Eugenia gloriae

Parra-O, Carlos, 2021, Thirteen new species, new records, and a new combination on Colombian Myrtaceae, Phytotaxa 497 (3), pp. 175-210 : 181-183

3. Eugenia gloriae C. Parra-O., sp. nov.

Type:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Dabeiba , “río Ampurrimadó, alrededores”, 7°01’N, 76°28’W, 200 m, 30 June 2010 (buds, fr.), J. Pérez- Zabala, M. Zapata & Indígenas Embera 431 (holotype MEDEL!). Figure 4 .

Diagnosis:—This species is most similar to Eugenia heterochroma Diels (1907: 190) , from which it is distinguished by having leaf blades with margin markedly revolute in the proximal 1/8 of its length (versus margin not revolute in E. heterochroma ), leaf blades 38–41 × 13–16.5 cm (vs. 12–24 × 4.5–9 cm), calyx lobes reflexed (vs. erect), and fruits ribbed (vs. smooth).

Description:—Tree, 4 m tall; hairs when present 0.1 mm, infundibular and sometimes with irregular edges at the distal portion, drying golden brownish to brownish and becoming lighter with age; young branches subcompressed, brownish orange, slightly pubescent; old branches not seen. Leaf blades elliptic, 38–41 × 13–16.5 cm, coriaceous, discolorous, the upper surface glabrous, with slightly raised glandular dots, the lower surface cinnamon or ochraceous, moderately pubescent, with immersed glandular dots; apex subacute or shortly acuminate, the acumen 1 cm; base subobtuse; margin entire and markedly revolute in the proximal 1/8; midvein convex and glabrous above, markedly convex and densely pubescent below; lateral veins 30–37 pairs, convex and glabrous above, convex and slight to moderately pubescent below, marginal veins 2, the innermost 3–7 mm from the margin, the outermost 0.5–0.8 mm from the margin; petioles 1.6–2 cm long, brownish orange above and below, moderately rugose, moderately pubescent, slightly canaliculate adaxially. Inflorescence axillary, apparently abbreviate racemes; bracts not seen; bracteoles 2 (3), axillary at base of bud, broadly ovate, very broadly ovate or depressed ovate, 0.4–0.7 × 0.5–1 mm, moderate to densely pubescent; immature flower buds obovoid, 1.2–1.8 mm long, 1.5–2 mm in diameter, moderate to densely pubescent, sessile or in a subcompressed pedicel 0.5 × 1 mm, moderate to densely pubescent; calyx lobes 4, reflexed, apparently in unequal pairs, 3–4 × 3.5 mm, ovate to very broadly ovate, slight to moderately pubescent outside, glabrous to scarcely pubescent inside (but hairs inside calyx lobes, when present, are exclusively simple and appressed, 0.1–0.3 mm), apex obtuse; petals not seen; hypanthium 3 mm in diameter, costate, moderately to densely pubescent outside, not seen inside, disk semi-quadrangular, 3.5 mm, glabrous to scarcely pubescent; style, stamens and ovary not seen. Fruits ellipsoid, 2.3 × 1.7 cm, densely pubescent, 13–14–ribbed, pedicellate, the pedicel terete, 2.5 × 2.5 mm, moderately pubescent; seed and embryo not seen.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Eugenia gloriae has been found in western tropical humid forests (Chocó Biogeographic Region) of Antioquia Department at 200 m elev.; this species seems to be endemic to Colombia. E. gloriae has been collected with buds and fruits in different states of development in June.

Conservation:— Eugenia gloriae has been found only in one locality of the Antioquia Department in Colombia and little is known about its distribution range or its natural habitat; for this reason, its conservation status is assessed as Data Deficient, or DD, following IUCN Red List criteria ( IUCN 2019).

Etymology:—The specific epithet of the new species honors Gloria Galeano Garcés (1958–2016), a Colombian botanist who published numerous and outstanding contributions about taxonomy, systematics, uses, and conservation of native Colombian and Neotropical Palms, in addition to important studies on the composition and structure of the Chocó Biogeographic region flora, and on the common names of the native Colombian flora given by rural and aboriginal communities. Gloria was also an inspiration to several generations of botanical students during her teaching and researching activities for more than 30 years at the herbarium COL and the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales (National University of Colombia).

Affinities:— Eugenia gloriae is apparently related to E. heterochroma , and both species can be differentiated by the characters mentioned in the diagnosis. Calyx lobes of E. gloriae develop apparently in unequal pairs, but just two calyx lobes remain complete in the only flower that has the holotype. In an immature fruit of the holotype is clear the unequal condition of calyx lobes (calyx lobes as remnants in the fruit apex), but those calyx lobes are larger in this fruit (up to 6 mm) than in the flower; additional flowering specimens are in need to study the calyx lobes variation on this species.

Infundibular hairs are uncommon among Myrtaceae but it has been reported in Eugenia ( Wilson 2011) ; Barrie (2005) mentioned a group of Mesoamerican Eugenia that has infundibular hairs mixed with dibrachiate and/or simple hairs. E. gloriae has infundibular hairs except on the inside of calyx lobes where the hairs are simple and appressed, but these simple hairs where only seen inside the persistent calyx lobes of an immature fruit; the sepals of the only flower of the holotype and the calyx lobes persistent on the only mature fruit are glabrous inside.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Eugenia gloriae. (A) Vegetative branch, (B) leaf bases, (C) flower buds, (D) lateral view of flower, (E) fruit. A–E from the holotype. Scale bar for B = 4 cm, scale bar for C and D = 2 mm, scale bar for E = 5 mm.