Marlierea subacuminata Kiaerskou (1893: 50)

Santos, Matheus F., 2025, Taxonomic monograph of Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis (Myrciinae, Myrteae, Myrtaceae), an endemic clade of Eastern South America, Phytotaxa 703 (1), pp. 1-100 : 75-84

16. Myrcia vellozoi Mazine (in Mazine et al. 2014: 98) ( Figures 4 , 42A–H , 43–47 ).

≡ Myrtus racemosa Vellozo (1829: 202, t. 60). Eugeniopsis cannifolia O. Berg (1857 –1859: 148), nom. superfl. Marlierea cannifolia Niedenzu (1893: 76) , nom. superfl. Marlierea racemosa (Vell.) Kiaerskou (1893: 51) . Type:— Brazil, Rio de Janeiro (specimen lost) (lectotype original parchment plate of the Florae Fluminensis deposited at the Manuscript Section of the Biblioteca Nacional of Rio de Janeiro, latter published in Vellozo [{1827} 1831], v. 5, tabula 60, designated here [amend Mazine et al. 2014, who designated the plate as a neotype]). Epitype:— Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, mun. Rio de Janeiro, “Corcovado”, 21 March 1882 (fl.), Glaziou 11996 (K! [K000330579] designated by Mazine et al. (2014); isoepitypes P! [P05208976], R! [R000008880] [image], US! [1123480] [image]).

= Eugeniopsis affinis O. Berg (1857 –1859: 149). Marlierea affinis (O.Berg) D. Legrand (1962a: 30) . Type:— Brazil, Bahia, no date (fl.), Luschnath s.n. (holotype HAL! [HAL89747]).

= Marlierea subacuminata Kiaerskou (1893: 50) , syn. nov. Myrcia subacuminata (Kiaersk.) M.F.Santos (in Santos et al. 2019: 6). Type:— Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, “Alto Macahé”, 8 January 1889 (fl.), Glaziou 17672 (holotype C! [C10015784]; isotypes K! [K000330580], P! [P00217962]).

= Marlierea krapovickae D.Legrand (in Legrand & Klein 1971: 484), syn. nov. Type:— Brazil, Santa Catarina, mun. Florianópolis, “Ilha de Santa Catarina, Morro Costa da Lagoa, 300 m ”, 15 February 1967 (fl.), Klein 7241 (holotype MVM; isotypes FLOR! [ FLOR0016224 ] [image], HBR!, MO [2476113]).

= Myrcia ubatubana Mazine & Sobral (in Sobral et al. 2016: 39), syn. nov. Type: — BRAZIL. São Paulo: mun. Ubatuba, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar , -23.4339, -45.0711, 800 m, 13 April 2011 (fl.), Souza s.n. (holotype IAC 53476 , isotype HUFSJ! [image]).

