Eperua cerradoensis E.A. Fortes, G.S. da Silva & Mansano, 2023

Fortes, Elenice A., Da Silva, Guilherme S. & Mansano, Vidal F., 2023, Two new species of Eperua (Leguminosae, Detarioideae, Detarieae) from the Amazon and Cerrado Biomes discovered in a botanical garden and a backyard, Phytotaxa 591 (3), pp. 196-208 : 199-204

Eperua cerradoensis E.A. Fortes, G.S. da Silva & Mansano sp. nov ( Figs. 2–5 )

Type:— BRAZIL. Maranh „o, Caxias , Povoado Morro Agudo , Segundo Distrito, rio Itapecuru, área rural, 4°32’18”S 43°03’46”W, 24 March 2022, Gonçalves A . S . 02 (holotype RB [01458708]!, isotypes INPA!, UEC!, US!)

Diagnosis:— Eperua cerradoensis has short and erect inflorescences, non-tubular corollas, and exserted stamens. It differs from species with the same type of inflorescence, corolla and stamen by the combination (see Table 1 ): joined stipules, inconspicuous pellucidpunctate to epunctate leaflets, revolute margins, main vein depressed on the adaxial surface, larger and persistent bracteoles, short and erect inflorescences, stamens joined basally in a tube, glabrous sheath, tomentose ovary, tomentose fruits with alate dorsal margins.

Tree or treelet (1.6–) 3.5–11.5 m tall. Trunk 10.0– 15.7 cm in diameter, bark grayish to brownish, smooth to striate, lenticellate. Stipules 15.1–40.9 × 11.8–22.7 mm, joined, foliaceous, semiorbicular, persistent. Leaves (4–)5–7jugate, glabrous; petioles 2.0– 3.8 cm long; rachis 15.0–24.0 cm long; petiolules 5.3–8.4 mm long; blades 7.5–14.1 × 3.5–5.2 cm, coriaceous, glabrous, inconspicuous pellucid-punctate to epunctate, not discolorous, equilateral, lower pair ovate, middle pair ovate to elliptic, upper pair elliptic, apex attenuate to acuminate, mucronate, base asymmetrical, lower pair base rounded, middle pair base rounded to obtuse, upper pair base rounded to obtuse, margin revolute, secondary venation with two intramarginal veins, vein closer to the margin not continuous, main vein straight, depressed on the adaxial surface, tertiary veins slightly conspicuous. Inflorescences terminal, raceme, erect, tomentose, whitish, 10.0– 20.0 cm long; bracts 8.4 × 4.8 mm, ovate, cucullate, apex gland absent, tomentose, whitish, caducous; bracteoles 9.8– 12.7 × 6.5–9.8 mm, ovate, cucullate, apex gland absent, tomentose externally and within, whitish, persistent, attached to the lower portion of the pedicels; pedicel 18.0– 24.4 mm long, 3.0– 4.8 mm in diameter, not twisted, tomentose, whitish; buds 1.3–1.5 cm long, 1.0 cm in diameter, tomentose, whitish. Flowers: hypanthium 5.5–7.8 mm long, 7.7– 10.6 mm in diameter, cup-shaped, equilateral, tomentose, whitish; sepal 2.3–2.9 × 1.3–1.7 cm, elliptic, unequal, the outer ones larger, cucullate, apex gland absent, greenish-white, tomentose, inner sepals scarious marginally, whitish; adaxial petal 2.3–3.3 × 5.5–6.5 cm, oblate, non-tubular, apex rounded, base truncate, white, glabrous; petalodia 2.7–8.8 × 1.1–3.0 mm; stamens exserted, joined basally in a tube, longer filaments 6.0 cm long, shorter filaments 5.1 cm long, tube equilateral, 2.8–3.4 mm long, glabrous, anthers 10.8–12.4 × 2.6–2.9 mm, rectangular; ovary 9.6–13.0 × 3.3–3.7 mm, oblanceolate, tomentose, greenish, stipe 5.8–10.5 mm long, tomentose, style 2.7–4.9 cm long, glabrous, stigma capitate. Legumes 22.0 × 7.0 cm, stipe 2.6 cm long, elliptic-falcate, apex obtuse, apiculate, dorsal margin alate, yellowish-green, veins absent, tomentose, yellowish. Seeds 4 per fruit, 3.2 × 2.0 cm (immature), obovate, whitishbrown.

Phenology:— Flowers in March and September; fruits in September. Flowering probably starts in the rainy season (February-March) and end at the beginning of the dry season (September). The fruits collected in September were not completely mature and, thus, mature fruits are expected by the end of the dry season (October-November).

Distribution:—It has a disjoint distribution in the Eastern region of the state of Maranh„o ( Brazil) in the Itapecuru and Munin Basins, which are separated from the Amazon Basin by many other basins.

Habitat:— It is the only species that does not occur in the Amazon Biome. Eperua cerradoensis was collected in the Cerrado Biome, in the phytofisiognomies of “ cerrad„o”, secondary forest, ombrophilous lowland forest with a predominance of palm trees, and in open ombrophilous forest, on stony clayey soil, from 57 to 91 m elev. Eperua cerradoensis is a common tree on its area of occurrence.

