Eugenia funchiana Coutinho & M.Ibrahim, 2015

Coutinho, Karoline, Oliveira, Marla Ibrahim Uehbe De & Funch, Lígia Silveira, 2015, Four new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from the Caatinga and Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 234 (3), pp. 215-226 : 218-220

2. Eugenia funchiana Coutinho & M.Ibrahim sp. nov., ( Figures 2 and 5 )

This species is similar to Eugenia dentata Niedenzu (1897: 82) , but differing from the latter by the undulate margin of the leaf; petiole 1–2 mm long; pedicels 13–15 mm long; and hypanthium not costate.

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Monte Santo. 10°27’00”S 39°20’00”W. 21 February 1974. R.M. Harley 16431 (holotype CEPEC!, isotype RB! MO, NY).

Tree 4 m high; young twigs brownish, pilose, adult branch grayish–brown, glabrous. Leaf blades 16–24 × 8–13 mm, hyaline, membranaceous, ovate or lanceolate; apex acute; base cuneate; margin undulate, glabrous or pilose; glandular dots impressed, 0.05–0.1 mm diam., ca. 16 per square millimeter; venation brochidodromous; midvein sulcate in the proximal portion and impressed in the distal portion of the adaxial, prominent below, glabrescent; lateral veins 8–13, rarely curved, sub–erect, leaving the midvein at 35°–40°, glabrescent; marginal vein formed by secondary veins; petiole 1–2 × 0.2–0.3 mm, channeled, pubescent. Inflorescences axillary; 2–4 flowered, rachis absent at 0.9 mm; pedicels 13–15 × 2–4 mm, glabrous; bracts ca. 3.5 mm, spatulate, apex acute, pilose, glandular dots present; bracteoles not seen; buds 4.9 × 2.7 mm; calyx lobes four, 2.5–2.9 × 1.1–1.2 mm, ciliate, apex cuneate, glabrous, glandular dots present; petals four, 3.4–3.5 × 0.8–0.9 mm, spatulate or linear, undulate or ciliate, apex acute or rounded, glabrous, without glands; hypanthium 1.2–1.3 × 1.0– 1.2 mm, not costate, pubescent; staminal ring 2.8–3 mm diam., glabrous; stamens 60, 1.9–3.4 mm; glabrous, anthers elliptic; style 3–3.3 mm, glabrous, stigma punctiform; bilocular, pluriovulate, glabrous. Fruit not seen.

Etymology:— The species epithet is in honor of professor and researcher Ligia Silveira Funch, who has contributed significantly to our knowledge of the vegetation of the semiarid region of Bahia State.

Phenology:— Flowers in February.

Distribution and habitat:— This species was collected at 610 m elev. on a quartzite rock substrate in the municipality of Monte Santo, in the semiarid region of northern Bahia State. The climate there is tropical semiarid with an average annual precipitation of 750 mm and an average annual temperature of 26 °C ( Velloso et al. 2002). The predominant phytophysiognomy of this region is shrub caatinga, although the native vegetation is rapidly being substituted by plantations and pastureland.

Morphological comments:— Eugenia funchiana is similar to Eugenia dentata Niedenzu in terms of the placement of their leaves on the branches, and spatulate petals. Although they share these characteristics, E. funchiana has oval or lanceolate leaves with undulate margins, visible veins on both faces, hypanthium not costate and pubescent. E. dentata , on the other hand, has oblong–lanceolate or oblong leaves, with repand–dentate margins, veins not visible on the adaxial surface, and the hypanthium is costate and glabrous.

Conservation status:—The municipality of Monte Santo covers 3186 km ² (IBGE 2015) with 1047 collections of this species according to the Species link website ( CRIA 2015), generating an average of 0.3 collections/km². However, as the rarity of this species may be attributed to few collections, it seems more appropriate to adopt the IUCN category DD (deficient data; IUCN 2012).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Eugenia funchiana Coutinho & M.Ibrahim. A. Habit. B. Detail of inflorescence (scale 1 cm).

FIGURE 5. Distribution map of Eugenia caatingicola Coutinho & M. Ibrahim, E. funchiana Coutinho & M. Ibrahim, E. coccinea Coutinho & M. Ibrahim, and E. potiraguensis Coutinho & M. Ibrahim in Brazil.