both species can be differentiated by the characters mentioned in the diagnosis. After dissecting floral buds of E. cherimolioides , it was found that outer petals are sometimes similar in shape to the inner calyx lobes; this character is also found in E. cupulata ( Amshoff 1942) .

In some floral buds of E. cherimolioides , particularly those of specimens Mahecha 9610 (COL) and Gómez 037 (COL), 5–6 petals have been found. Commonly, in E. cherimolioides (and also in many Eugenia species ) a pair of outer petals and a pair of inner petals can be seen after dissecting floral buds; the additional one or two petals found in E. cherimolioides are inside to the inner petals, and it have different shapes and sizes compared to the other four petals (see details in the description).

Paratypes:— COLOMBIA. Cundinamarca: Albán, vereda Las Marías , “granjas del Padre Luna ‘El Gran Ciudadano’”, 4°52’N, 74°26’W, 1800–2000 m, 28 October 2002 (buds, fl.), Y . Figueroa , E . Ocaña , G . Galeano , C . Giraldo & F . Gómez 25 ( COL!); ibidem, “frente al peaje de Jalisco”, 4°52’N, 74°26’W, 1900–2100 m, 30 September 2002 (buds), F . Gómez 037 ( COL!, HUA!); ibidem, 2000–2150 m, 5 September 2000 (buds), L . Hernández 183 ( COL!); Pacho, “vereda de Panamá”, 2200 m, 18 November 2001 (buds, fl.), G . Mahecha 9610 ( COL!); San Francisco, vereda El Peñón, “finca La Cumbre”, 2050 m, 10 October 1997 (fl.), L . Núñez & A . Guevara 53 ( COL!); Silvania, vereda Panamá Alta, 2000–2100 m, 28 October 2008, G . Morales , M . Quintero & C . González 3067 ( JBB!); ibidem, 2100 m, 15 March 2010 (fr.), G . Morales & C . González 3185 ( COL!, JBB!, UDBC!) . Santander: Charalá , “corregimiento de Virolín”, s.a., 2 May 1983 (fr.), P . Bernal s.n. ( COL!); Charalá, “corregimiento de Virolín, camino en la parte alta del cerro ubicado al costado occidental del Colegio Ecológico”, 1790 m, 7 September 1995 (fr.), H . García 2864 ( UIS!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Eugenia cherimolioides. (A) fruiting branch, (B) inflorescence detail and flower buds, (C) fruit, (D) seed—dorsal view, (E) seed—ventral view.A, C, D, E from the holotype, B from Mahecha 9610. Scale bars for B, C, D and E = 1 cm.

FIGURE 3. Eugenia cherimolioides. (A) Vegetative branch (C. Parra-O. 224), (B) fruit (C. Parra-O. 224). Eugenia linaresii. (C) fruiting branch (C. Parra-O. 707), (D) flower buds (C. Parra-O. 720), (E) flower remnants (C. Parra-O. 720), (F) early stages of fruit development (C. Parra-O. 942). Photos: C. Parra-O. Scale bar for A and C = 3 cm; scale bar from B, D–F = 1 cm.