Eugenia kuekii Giaretta & Peixoto, 2018

Giaretta, Augusto, Souza, Marcelo Da Costa, Menezes, Luis Fernando Tavares De & Peixoto, Ariane Luna, 2018, Two new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from the Atlantic forest of Espírito Santo, Brazil, Phytotaxa 336 (2), pp. 181-189 : 186-188

Eugenia kuekii Giaretta & Peixoto , sp. nov.

Type: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Conceição da Barra, Itaúnas , mata de restinga sobre cordão arenoso próximo de uma área entre cordões dominada por Montrichardia , área atrás da fazenda Jequitaia , 18º25’S, 39º43’W, 27 September 2009, fl., A.G. Oliveira, M.M. Monteiro & M. Ribeiro 629 (holotype RB! ; isotypes HUFSJ!, K! , SAMES! , VIES! ). ( Figures 1 ; 2 C–E, G ; 4 ).

This species is morphologically similar to Eugenia widgrenii Sonder ex O. Berg (1857: 277) from which it is distinguished by its leaves with obtuse base (vs. cuneate), 6–9 pairs of secondary veins (vs. 11–14 pairs), fasciculiform inflorescence with 1–2 pairs of flowers (vs. solitary flower), and fruits yellowish (vs. purple or red). Eugenia kuekii is also related to Eugenia pruinosa D. Legrand (1961: 323) but can be distinguished by its leaves with base obtuse or rounded (vs. cuneate or acute), calyx lobes larger, i.e. the external pair 3–4.5 × 6–6.5 mm and the internal pair 5–6 × 5.5–6 mm (vs. external pair 3.5 × 3 cm and internal pair 2 × 3 cm).

Shrub or tree 2– 7 m. Stems longitudinally striate when exfoliating, young tissue underneath reddish, glabrous. Leaf blades 5–9 × 2.5–5.5 cm, elliptic, rarely oblong, chartaceous or coriaceous, glabrous, discolorous, lighter abaxially, with a cuticle resembling a velutinous indumentum to the touch; apex obtuse, frequently somewhat retuse; base obtuse, sometimes rounded; midvein biconvex or plain adaxially, prominent abaxially; secondary veins 6–9 pairs, prominent on both sides; marginal veins two, the innermost 2–4 mm from the margin, the outermost 0.5–1.5 mm from the margin, the first occasionally not evident and the second frequently not visible; the margin itself moderately revolute; glandular dots slightly prominent abaxially; petioles 5–8 mm long. Inflorescence fasciculiform, axillary, subtended by leaves or not, occasionally growing in ramiflorous nodes, the axis 0.5–3 mm long, with 1–2 pairs of flowers, frequently only one solitary flower remaining; bracts 0.5–1 × 0.8–1 mm, hemispherical, glabrous; pedicels 11–20 × 0.6–1 mm, glabrous; bracteoles 1–2 × 1.6–2 mm, ovate, concave, not connate, persisting in fruit, glabrous, with margin ciliate; flower buds 6–7 × 6–7 mm, globose or pyriform, glabrous; calyx lobes four, concave, in two unequal pairs, the external pair 3–4.5 × 6–6.5 mm, widely ovate, the internal pair 5–6 × 5.5–6 mm, suborbiculate, glabrescent or glabrous on the inner surface; petals four, concave, 6–8 × 5.5–6.5 mm, oblong, white, glabrous with ciliate margins; stamens up to 9 mm long, anthers 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm, oblong; staminal ring 4–5 mm in diameter with simple brownish trichomes up to 0.2 mm long; style 8.5–9.5 mm long, glabrous, stigma punctiform; ovary with two locules, ovules 24–36 per locule. Fruit 17–23 × 7–8.5 mm, oblong, yellowish when ripe, glabrous, crowned by persistent calyx lobes; one seed per fruit, testa woody, embryo reniform with two fused and indistinguishable cotyledons, hypocotyl not evident.

Phenology:—Collected in flower from September to November and in fruit in September and October ( Figure 5 ).