Description:— Tree (rarely shrub), 2 to 25 m high. Trichome reddish, simple or dibrachiate (often stellate), 0.05–0.20 mm. Twig when young flattened and often sulcate, tomentose or pubescent to puberulent, when mature greyish (when dry), cylindrical, cortex slightly cracked; branching monopodial or sometimes sympodial, internode 1.3–10.5 cm, node slender; cataphylls sometimes present at the base of the SGU (especially in the sympodial branching), foliaceous, deciduous; buds tomentose or pubescent (rarely hispid). Leaf concolorous or often discolorous, adaxially green and abaxially ferrugineous (due to trichomes), chartaceous, blade 7.3–26.5(32) × 1.8–10.4 cm, narrowly to widely elliptic, (rarely) lanceolate to ovate or obovate, apex acuminate to acute or often caudate, base narrowly cuneate to rounded or sometimes attenuate (rarely truncate), margin plane (rarely revolute at the base), secondary veins 2–14 mm apart, held at an angle of 65–80° relative to the midvein, one or two marginal veins, the first 1.0–3.0 mm and the second 0.5–1.0 mm from the margin, tertiary veins conspicuous to inconspicuous in both surfaces, areoles 0.2–1.0(2.5) mm, pellucid dots conspicuous to inconspicuous in the abaxial surface, 2–8 per mm 2; adaxial surface subglabrate (puberulent in the midvein) to glabrous, secondary veins plane to raised; abaxial surface pubescent to glabrous (rarely tomentose), secondary veins plane to raised; petiole 3–18 × 1–4 mm, canaliculate, tomentose, pubescent to puberulent (rarely hispid). Inflorescence ochraceous to ferrugineous in the rachis (due to trichomes), 3.5–11.9 × 1.0–13.0 cm, 3–77 flowers, axillar at the subterminal nodes (central bud developing a vegetative branch) or often at the terminal node of the SGU, usually one inflorescence per axillary bud, inflorescence pherophyll persistent or deciduous, opposite branching, three (rarely five) branching per node, rachis tomentose or pubescent to puberulent, first internode of central rachis 1–3 mm wide; bracts 2.0–6.0(11.2) × 1.5–4.0(8.0) mm, deciduous, ovate to widely ovate or obovate, plane to concave or keeled, apex acute to rounded (rarely caudate), base rounded to truncate, external surface tomentose or puberulent, internal surface puberulent to glabrous (rarely tomentose); bracteoles 0.8–5.0 × 0.2–4.0 mm, deciduous, elliptic, oblong or ovate to widely ovate, plane to concave, apex acuminate to rounded, base cuneate or truncate, external surface puberulent (rarely tomentose), internal surface puberulent to glabrous (rarely tomentose). Flower bud 3.2–5.0 × 2.4–5.0 mm, clavate (rarely obovate), corolla hidden or barely apparent before anthesis; hypanthium 1.2–2.6 mm extending above the summit of the ovary, not tearing at anthesis or often with a small vertical rip (but not tearing the staminal ring), externally tomentose or pubescent to puberulent, pellucid dots covering the whole surface (sometimes covered by the indument); calyx 4–merous, lobes 1.2–2.5 × 1.2–4.0 mm, not fused, deciduous parallel to the hypanthium ring, depressed ovate to widely depressed ovate or widely ovate to very widely ovate, concave, apex obtuse to rounded, externally tomentose or pubescent to puberulent, internally puberulent; corolla 4–5– merous, petals cream to white, 1.2–3.2 × 1.4–3.2 mm, widely depressed ovate to very widely depressed ovate, very widely ovate or very widely obovate, plane to concave, apex rounded, externally pubescent to glabrous, internally puberulent to glabrous; staminal ring 0.2–0.9 mm wide, puberulent (rarely glabrous), stamens 80–155, filament 2.4–10.0 mm long, anther 0.16–0.48 × 0.24–0.72 mm, gland at the apex; ovary 0.8–2.0 × 0.8–2.0 mm, obconic, style 6.0–10.0 mm long, glabrous, stigma punctiform. Fruit mature vinaceous to black, 1.3–2.1 × 1.3–2.0, globose, base rounded or obconic, puberulent to glabrous, totally covered by pellucid dots, remnants of hypanthium and calyx present; seeds 1 or 2 per fruit.

Distribution and Habitat: — Myrcia vellozoi occurs within the Atlantic Forest domain, spanning the Brazilian states of Bahia (southern), Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais (eastern), Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina (eastern), and São Paulo (eastern) ( Figure 4 ). It primarily inhabits rainforest, with occasional occurrences in semideciduous forest, restinga, and rarely rocky outcrops. The species is found in the canopy, undercanopy, forest edges, and riparian zones, at elevation ranging from 13 to 1,093 meters.

Phenology: —Flowering is recorded from September to June, with a peak in December and January. Fruiting occurs year-round, with mature fruits observed from May to August, as well as in February and October.

Conservation Status: — Myrcia vellozoi has an Extent of Occurrence of approximately 334,310 km 2 (threshold of Least Concern; sensu IUCN 2022), is documented in several protected areas, and has been recently collected from diverse localities. The Area of Occupancy (228 km 2, threshold of Endangered) is relatively small, but this may be due to low collection density. Based on this context, the species is here preliminarily considered to be of Least Concern (LC; IUCN 2022).

