Eugenia jutai M.A.D.Souza & Sobral, 2022

Souza, Maria Anália Duarte De, Sobral, Marcos & Amorim, Gabriela, 2022, Six new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from Amazonian Brazil, Phytotaxa 536 (3), pp. 197-212 : 202-205

3. Eugenia jutai M.A.D.Souza & Sobral , sp. nov.

Type :— BRAZIL. Amazonas : Jutaí, Estação Ecológica Jutaí-Solimões, -3.23472, - 67.43525, 11 June 2014, M.T.M. Ferreira & J.M. Lanna s.n. (INPA 269695!, holotype). Figure 4 .

Diagnosis:—This species is morphologically related to Eugenia campina Sobral & M.A.D.Souza (in Souza & Sobral 2018: 20; type image INPA 46541), but differs by its blades adaxially dull when dry (versus vernicose in E. campina ), with midvein adaxially impressed (vs. raised) and lateral veins and higher order venation scarcely or not visible on both faces (vs. visible), pedicels 18–27 × 0.4–0.5 mm (vs. 10–15 × 0.5 mm) and bracteoles glabrous, 0.8–1.4 × 0.6–1 mm (vs. sparsely pilose, 0.4–0.6 × 0.3 mm); it is also morphologically close to the widespread E. pseudopsidium Jacquin (1760: 23 ; for additional description see Souza 2015: 74; type image LINN HS883-10) and E. tepuiensis Steyermark (1957: 1015 ; type image F 0065342F). From Eugenia pseudopsidium it is differs by its leaves with petioles about 5% of the blade’s length (vs. 10–20% in E. pseudopsidium ), blades with lateral veins and higher order venation scarcely or not visible (vs. visible), with apex obtuse or very shortly acuminate (vs. visibly acuminate) with margin with a yellow or brown girdle to 0.4 mm wide (vs. girdle absent); from E. tepuiensis it differs by its blades 55–82 × 29–47 mm, 1.7–1.9 times longer than wide (vs. 35–80 × 15–30 mm, 2.3–2.7 times longer than wide in E. tepuiensis ) and pedicels 18–27 × 0.4–0.5 mm, 45–50 times longer than wide (vs. 8–12 × 0.5 mm, 16–24 times longer than wide).

Description:—Shrub (height not recorded). Plants glabrous, except for scattered simple grey trichomes to 0.1 mm on the staminal ring of flowers. Twigs terete or slightly applanate, grey, finely longitudinally striate, the internodes 25–50 × 2–3 mm. Leaves with petioles semiterete, moderately sulcate adaxially, 3–4.8 × 1–1.5 mm; blades elliptic to elliptic-oblong, 55–82 × 29–47 mm, 1.7–2 times longer than wide, usually dull olive green or brown, sometimes shining when dry, dull and sometimes lighter abaxially; glands scarcely visible on both sides, sometimes slightly excavated adaxially, 4–6/mm², about 0.1 mm in diameter; base widely acute or sometimes abruptly attenuate; apex obtuse or shortly acute; midvein impressed adaxially and raised abaxially; lateral veins scarcely visible adaxially, perceptible and sometimes slightly raised abaxially, 12–13 at each side, leaving the midvein at angles 60–70°, the secondary lateral veins scarcely visible; intramarginal vein 2–3 mm from the revolute margin, the margin itself with a yellow girdle 0.3–0.4 mm wide. Inflorescences axillary or ramiflorous, fasciculiform, with 2 to 6 flowers arising from an axis 2–3 × 1 m; bracts triangular, to 1 × 1 mm; pedicels 18–27 × 0.4–0.5 mm, with evident glands; bracteoles elliptic to widely triangular, 0.8–1.4 × 0.6–1 mm, persisting at anthesis, carenate, with a visible darker mucron 0.1–0.2 mm; flower buds obovate, 6–8 × 4–5 mm, the ovary drying markedly darker than the rest, the globe of the petals visible over the calyx; sepals four, in two unequal pairs, the outer ones hemispheric, 1.5–2 × 2.2–2.7, the inner ones widely ovate, 2.8–3 × 2.2–2.5 mm, these usually reflexed after anthesis; petals four, obovate, 7–10 × 6–7 mm, with cilia to 0.1 mm; stamens with filaments to 5 mm, the anthers elliptic, 0.6–0.7 × 0.5 mm, apparently eglandular; staminal ring 2.5–3 mm wide, with scattered white trichomes to 0.1 mm; calyx tube absent or to 0.3 mm deep; style 6–9 mm, the stigma punctiform and papillose; ovary bilocular, with locular walls glabrous, with 9–10 ovules per locule. Fruits not seen.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:—This species is presently known only from the municipality of Jutaí, in the western portion of the state of Amazonas, where it was collected in flowers in June. There is no additional information regarding its habitat.

Affinities:—This species is morphologically related with the Brazilian Eugenia campina , with the widespread northern South American and Antillean Eugenia pseudopsidium , and the Venezuelan E. teupiensis , with which it is compared in the diagnosis. Considering the fasciculiform inflorescences, it may be assigned to Eugenia section Umbellatae , according to the sectional classification of Mazine et al. (2016, 2018).

Conservation:—The municipality of Jutaí has an area of 69,457 km ², from which there are recorded about 1,400 collections, resulting in a sampling index of 0.02 collection/km², a very limited collection effort. Considering this, the fact that only two collections from this species are known may not be considered an indicative of its rareness; in light of this we suggest that Eugenia jutai be scored as DD (Data Deficient) according to IUCN conservation criteria ( IUCN 2019: 78).

Etymology:—The epithet is an apposition of the name of the collection place.

Paratype:— BRAZIL. Amazonas : Jutaí, Estação Ecológica Jutaí-Solimões, -3.27476, -67.33110, 2 June 2014, M.T.M. Ferreira & J.M. Lanna s.n. (INPA 269666!) .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Eugenia jutai. Holotype (scale = 50 mm).