Vismia sp.

Cabral, Fernanda Nunes, Bittrich, Volker & Hopkins, Michael John Gilbert, 2017, Clusiaceae s. l. (Calophyllaceae, Clusiaceae s. s. and Hypericaceae) in the Viruá National Park, Roraima, Brazil, Phytotaxa 329 (1), pp. 1-27 : 22-23

8.5 Vismia sp. ( Fig. 8B )

Shrubs up to 1.8 m. Exudate orange. Lamina subcoriaceous, elliptical, 7.7–12.8 × 2.7–4 cm, apex acute to acuminate, base acute to cuneate, with chocolate-brown glands abaxially; secondary veins prominent, conspicuous on both surfaces, 8–14 pairs, distant 6.1–9.7 mm; petiole 7.8–10.5 mm long. Flowers not seen. Sepals 7.8–9.0 × 3.8–4.4 mm, chocolate-brown. Fascicles of stamens 8 mm. Fruit 0.8–0.9 × 0.6–0.7 cm, ellipsoid, fascicles of stamens sepals and style persistent in fruit, sepals reflexed.

Phenology:—Flowering unknown; fruiting November.

Distribution and habitat:—Currently, this plant has only been found at VNP. It occurs in the transition area between terra-firme and white-sand vegetation.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Roraima: Caracaraí, Viruá National Park, elevation 70 m, 1º29’11’’N, 61º01’00’’W, 30 November 2009, fr., Cabral et al. 65 (INPA).

Taxonomic notes:—The specimen collected at VNP has obvious morphological differences when compared with the isotype of most similar species such as V. steyermarkii Robson (1990: 411) (i.e. Maguire & Steyermark 46799, NY). This collection is likely to represent a new species as it differs from other species with fascicles of stamens persistent in fruit. For instance, Vismia macrophylla also has persistent fascicles, but it is clearly different in vegetative characters, such as larger leaf size (10–42 × 6–18 cm, vs. 7.7–12.8 × 2.7–4 cm in Vismia sp. ), larger petiole (10–25 mm long, vs. 7.8–10.5 mm long in Vismia sp. ), cordate to rounded leaf base (vs. acute to cuneate in Vismia sp. ), and the shape of its petals (see comments on V. macrophylla above). We could only find one voucher specimen of this plant in fruit, which is not sufficient to produce a complete diagnosis and describe it as a new species. Thus, description of this entity will be postponed until flowering material is available for us to study.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Vismia macrophylla (A. Flower, photo from specimen collected in Serra Tepequem, Roraima, Brazil, Amaral & Bittrich 2015/01) and Vismia sp. (B. Fruit).