Taxonomy: — Myrcia vellozoi exhibits significant morphological variability within Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis ( Figures 43–47 ), with variation in indument type and density, as well as in leaf shape and size. A review of herbarium collections since Santos et al. (2019) has revealed a morphological continuum in some traits, leading to the synonymization of Myrcia subacuminata (formerly distinguished by denser indumentum; see Figure 46 ), Myrcia krapovickae (previous synonym of the former species), and Myrcia ubatubana (formerly characterized by narrower leaves with elongated apices, and slightly more persistent bracts; see Figure 47 ) under Myrcia vellozoi . Distinctive characteristics of M. vellozoi include monopodial or often sympodial branching, leaf blades typically longer than 13.5 and wider than 4.5 cm, with acute to acuminate apices, inflorescence emerging from subterminal (often terminal) nodes of the SGU, large flower bud, and a tetramerous calyx ( Figure 42A–H ). Myrcia vellozoi is morphologically similar to Myrcia ferruginosa , Myrcia gaudichaudiana and Myrcia tenondeporan (see comments under these species for distinguishable features). Specimens from central Rio de Janeiro state exhibit elongated leaf blades resembling those of Myrcia suberosa (e.g., Costa 688, Oliveira 799, 8541). Vernacular names include “araçarana” (São Paulo state), “camuci” (Espírito Santo state), and “murta” (Bahia state).

Illustrations and images in previous works: —Vellozo (1831, as Myrtus racemosa ), Berg (1857 –1859, as Eugeniopsis cannifolia ), Kiaerskou (1893, as Marlierea subacuminata ), Legrand & Klein (1971, as Marlierea krapovickae ), Sobral et al. (2016, as Myrcia ubatubana ), Fernandes et al. (2020, as Myrcia vellozoi and M. subacuminata ), Scaravelli et al. (2022, erroneously cited as Myrcia ferruginosa ).

