Chrysophyllum pubipetalum Sossai & Alves-Araújo, 2017

Sossai, Brenno Gardiman, Viégas-Aquije, Glória, Santos, Francisco De Assis Ribeiro Dos & Alves-Araújo, Anderson, 2017, A new species of Chrysophyllum (Sapotaceae) from the Brazilian Atlantic forest, Phytotaxa 331 (1), pp. 131-136 : 132-135

Chrysophyllum pubipetalum Sossai & Alves-Araújo , sp. nov.

Type: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale - entrada do Flamengo, Aceiro no final do Flamengo Km 19.5, 62 m elevation, 19º09’05.01”S, 40º04’14.90”W, 06 July 2006 (fl), D. A. Folli 5316 (holotype CVRD! [CVRD-9602!], isotypes CVRD! [CVRD-15503!], HUEFS!, VIES!). Figures 1–3 .

Diagnosis:— Chrysophyllum pubipetalum resembles Chrysophyllum ovale Rusby (1927: 320) by pubescent and lenticellate shoots, alternate and distichously arranged leaves, elliptic leaves with apex acuminate and leaf venation brochidodromous. However, C. pubipetalum differs from C. ovale mainly by longer (0.8–1 cm long) and channeled petioles [vs. shorter (0.4–0.6 cm long) and non channeled], shorter pedicels (0.18–0.3 cm long vs. 0.5–0.7 cm), indumentum present on both surfaces of the corolla (vs. only on the outer surface of the corolla), shorter (0.8–1.2 cm long) and globose fruits [vs. longer (1.5–2.0 cm long) and ellipsoid to subglobose], and seeds not laterally compressed (vs. laterally compressed).

Trees up to 23 m tall.Shoots pubescent with ferruginous trichomes(when young),becoming glabrous (when mature), lenticellate. Leaves alternate, distichously arranged; petioles 0.8–1.0 cm long, channeled, pubescent with ferruginous trichomes; blades 9.0–10.0 × 4.0– 4.5 cm long, elliptic, chartaceous, apex acuminate to attenuate, base obtuse to cuneate, both surfaces glabrescent with ferruginous trichomes concentrated on midrib, venation brochidodromous with weak loops immediately adjacent to leaf margin, secondary veins distinguishable from the intersecondaries, tertiary veins alternate percurrent, marginal vein absent. Inflorescences axillary to ramiflorous, 12–45-flowered. Flowers bisexual, pedicellate, pedicel 1.8–3.0 mm long, sericeous with ferruginous to golden trichomes. Sepals 5 or 6, 1.0–1.2 × 0.5–1.0 mm long, ovate to triangular, apex attenuate to acute, inner surface sericeous with golden trichomes, outer surface pubescent with ferruginous trichomes. Corolla 5–6-lobed, lobes 1.2–1.5 × 0.7–1.0 mm long, elliptic to ovate, apex acute to attenuate, both surfaces pubescent with ferruginous trichomes, tube 0.3–0.5 mm long. Stamens 5–6, adnate at base of corolla lobes; filaments 0.4–0.7 mm long, glabrous; anthers 0.7–0.9 mm long, glabrous. Staminodes absent. Ovary 5-locular, ca. 1.0 mm long, ovoid to globoid, sericeous with ferruginous trichomes, style 0.5–1.0 mm long, glabrous; stigma simple. Fruits 0.8–1.2 cm long, greenish to yellowish when immature, reddish when mature, broadly ellipsoid, furrows absent, rugulose, glabrous. Seed solitary, 0.6–0.8 cm long, shiny, not laterally compressed, globose, brownish, seed scar 0.4–0.6 cm long, irregularly ovate, endosperm present, embryo with foliaceous cotyledons and radicle exserted.

Additional specimens examined (Paratypes):— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale , 6 June 1997 (fl), D. A. Folli 3038 ( CVRD) ; Sooretama, Reserva Natural Vale – Estrada municipal do MME, 2 September 2014 (fr), D. A. Folli 7248 ( CVRD) ; Reserva Natural Vale – Entrada da BR 101 , 24 September 2015 (fr), D. A. Folli 7406 ( CVRD) ; Reserva Natural Vale , 14 October 2015 (ste.), B. G. Sossai et al. 64 ( VIES) .

Phenology, distribution and habitat: — Flowers were recorded in June–July and fruits in September. Chrysophyllum pubipetalum is known only from the Tabuleiro forests (Atlantic forest) in Espírito Santo state of Brazil ( Figure 1 ).

Conservation status: — Chrysophyllum pubipetalum is known only from the type population, with mature individuals observed ≤ 5. The new species exhibits an extent of occurrence (EOO) <100 km ² and area of occupancy (AOO) <10 km ². On this basis, we assign this species as Critically Endangered (CR) [B1, B2a, B2b(ii, iii, v)].

Etymology:— The epithet refers to the pubescent indumentum on both surfaces of the corolla. Chrysophyllum pubipetalum is the only known species of the genus bearing such a feature.

Morphological and taxonomic comments:— Chrysophyllum pubipetalum can be distinguished from the similar species C. ovale by the characters provided in the diagnosis and in Table 1. Furthermore, field characters may be useful to recognize Chrysophyllum pubipetalum such as yellowish to reddish fruits when mature vs. black ones in C. ovale . Chrysophyllum pubipetalum is unique amongst Chrysophyllum species in having trichomes on both surfaces (inside and outside) of the corolla.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographical distribution of Chrysophyllum pubipetalum Sossai & Alves-Araújo sp. nov.

FIGURE 2. Chrysophyllum pubipetalum Sossai & Alves-Araújo sp. nov. (a) floriferous branch, with detail of adaxial leaf surface, (b) abaxial leaf surface showing intersecondary veins (black arrows), (c) flower, (d) ovary, (e) ovary in cross section, (f) calyx opened to show inner surface, (g) calyx opened to show outer surface, (h) corolla opened to show outer surface, (i) corolla opened to show inner surface and adnate stamens, (j) fruit, (k) seed.

FIGURE 3. Chrysophyllum pubipetalum Sossai & Alves-Araújo sp. nov. (a) Tabuleiro Forest, (b) ovary cross section, (c) branch showing abaxial leaf blade surfaces, (d) branch showing adaxial leaf blade surfaces, (e) image of the holotype, (f) corolla opened to show inner surface and adnate stamens, (g) corolla outer surface, (h) branchlet, fruits and seed. Photograph of (a) by Valdir M. Santos