Tovomita calodictyos Sandwith

Marinho, Lucas Cardoso, Fiaschi, Pedro & Amorim, André Márcio, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the neotropical genus Tovomita (Clusiaceae), Willdenowia 55 (1), pp. 145-258 : 169

6. Tovomita calodictyos Sandwith in Kew Bull. 1936: 219. 1936. – Lectotype (designated here): Guyana, [Essequibo Islands–West Demerara], Tiger creek , Essequibo river, a small tree growing on brown sand, 9 Nov 1930, G. G. Brinsley 1002 (K [ K000488512 ]!; isolectotype: K [ K000488513 ]!).

Description — Trees up to 10 m tall, prop roots conspicuous; exudate yellow, scarce. Petioles 1.2–4.8 cm long, smooth, green, lenticels absent. Leaf blades 25–34.5 × 5.5–15.2 cm, green to greyish in sicco, black dots absent, coriaceous, elliptic to obovate, base convex to decurrent, apex convex to acuminate; papillae, lenticels and fungal spots absent; exudate canals inconspicuous. Venation: secondary veins 14–19 pairs, 7–27 mm apart from each other, forming angle 80°–85° to midvein, strongly prominent abaxially, immersed adaxially, arcuate and connecting near margin; intersecondary veins usually absent, rarely one per intercostal area, thinner than secondary veins, <50 % of subjacent secondary length; tertiary veins percurrent sinuous; intramarginal vein absent. Inflorescences: ♂ cyme with 3–7 basal branches, congested after second ramification, up to 260 flowers, lacking terminal flower, ♀ cyme with 3 basal branches and up to 15 flowers, lenticels absent. Pedicels 4–8.5 mm long, green, not articulated, calyptrae and lenticels absent. Floral buds 3.5–5.5 mm long, oblong to very broadly ovate, apex apiculate, lenticels absent, blackened in sicco. Sepals 2, 6–6.5 × 3–5.5 mm, oblong, apex apiculate, greenish; petals 4, 5.5–7 × 2.5– 3 mm, oblong to lanceolate, patent, apex rounded, coloration not seen. Staminate flowers: stamens 30–35 stamens, 2–4.5 mm long, heterodynamous; filaments terete, white; anthers 0.6–0.7 mm long, connective not exceeding thecae; pistillode not seen. Pistillate flowers: staminodes c. 30, 4.5–6 mm long, coloration not seen; ovary c. 4 mm long, 4-costate, 4-locular, coloration not seen, styles fused 2/3, free portion c. 5 mm long, stigmas 4, c. 1 mm in diam. Capsules fleshy, 2–5.5 × 1.3–1.8 cm, 4-septate, fusiform to spheroid when closed, not costate or lobed, rostrum present, 5–6 mm long, epicarp smooth, lenticels absent, coloration not seen; sepals, petals, staminodes and stigmas persistent. Seeds aril coloration not seen.

Distribution — Brazil (Pará), French Guiana (Saint-Georges, Saül), and Guyana (Cayúni-Mazaruni, Essequibo Islands–West Demerara, Upper Demerara-Berbice). Fig. 20.

Conservation status — Data Deficient (DD, Marinho & Beech 2019).

Nomenclatural notes — Both specimens of the type collection are deposited at K, but only one bears an inflorescence; this specimen was chosen as the lectotype (K000488512).

Recognition and discussion — Tovomita calodictyos can be identified even when sterile. The leaves have 14–19 pairs of secondary veins, which are almost perpendicular to the midvein (80°–85°) and connecting near the blade margin. When fertile, the inflorescences are elongated and congested after the second ramification, the floral buds are oblong with an apiculate apex. However, there seems to be a great difference between the floral buds of pistillate and staminate species. Some pistillate specimens from the state of Pará, Brazil, presented floral buds broadly ovate and fruits with thick styles, different from the staminate specimens from Guyana.

Selected specimens examined — BRAZIL: PARÁ: Óbidos , Flora de Trombetas , 00°58'10"S, 55°31'01"W, Apr 2008, bud, l. C. B . Lobato & C. A. S . Silva 3381 ( MG!) . — FRENCH GUIANA: SAINT-GEORGES: Régina forest , 23 Nov 1998, bud, P . Grenand 3132 ( NY!, P!) . SAÜL: La Fumée Mountain , 03°37'N, 53°12'W, 300 m, 19 May 1986, fr., S. A . Mori & T. D. Pennington 18056 ( NY!) . — GUYANA: CAYUNI-MAZARUNI: Kartabo triangle, 5 Jun 1950, fr., F2974 ( K!) . UPPER DEMERARA-BERBICE: West Demarara region, Mabura hill area, 05°20'N, 58°40'W, 50 m, 2 Jun 1986, bud, J. J . Pipoly 7489 ( B!, NY!) .