Etymology:—The epithet alludes to Kuek, the indigenous man who accompanied Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied on his travels across the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and Bahia from 1815 to 1817 ( Wied-Neuwied 1942). Kuek was a fundamental member of Maximilian’s journey as a translator of languages and cultural customs, skilful in the forest and most likely Maximilian’s inspiration for ethnological studies about the so-called Botocudos. The original Botocudo territory was the Atlantic forest in Bahia, spreading southwards in the 19 th century into Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, reaching the Rio Doce valley ( Paraiso 1998). Botocudo is actually a pejorative name given to them by Europeans in reference to the traditional lip and ear plugs used, who also accused them of being cannibals, although there is no documental proof.

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia kuekii is known from restinga vegetation in the municipalities of Aracruz, Conceição da Barra, Linhares and Vila Velha in the state of Espírito Santo.

Conservation:—Although this species has one record from a protected area (Reserva Biológica de Comboios - Biological Reserve of Comboios), the area of occurrence of this specimen was assigned in the sheet label as secondary vegetation under natural restoration, which signals its vulnerability. Moreover, E. kuekii is also known from four localities of restinga vegetation in Espírito Santo, where intense pressure due to urban development and sand exploitation for civil construction purposes has a great impact on natural populations. Thus, the new species has a narrow Extent of Occurrence (EOO ≅ 3,200 km ²) and falls under the Endangered (EN) category, fulfilling IUCN criterion B1ab(iii) with EOO smaller than 5,000 km ² (B2), with no more than five known locations (a) and continuous loss of habitat quality (b iii).

Affinities: — Eugenia kuekii is apparently related to E. widgrenii but differs by leaves with 6–9 pairs of sinuous secondary veins (vs. straight), midvein biconvex and plan towards the apex (vs. canaliculate) and yellowish fruit. Eugenia kuekii is also similar to Eugenia pruinosa by an unusual vegetative feature of a remarkable cuticle of abaxial leaf resembling a velutinous indumentum to the touch, but can be distinguished by its leaves elliptic, never obovate, with base obtuse or rounded (vs. cuneate or acute), often axillary inflorescence (vs. often at leafless nodes), and fruits crowned by markedly larger sepals. See the diagnosis for a contrasting between Eugenia kuekii to E. widgrenii and E. pruinosa . Eugenia kuekii is better placed in Eugenia sect. Umbellatae ( Mazine et al. 2016) according to the fasciculiform inflorescence, often remaining a solitary flower, flowers with pedicels at least four times longer than internodes of the inflorescence main axis, and persistent bracteoles.

Paratypes: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: [município de Aracruz], Reserva Biológica de Comboios , área aberta no interior da mata, vegetação secundária em recuperação, 11 September 1994, fr., I. Weiler–Junior 72 ( RB!, VIES!). Município de Guarapari, Parque Estadual Paulo César Vinha , restinga, s.d., fr., L.F. Magnago 27 ( RB!, VIES!). Município de Linhares, restinga, mata periodicamente inundada, 14 November 1991, fl., O.J. Pereira et al. 2444 ( ESA, RB!, VIES!). Município de Vila Velha, Interlagos , restinga, mata seca, 13 October 1995, fr., O. Zambom 142 ( ESA, RB!, VIES!) ; Parque Municipal Jacarenema , área de restinga alta, 28 September 2016, fr, K.S. Valdemarin et al. 113 ( ESA) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Eugenia itaunensis (triangles) and Eugenia kuekii (circles) in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil.

FIGURE 2. Eugenia itaunensis (A. Giaretta & M.C. Souza 1018). A, B—Immature fruits turning purple with sun exposure; arrow shows the calyx lobes in two unequal pairs in size detailed in the square; F—Habitat in restinga forest in São Mateus, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Eugenia kuekii (C, D—A.G. Oliveira et al. 629; E—K.S. Valdemarin et al. 113). C—Flowering branch; D—Inflorescence and flowers detail; E—Immature fruit (photo by K. Valdemarin); G– Habitat in restinga forest.

FIGURE 4. Eugenia kuekii Giaretta & Peixoto.A—Holotype; B—Inflorescence detail (A.G. Oliveira et al. 629); C—Fruit (L.F.Magnago 27) and seed detail in the square (I. Weiler Junior 72). Scale bars: 1 cm.

FIGURE 5. Frequency distribution (n) of flowering (red–line triangle) and fruiting (grey–filled triangle) periods in Eugenia itaunensis and E. kuekii.