Occurrence in protected areas: —Unknown.

Etymology:— The specific epithet alludes to its occurrence in the Cerrado Biome.

Vernacular names:— Embira de sapo ( Almeida A.B. 134), imbira de sapo ( Almeida A.B. 152), pitu (Oliveira D. 66), pracateira (Marinho M.A.O. 606, 629, Santos R.S. 296).

Uses:— In the type locality, Povoado Morro Agudo, it is mainly used to make charcoal and fences, and eventually in house construction but this is not a common usage because the local population reported that the plant is very favorable to wood-dwelling termites.

Taxonomic notes:— Besides the collections in the type locality, other sterile collections were found at UB. They match the diagnostic characteristics of E. cerradoensis by the foliaceous and joined stipules, (4–)5-jugate leaves, and equilateral leaflets ranging from ovate (lower and middle pairs) to elliptic (middle and upper pairs) in shape with attenuate to acuminate apex and main vein depressed on the adaxial surface.

Eperua cerradoensis , E. duckeana and E. schomburgkiana Bentham (1870: 226) are a differentiated group in the genus, presenting short and erect inflorescences, non-tubular corollas, and exserted stamens. Besides that, E. cerradoensis shares white petals with the two species above and a tomentose ovary with E. duckena . Eperua cerradoensis differs from the two species by many vegetative and floral characteristics summarized in Table 1 .

Specimens examined (Paratypes):— BRAZIL. Maranhão, Caxias, Povoado Morro Agudo, Segundo Distrito, área rural, 4°32’18.2”S 43°03’45.5”W, 18 September 2020, Gonçalves A.S. 01 (IAN [201061]!, HABIT [collection number 4283]!). Chapadinha, Cajazeiras, conglomerado MA-255, subunidade 1, subparcela 5, indivíduo 16, F6, 60 m elev., 3°46’48”S 43°33’36”W, 30 May 2018, Marinho M.A.O. 606 (UB [0120836] image!); Cajazeiras, conglomerado MA-255, subunidade 3, subparcela 10, indivíduo 11, F8, 60 m elev., 3°46’48”S 43°33’36”W, 30 May 2018, Marinho M.A.O. 629 (UB[0120833] image!). Nina Rodrigues, Mangueira , conglomerado MA-202, subunidade 1, subparcela 1, indivíduo 4, F6, 57 m elev., 3°25’12”S 43°44’24.1”W, 05 September 2018, Almeida A.B. 134 (UB[0120838] image!); Mangueira, conglomerado MA-202, subunidade 3, subparcela 10, indivíduo 13, F8, 57 m elev., 3°25’12”S 43°44’24”W, 05 September 2018, Almeida A.B. 152 (UB[0120837] image!). Timbiras, comunidade Morada Nova, conglomerado MA-305, subunidade 2, subparcela 1, indivíduo 10, F6, 94 m elev., 4°8’24”S 43°44’24”W, 02 May 2018, Oliveira D. 66 (UB[0120834] image!); Bacabalzinho, conglomerado MA-304, subunidade 3, subparcela 1, indivíduo 10, F8, 91 m elev., 4°08’24”S 43°55’12”W, 28 March 2017, Santos R.S. 296 (UB[0120835] image!).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Geographic distribution of Eperua cerradoensis and Eperua manausensis. Biome shape from IBGE (2019).

FIGURE 3. Eperua cerradoensis: A. habit; B. trunk base; C. bark as a background for a photo of the inflorescence in bud; D. leaf, bar 3 cm; E. stipules, bar 1 cm; F. intramarginal vein, bar 1 mm; G. epunctate leaflet, bar 1 mm; H. adaxial surface of leaflet, bar 1 cm; I. fruits, bar 3 cm. Photos, A–D, I: A.S. Gonçalves; E–H: E.A. Fortes.

FIGURE 4. Eperua cerradoensis: A–B. inflorescence and detail of indumentum, bar 1cm; C. flower, bar 1 cm; D. sepals, bar 1 cm; E. adaxial petal, bar 1 cm; F. stamens, bar 1 cm; G. three of the four petalodia, bar 1 cm; H. carpel and detail of ovary indumentum, bar 1 cm. Photos, A.S. Gonçalves.

FIGURE 5. Eperua cerradoensis: A. leaf; B. detail of leaflet margin, abaxial side, showing the intramarginal vein; C. stipules; D. inflorescence; E. detail of the indumentum of the main axis of the inflorescence and the pedicel; F. flower, lateral view with pair of bracteoles and scar of the caducous bract; G. flower, polar vision; H. sepal; I. petal; J. four petalodia; K. detail of the stamen tube and petalodia (sepals and petals removed); L. detail of the glabrous stamen tube and intrastaminal nectaries; M. anther, side view; N. carpel; O. detail of the ovary indumentum; P. stigma; Q. fruit; R. detail of the fruit indumentum. Specimen: Gonçalves A.S. 01 and 02. Illustrated by Marcus Falc„o.