Exellodendron gracile (Kuhlm.) Prance, Fl. Neotrop. Monogr.

Barros, Natália, Menezes, Luis Fernando Tavares de, Sothers, Cynthia & Peixoto, Ariane Luna, 2025, Flora of Espírito Santo: Chrysobalanaceae, Rodriguesia (e 00872024) 76, pp. 1-39 : 12

3.1. Exellodendron gracile (Kuhlm.) Prance, Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. no. 9: 200. 1972.

Basionym: Parinari gracilis Kuhlm. Anais Reunião Sul-Amer. Bot. 3: 78. 1938. Figs. 1 c-d; 2; 5

Tree, up to 34 m tall, DBH 4.8–5.6 cm; young branches arachnoid, becoming glabrous with age, lenticellate. Leaves elliptic to oblong-eliptic, 4–8.5 × 2–3.4 cm, chartaceous, discolorous, stomatal crypts absent, base cuneate, apex acute to acuminate, acumen 3–5 mm long, glabrous on both surfaces; midrib prominent on both surfaces, glabrous to arachnoid adaxially, arachnoid abaxially at basal 1/2, primary veins 7–9 pairs, not prominent, glabrous abaxially; petiole 3–4 mm long, arachnoid to sparsely arachnoid, canaliculate; stipules 2, 3–4 mm long, caducous, lanceolate, chartaceous, midrib sericeous, margin glabrous. Inflorescence terminal to subterminal, paniculate, sericeous, bracts caducous (not seen), bracteoles 3, ca. 1 mm long, sericeous inside. Flowers 5–7 mm long, pubescent outside, pedicel 1.5 mm long; receptacle subcampanulate, swollen on stamen side, sericeous inside; sepals triangular, 1.5–2 mm long, puberulent inside, not reflexed; petals 5, apex triangular, 1–2 mm long, glabrous; stamens 8, filaments 1–1.5 mm long, inserted unilaterally, included or the same length as sepals, glabrous, with ca. 4 short staminodes, opposite to them; ovary 1 mm long, sericeous, inserted at mouth of receptacle, style 3 mm long, glabrous. Drupe ellipsoid, 1.8–3.5 × 1–1.8 cm; epicarp glabrous, lenticellate, smooth, vinaceous.

Selected material examined: Aracruz , córrego d’água, Fazenda do Retiro (proprietário Manoel Pedro Cararetto), 2.IV.2008, fr., R.D. Ribeiro 950 ( RB, SPF) ; Rebio de Comboios , próximo à reserva indÍgena, ponto de amostragem 8, 17.III.2020, fr., A.D. Firmino 168 3 ( VIES) . Conceição da Barra , trilha Sul da Flona (Restinga), Flona do Rio Preto, 5.III.2020, fr., S.C. Dutra 234 ( RB, VIES) ; Viveiro dos pássaros, Núcleo Juçara , Matriz 052, 28.X.2013, fr., Grupo de Coletores do Núcleo Juçara 52 ( RB) . Linhares , Reserva Natural Vale, Estrada Aceiro Catelã - João Pedro, 10.III.2015, fr., G.S. Siqueira 1063 ( RB) ; Rebio de Comboios - IBAMA, próximo a estrada Porteira, 4.I.1991, fl., D.A. Folli 1251 ( RB) . Pinheiros , Rebio Córrego do Veado, 1.VI.2010, fr., M.Ribeiro 175 ( RB, SAMES, VIES) ; 7.XII.2009, fl., D.A. Folli 6489 ( HUEFS, RB) . Santa Teresa , Estação Biológica Caixa D’Água, 18.XI.1998, fl., L. Kollmann 1056 ( MBML) .

Exellodendron gracile can be recognized by the arachnoid surfaces (young branches, young leaves, petiole), primary veins of leaves not prominent, the swollen subcampanulate receptacle and stipitate fruit. Collected with flowers January, June and

December, and fruits from March to June and August.

This species is endemic to the Atlantic Forest, in the states of Bahia and EspÍrito Santo ( Sothers & Prance 2023c). In EspÍrito Santo it occurs in Mata de Tabuleiro and Restinga, in Aracruz, Conceição da Barra, Linhares, Pinheiros and Santa Teresa municipalities. Brasil (2022) assessed the species as “Endangered” ( EN) to Brazil.

This species was recorded in five protected areas (Estação Biológica Caixa D’Água, Reserva Biológica de Comboios, Reserva Biológica Córrego do Veado, Reserva Natural Vale, Floresta Nacional do Rio Preto) and is not threatened in the state. It was described by Kuhlmann and illustrated by Nilton Leal as Parinarium gracile in Kuhlmann (1938), a book which is difficult to access, using a specimen collected in Linhares municipality. The illustration is reproduced here ( Fig. 5). Prance (1972) transferred the species to Exellodendron but did not illustrate it.

The common names for this species are águafria (I.A. Silva 377), azeitona-preta (V. Souza 210), milho-torrado (G.L. Farias 61) and oiti ( Kuhlmann 1938).