Additional specimens examined: — UNKNOWN COUNTRY(PROBABLY BRAZIL), no date(fl.), J. B. E . Pohl s.n. ( W); March 1818 (fl.), J. B. E . Pohl 267 (5762) ( W). BRAZIL. Unknown state/province, no date (fl.), Sellow s.n. ( BR845119 , F936892 , K000330559 , LE00004010 , P00217968 , P00217970 ); ibidem, no date (fr.), L . Riedel 348 ( P, S, W); no date (fr.), L . Riedel s.n. ( K000330576 ); no date (fr.), L . Riedel s.n. ( P05208977 ). Bahia: Mun. Ilhéus, December 1984 (fl.), M . Sobral 3590 ( G); ibidem, 7 November 1980 (fl.), L. A . Mattos-Silva 1234 ( CEPEC, K, NY). Mun. Una , 24 January 1996 (fr.), A. M. A . Amorim 1907 ( CEPEC, NY); ibidem 28 June 1993 (fl.), A. M . Carvalho 4261 ( CEPEC, NY); ibidem, 19 February 2006 (fr.), J. L . Paixão 702 ( CEPEC, NY, RB); ibidem, 20 September 1998 (fl.), S. C . Sant’Ana 682 ( CEPEC, NY). Espírito Santo: Mun. Conceição da Barra , 26 March 1992 (fr.), O. J . Pereira 3158 ( RB, VIES). Mun. Itaguaçu , 23 August 2007 (fr.), J . Rossini 670 ( MBML, SPF); ibidem, 7 February 2006 (fr.), R. C . Britto 113 ( MBML, SPF). Mun. Linhares , 15 October 2002 (st.), A. P . Santos-Gonçalves 826 ( UEC); ibidem, 15 May 1997 (fr.), D. A . Folli 3006 ( UEC); ibidem, 10 February 1999 (fl.), E . Nic Lughadha 187 ( K, RB, SP, SPF); ibidem, 27 March 2013 (fr.), G. S . Siqueira 866 ( RB); ibidem, 31 March 2012 (fr.), J. E. Q . Faria 2525 ( K); ibidem, 13 February 1978 (fl.), J . Spada 47/78 ( BHCB, RB). Mun. Santa Leopoldina , 18 May 2006 (fr.), L. F. S . Magnago 1037 ( MBML, SPF); ibidem, 18 May 2006 (fr.), L. F. S . Magnago 1052 ( MBML); ibidem, 15 March 2007 (fl.), V . Demuner 3225 ( MBML). Mun. Santa Maria de Jetibá , 24 June 2003 (fr.), L . Kollmann 6231 ( MBML, SPF). Mun. Santa Teresa , 11 April 2000 (fl.), V . Demuner 886 ( MBML, SPF, UEC); ibidem, 29 January 1997 (fl.), G . Hupp 74 ( MBML, SPF, UEC); ibidem, 4 January 2006 (fl.), R. C . Britto 53 ( MBML, SPF); ibidem, 26 August 1993 (st.), L . D. Thomaz 1500 ( MBML); ibidem, 25 August 1993 (st.), L . D. Thomaz 1501 ( MBML); ibidem, 10 March 1999 (fl.), L . Kollmann 2096 ( BHCB, MBML, SPF, UEC); ibidem, 9 August 2007 (fr.), L . Kollmann 10023 ( MBML, SPF); ibidem, 13 November 2011 (st.), M. F . Santos 734 ( K, SPF); ibidem, 28 June 1989 (fr.), W . Pizziolo 336 ( K, MBML, RB); ibidem, 15 July 2003 (fr.), J . Rossini 383 ( MBML); ibidem, 19 August 2003 (fr.), J . Rossini 461 ( MBML); ibidem, 5 September 2003 (fr.), J . Rossini 550 ( MBML, SPF); ibidem, 11 June 2002 (fr.), R. R . Vervloet 347 ( BHCB, MBML); ibidem, 17 September 2002 (fr.), R. R . Vervloet 885 ( BHCB, MBML, SPF); ibidem, 19 September 2002 (fr.), R. R . Vervloet 1022 ( BHCB, MBML, SPF). Mun. Venda Nova do Imigrante , 15 January 1995 (fl.), G . Hatschbach 61508 ( CEPEC, MBM, SPF). Minas Gerais: Mun. Coroaci , 18 November 1998 (fr.), E . Tameirão-Neto 2771 ( SP, UEC). Mun. Descoberto , 25 February 2000 (fl.), L . D. Meireles s.n. ( SP348412 ); ibidem, September 2000 (fl.), P. C . Zampa s.n. ( SP354893 ). Mun. Faria Lemos, 23 November 2006 (fr.), E. J . Lucas 634 ( ESA, K, RB); ibidem, 23 November 2006 (fr.), L. S . Leoni 6681 ( RB); ibidem, 8 September 2000 (fl.), L. S . Leoni 4481 ( RB). Mun. Viçosa , 6 February 2001 (fr.), E. P . Campos 2298 ( VIC). Rio de Janeiro: Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas, no date (st.), E . Guimarães s.n. ( RB242123 ). Mun. Cachoeiras de Macacu , 5 August 1992 (fr.), B. C . Kurtz 233 ( RB); ibidem, 8 June 1992 (st.), B. C . Kurtz s.n. ( RB328409 ). Mun. Campos dos Goytacazes, 4 July 2015 (fr.), I. G . Costa 688 ( RB). Mun. Guapimirim, 15 October 1993 (fr.), J. M. A . Braga 753 ( RB); ibidem, 7 June 1995 (fr.), J. M. A . Braga 2468 ( K, RB). Mun. Magé , 17 February 1883 (fl.), M . Palma s.n. ( R139898 ); ibidem, 14 January 2009 (fl.), M . Nadruz 2260 ( RB, SPF). Mun. Nova Friburgo, no date (fr.), A. F. M . Glaziou 2587 ( P); ibidem, 3 February 1889 (fl.), A. F. M . Glaziou 17665 ( K, P); ibidem, 5 March 1881 (fl.), A. F. M . Glaziou 16993 ( K, P). Mun. Nova Iguaçu , 11 December 2001 (fl.), S. J . Silva-Neto 1549 ( BHCB, RB); ibidem, 12 September 2001 (fl.), H. C . Lima 5855 ( K, RB); ibidem, 12 September 2001 (fl.), H. C . Lima 5868 ( ESA, RB). Mun. Paraty , no date (fr.), C . Almeida 1953 ( K, RB); ibidem, 21 March 1992 (fr.), C . Farney 3076 ( RB, SPF); ibidem, 11 April 1991 (fr.), L. C . Giordano 1028 ( RB, UEC); ibidem, 12 May 1994 (fr.), R . Marquete 1822 ( CEPEC, K, MBM, R, RB). Mun. Rio das Ostras, 10 January 2000 (fl.), P. P . Oliveira 402 ( BHCB, SP); ibidem, 10 January 2000 (fl.), P. P . Oliveira 559 ( BHCB, SP); ibidem, 11 January 2000 (fl.), P. P . Oliveira 799 ( BHCB, SP); ibidem, 10 December 1998 (fr.), P. P . Oliveira 4539 ( SP, UEC); ibidem, 10 April 2000 (fr.), P. P . Oliveira 8541 ( SP, UEC); ibidem, 17 May 2000 (fr.), P. P . Oliveira 402 N ( SP); ibidem, 10 January 2000 (fl.), P. P . Oliveira 742 H ( BHCB, SP); ibidem, 11 May 2000 (fr.), P. P . Oliveira 742 M ( SP). Mun. Rio de Janeiro, 28 January 1868 (fl.), A. F. M . Glaziou 8706 ( K, P); ibidem, 18 July 1997 (fr.), C. A. L . Oliveira 1334 ( RB); ibidem, 26 September 2011 (st.), M. F . Santos 706 ( K, SPF). Mun. Santa Maria Madalena , 2 March 2004 (fl.), E. J . Lucas 225 ( RB). Mun. Volta Redonda , 20 September 2000 (fr.), G. R . Souza 433 ( IPA, RB); ibidem, 9 December 2001 (fl.), Gilson s.n. ( RB388779 ). Santa Catarina: Mun. Florianópolis, 5 July 2008 (fr.), D. B . Falkenberg 11048 ( RB); ibidem, 22 January 2009 (fl.), D. B . Falkenberg 11122 ( RB); ibidem, 18 May 1967 (fr.), R. M . Klein 7437 ( HBR). Mun. Itajaí , 12 July 1955 (fr.), R. M . Klein 1461 ( K, MBM, NY, US); ibidem, 18 February 1954 (fl.), R . Reitz 1601 ( K, MBM, NY, US); ibidem, 9 September 1955 (fr.), R. M . Klein 1557 ( NY, US). Mun. Palhoça, 3 August 1956 (fr.), R . Reitz 3536 ( K, NY, US). Mun. Paulo Lopes, 26 March 1973 (fr.), R. M . Klein 10916 ( MBM). São Paulo: Mun. São Luiz do Paraitinga , May 2007 (st.), L. S . Pereira N102 ( UEC); ibidem, 2008 (st.), M. C. G . Padgurschi 28 ( UEC); ibidem, 2009 (st.), M. C. G . Padgurschi M1594 ( UEC). Mun. São Paulo, 10 October 2013 (st.), H . Kondrat 209 ( SP); ibidem, 10 November 2016 (fl.), M. F . Santos 874 ( SPF). Mun. Ubatuba, no date (fl.), A. L. C . Rochele J601 ( UEC); ibidem, 13 January 1997 (st.), F . Pedroni 1463 ( UEC); ibidem, 2 July 1959 (fr.), M . Kuhlmann 4633 ( SP, SPF); ibidem, 3 February 1996 (fl.), H. F . Leitão-Filho 34799 ( ESA, SP); ibidem, 4 February 1997 (st.), F . Pedroni 1295 ( UEC); ibidem, 8 January 2007 (st.), B. A . Aranha 492 ( UEC); ibidem, 18 December 1978 (fl.), A. F . Silva 9226 ( SPF, UEC); ibidem, 31 January 1980 (fl.), G. J . Shepherd 10977 ( UEC); ibidem, 15 December 1994 (fl.), D. A . Santin 32445 ( UEC); ibidem, 13 April 2011 (fl.), A. C. O . Souza s.n. ( IAC53477 ); ibidem, 22 February 2011 (fl.), A. C. O . Souza s.n. ( IAC53475 ); ibidem, 14 April 2011 (fl.), A. C. O . Souza s.n. ( IAC53478 ); ibidem, 12 October 2006 (fr.), E . Ramos 381 ( UEC); ibidem, 15 January 1990 (fl.), F. C. P . Garcia 539 ( SP); ibidem, 3 April 2008 (st.), J. A. M. A . Gomes s.n. ( UEC178196 ); ibidem, 17 July 2006 (st.), M. C. R . Campos 762 ( UEC); ibidem, 16 February 2005 (fl.), N. M . Ivanauskas 6017 ( BHCB, ESA, RB, SPSF) .

