Eugenia malcomberi N. Snow, 2015

Snow, Neil, Callmander, Martin & Phillipson, Peter B., 2015, Studies of Malagasy Eugenia - IV: Seventeen new endemic species, a new combination, and three lectotypifications; with comments on distribution, ecological and evolutionary patterns, PhytoKeys 49, pp. 59-121 : 71-74

Eugenia malcomberi N. Snow sp. nov. holotype (Figure 14): http://www.tropicos.org/Image/100314912

Haec species a congeneris madagascariensibus folia grandia habentibus foliis late ellipticis ad basem rotundatis plerumque plus quam 15 cm longis distinguitur.

Type.

MADAGASCAR. Prov. Toliara: NW of Tolagnaro, Reserve Naturelle Integrale #11 (Andohahela) parcelle I, NW of Eminiminy, beside River Itrotroky, 24°38'S, 46°46'E, 500-1000 m, 6-13 Feb. 1993, S. Malcomber 2117 + H. van der Werff, C. Hemingway, M. van Bergen, S. Rapanarivo, P.J. Rakotomalaza, O. Andrianantoanina & B. Randriamampionona (holotype: MO-6277745!; isotypes: KSP [KSP000046]!, P [P05131986]!, TAN).

Description.

Trees to 6 meters tall; bark of main bole unknown. Indumentum (where noted) of vegetative and reproductive material sericeous (hairs dibrachiate and typically reddish or brownish). Emerging (youngest) branchlets laterally compressed, sparsely hairy, glandular, color uncertain; older branchlets becoming terete, soon glabrous, mostly eglandular, becoming brownish-gray, smooth. Leaves evenly distributed along branchlets (nodes greater than 9 cm apart), coriaceous, venation brochidodromous, strongly discolorous, matte above and below. Axillary colleters present (type A; Snow et al. 2003) on youngest emerging leaves, otherwise absent. Petioles 8-11 mm long, flattened above, sparsely hairy upon emergence but becoming glabrous, glandular (particularly above adjacent to blade). Leaf blades 14.7-22.6 × (9.3-)10.0-)12.5 cm, broadly elliptic (mostly) or ovate, base rounded, margin and blade surface flat, apex and tip acute; abaxial surface sparsely hairy at emergence becoming glabrous, oil glands prominent (becoming less so), midvein broad (1.5-2.0 mm wide) and flush at emergence but becoming slightly sulcate in older leaves at least proximally; abaxial surface glabrous, oil glands sparse to moderate on laminar surface but common on midvein, midvein protruding but becoming flush or nearly so towards apex, secondary and intramarginal veins prominent, the veins connecting secondaries also prominent and broadly arching; intramarginal vein relatively faint, irregularly sinuous and 2-3 mm from midpoint at laminar margin. Inflorescence mostly ramiflorous or axillary, fasciculate clusters and comprised monads and triads to 5-7-flowered cymes. Bracteoles 1.1-1.8 mm × ca. 0.5 mm, ovate, sparsely hairy, glandular, mostly persisting during anthesis. Hypanthium 4.3-4.5 × 4.0-5.3 mm wide below base of calyx lobes, cupulate, sparsely to moderately hairy especially towards base, oil glands common to dense. Calyx lobes 4, 3.5-6.5 mm long, rounded to broadly obovate, apex obtuse, sparsely ciliate, oil glands moderately common and projecting (especially lower surface), consisting of two longer (inner) lobes and two shorter outer lobes (the bases of the outer lobes covering the bases of the inner lobes in bud), evidently whitish in flower. Petals 4 (5 on one flower), 11-17.5 × 6-12 mm, obovate to widely obovate, glabrous, white, oil glands sparse to common and pronounced. Staminal ring ca. 3.5-4.5 mm in diameter, glabrous. Stamens (estimated) 100-150; filaments 5-13 mm long; anther sacs 0.7-0.9 mm long, globose to subcylindrical; connective bearing one faint apical gland or eglandular. Ovary apex glabrous. Style 10-13 mm long, glabrous, eglandular; stigma narrow (barely if at all swollen). Berries not seen, indicated as being green on specimen label.

Epynomy.

The new species honors Dr. Simon Malcomber (b. 1967), who collected the type material and nearly two thousand specimens from Madagascar in the early 1990s.

Phenology.

Flowering in early February; fruiting probably late February through at least mid-March.

Distribution.

Known only from the type gathering in Toliara in parcelle I of the Reserve Naturelle Integrale #11 northwest of Taolognaro, in south-western Madagascar. This region is near the southern terminus of the humid forests that occur east of the main escarpment that run latitudinally along much of the length of Madagascar (Fig. 4).

Habitat and ecology.

The species was collected in a riverine habitat in a rainforest. Some of the (undistributed) type material is heavily clothed in epiphytic mosses, Hymenophyllaceae , and lichens.

Conservation status.

Eugenia malcomberi occurs in the Andohahela protected area (parcel I). No indication was provided on the label about its relative abundance at the time it was collected. Google ™ Earth imagery (April 2013) shows a more or less continuous band of primary forest extending ca. 42 km south and ca. 135 km northeast, and ca. 10 km wide (east to west) at comparable elevations from the type locality. Considering its occurence in a nature reserve in fairly rugged terrain with considerable topographic relief, but also because it is known only from a single subpopulation with an AOO of 9 km2, Eugenia malcomberi is assigned a preliminary risk of extinction of “Vulnerable” [VU D2] following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2012).

Comments.

The petals during anthesis are quite large relative to the size of the flower buds, suggesting that they enlarge rapidly during early anthesis.