Tovomita carinata Eyma

Marinho, Lucas Cardoso, Fiaschi, Pedro & Amorim, André Márcio, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the neotropical genus Tovomita (Clusiaceae), Willdenowia 55 (1), pp. 145-258 : 172-173

9. Tovomita carinata Eyma in Meded. Bot. Mus. Herb. Rijks Univ. Utrecht 4: 36. 1932. – Lectotype (designated here): Suriname, [Brokopondo], Brownsberg ,

Guiana batava, in cacumine, 1 Jul 1924, B. W . 6730 (U

[U0002433] photo!; isotypes: K [ K000488514 ]!, NY

[NY00579003]!, U [U0002434] photo!).

= Tovomita obscura Sandwith in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936: 214. 1936, syn. nov. – Holotype: Guyana, [Cayúni-Mazaruni], Bartica-Portaro road, 88 miles from Bartica, c. 400 ft, 27 Jun 1933, T. G. Tutin 300 (K [ K000488506 ]!; isotypes: BM [ BM000047405 ] photo!, U [ U0002438 ] photo!, US [ US 00114297] photo!).

Description — Trees up to 18 m tall, prop roots conspicuous; exudate yellow, quantity not seen. Petioles 15–20 mm long, smooth, coloration not seen, lenticels absent. Leaf blades 9.5–16.5 × 2.8–5.9 cm, greyish adaxially and copper-coloured abaxially in sicco, subcoriaceous, black dots absent, elliptic to obovate, base convex to decurrent, apex acuminate to rounded; papillae present, lenticels and fungal spots absent; exudate canals inconspicuous. Venation: secondary veins 17–20 pairs, 5–10 mm apart from each other, forming angle 50°–60° to midvein, prominent in both surfaces in sicco, straight near margin; intersecondary veins present, two or more per intercostal area, similar to secondary veins, parallel to major secondary,> 50 % of subjacent secondary length; tertiary veins inconspicuous; intramarginal vein present. Inflorescences: ♂ lax cyme with 5 basal branches and up to 50 flowers, lacking terminal flower, ♀ single flower, lenticels absent. Pedicels 3–6 mm long, coloration not seen, distal and proximal portion with same gauge, proximally articulated on lateral flowers of dichasia, calyptrae and lenticels absent. Floral buds 3–5 mm long, oblong, apex rounded to apiculate, lenticels absent, blackened in sicco. Sepals 2, 2.5–6.2 × 4–5 mm, oblong, apex round- ed, white to greenish; petals 4, 4.2–4.8 × 1–2 mm, oblong to linear, reflexed, apex rounded, white to greenish. Staminate flowers: stamens 26–34, 2.8–4 mm long, heterodynamous; filaments terete, white, blackened in sicco; anthers 0.2–0.3 mm long, connective not exceeding thecae; pistillode c. 0.5 mm long, 5 rudimentary stigmas. Pistillate flowers not seen. Capsules fleshy, 2.8–3.2 × 1.5–1.7 cm, 5-septate, fusiform to pyriform when closed, strongly costate, rostrum present, c. 11 mm long, epicarp smooth, lenticels absent, green when immature and mature, mesocarp red; sepals, petals and staminodes caducous, stigmas persistent. Aril orange.

Iconography — Illustration available in Eyma (1932: 36).

Distribution — Bolivia (Beni), Brazil (Amazonas), Colombia (Putumayo), French Guiana (Kourou, Montsinéry-Tonnegrande, Saül, Sinnamary), Guyana (Cayúni-Mazaruni), Peru (Loreto), Suriname (Brokopondo, Paramaribo). Fig. 25.

Conservation status — Least Concern (DD, Marinho & Beech 2019).

Recognition and discussion — Specimens of Tovomita carinata were for a long time determined as T. acutiflora or T. tenuiflora . Although they have a similar arrangement of secondary veins, these three species can be distinguished by leaf coloration in sicco: in T. carinata the leaves are greyish adaxially and copper-coloured abaxially (vs copper-coloured in T. acutiflora , and dark brown in T. tenuiflora on both sides). Also, the leaves are subcoriaceous in T. carinata (vs chartaceous in both other species). The floral buds of T. carinata have a rounded apex, rarely apiculate, features that are also observed in T. acutiflora , but the apiculate form is less frequent. Moreover, the floral buds of T. carinata become blackened in sicco, as well as those of T. tenuiflora , but never with an acute apex, as in T. tenuiflora . The number of stamens is also different: <35 in T. carinata vs> 45 in T. acutiflora and T. tenuiflora .

Selected specimens examined — BOLIVIA: BENI: Prov. of Vaca Diez , 11°45'S, 66°02'W, 200 m, 27 Mar 1984, bud, B. M . Boom 4783 ( GH!) . — BRAZIL: AMAZONAS: Serra do Aracá , southern massif, 00°48'S, 63°18'W, 28 Feb 1984, bud, J . Pipoly & al. 6734 ( CAS!) . — COLOMBIA: PUTUMAYO: Mocoa, zona amortiguamento Parque Nacional Natural Churumbelos , 01°06'N, 76°36'W, 919 m, 12 Dec 2018, bud, N . Bustamante & A. M . Pardo P2-485 ( COAH!) . — FRENCH GUIANA: MONTSINÉRY-TONNEGRANDE: Montagne des Chavaux , 04°44'34"N, 52°26'12"W, 28 m, 20 Oct 2007, bud, O . Tostain 790 ( K!) . SAÜL: Monts Lá Fumée , 03°37'N, 53°12'W, 200– 400 m, 23 Nov 1982, bud, S . Mori & B. Boom 15248 ( NY!) . SINNAMARY: Sinnamary river, above Petit Saut , 05°00'N, 53°01'W, 87 m, 4 Sep 1993, sterile, S . Mori & al. 23580 (NY!). — PERU: LORETO: Maynas Province, Indiana , 03°30'S, 73°05'W, 108 m, 24 Oct 1989, bud, R . Vásquez & N. Jaramillo 12994 ( B!) . — SURINAME: BROKOPONDO: Brownberg , 1 Jan 1924, sterile, B. W . 6730 (K!). PARAMARIBO: Kaboeri creek , 1 km of base-camp, 14 Apr 1965, fr., P. J. M . Maas 10721 ( A!) .