Final remarks

Recent phylogenetic studies on Myrciinae ( Lucas et al. 2011, Staggemeier et al. 2015, Santos et al. 2016b, 2017, Wilson et al. 2016, Amorim et al. 2019) have refined the circumscription of Myrcia subgroups and laid the groundwork for an infrageneric classification based on monophyletic groups ( Lucas et al. 2018). These studies have also stablished a foundation for a comprehensive taxonomic treatment of Myrcia sections (e.g., Lucas et al. 2016, Santos et al. 2018), to which this paper contributes.

This work presents nomenclatural acts, complete morphological description, and taxonomic comments on the sixteen accepted species within Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis . An identification key and a list of specimens examined specimens are provided, along with images of representative specimens to illustrate the typical morphology of each species, where possible. Since the previous treatment of the section ( Santos et al. 2019), three species have been added ( M. advena , M. suberosa and M. tenondeporan , all described after 2019), while four species have been synonymized ( M. krapovickae , M. schottii , M. subacuminata and M. ubatubana ), two have been excluded ( M. crassa and M. pseudomarlierea ), and one has been assigned a new epithet through a new combination ( M. clausseniana ). The sixteen accepted species now include 68 names and 31 basionyms.

This taxonomic revision represents an advancement in our basic understanding of Myrciinae and Neotropical Myrtaceae as a whole. However, further studies on Myrteae and its groups are essential to achieve a comprehensive assessment of their biodiversity. Such research will enable us to asses the rate at which the species are being lost, explore strategies to halt or slow this loss, to better understand the potential “usefulness” of these species for humanity, and perhaps most importantly, to appreciate and celebrate their existence.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Myrcia advena (triangles) and Myrcia vellozoi (circles). Solid lines represent the boundaries of South American countries and Brazilian states. The grayscale reflects elevation.

FIGURE 42. A–H. Myrcia vellozoi. A. habit showing numerous reiterations on the lateral branches. B. Trunk and external bark. C. Vegetative branch; typical morphology of the synonym Myrcia ubatubana. D. Branch with bracts covering the young, non-visible inflorescence. E. Flowering branches. F. Inflorescence at anthesis with flowers in various stages. G. Infructescence with mature fruits. H. Seedling. Image credits: B, C, G, H) Gorumbha D. N. Singh.

FIGURE 43. Representative specimens of Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis: Myrcia vellozoi (Hatschbach 61508 [SPF]).

FIGURE 44. Representative specimens of Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis: Myrcia vellozoi (Farney 3076 [SPF]).

FIGURE 45. Representative specimens of Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis: Myrcia vellozoi (Silva 9226 [SPF]).

FIGURE 46. Representative specimens of Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis: Myrcia vellozoi (Rupp 74 [SPF]).

FIGURE 47. Representative specimens of Myrcia sect. Eugeniopsis: Myrcia vellozoi (Kuhlmann 4633 [SPF]).