Hirtella racemosa Lam., Encycl.

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 : 19-21

4.7. Hirtella racemosa Lam., Encycl. 3(1): 133. 1789. Figs. 7 c-d; 8

Shrub or small tree, up to 4 m tall, young branches sparsely hispid, becoming glabrous with age, lenticellate. Leaves oblong to obovate, 10–14.1 × 3.1–4.8 cm, chartaceous, discolorous, base cuneate, apex acuminate, acumen 1–1.3 cm long, glabrous to glabrescent on both sides, midrib prominent on both sides, glabrous to sparsely hispid, primary veins 9–11 pairs, eglandular, margin glabrous to sparsely hispid; petiole 3–4 mm long, sparsely hispid, terete, eglandular; stipules 2, 5–9 mm long, linear, chartaceous, glabrous to sparsely hispid, caducous. Inflorescence subterminal to axillary, racemose, pubescent; bracts 2, linear, ca. 7 mm long, pubescent to sparsely hispid, with sessile glands; bracteoles 2, linear, 1.5 mm long, pubescent to sparsely hispid, with sessile glands. Flowers 1.6–2 cm long, pubescent, pedicel 3–4 mm long; receptacle campanulate, 1–2 mm long, glabrous; sepals triangular to rounded, 2–3 mm long, pubescent, reflexed; petals white, rounded, 4–5 mm long, glabrous; stamens 6, lilac or yellow with pinkish apex, inserted unilaterally, filaments 1–1.2 cm long, united at base; ovary ca. 1 mm long, villous, style 1.1–1.3 cm long, basal 1/3 hispid. Drupe reddish, ellipsoid, sessile, 1.4–1.5 × 0.5–0.6 cm, epicarp smooth, longitudinally striate, glabrescent.

Selected material examined: Barra de São Francisco, Parque Municipal Sombra da Tarde , 12.XII.2000, fr., L. Kollmann 3510 ( MBML) . Conceição da Barra, Rebio Córrego Grande , trilha dos km, 11.XII.2022, fl., M.S. Carvalho-Neta 43 ( SAMES) . Governador Lindenberg, Mata da Prefeitura , 14.XI.2006, fr., V. Demuner 3070 ( MBML) . Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale, Trilha do Peroba-amarela , 28.XI.2017, fl., G.S. Siqueira 1207 ( CVRD) . Marilândia, Liberdade, propriedade Deoclécio Lorenccini , 11.XII.2007, fl., V. Demuner 4743 ( MBML) .

Hirtella racemosa has three varieties, H. racemosa var. hexandra (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Prance , H. racemosa var. hispida Prance and H. racemosa var. racemosa , but as the characters overlap in the material examined, this classification is not adopted here.

Hirtella racemosa can be recognized by the sparsely hispid to glabrous branches, larger leaves with cuneate base, glabrous to sparsely hispid margin, hispid petiole and stipules, racemose inflorescence and bracteoles with sessile glands. Collected with flowers from October to February, and fruits in November and December.

This species has a wide distribution, from North to South America ( Prance & Sothers 2003b). In Brazil it has already been recorded in all the states of the North, Northeast and Central-West regions, and EspÍrito Santo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro in the Southeast region ( Asprino 2023; Barros et al. 2022). In EspÍrito Santo it occurs in Restinga, Ombrophilous forest and Mata de Tabuleiro, in Barra de São Francisco, Conceição da Barra, Governador Lindenberg, Linhares, Marilândia and Vila Pavão municipalities. This species was assessed as Least Concern ( LC) at a national level, but for the state of EspÍrito Santo it is assessed as Endangered ( EN) ( Oliveira & Messina 2012; Fraga et al. 2019). It is represented by a few collections spread throughout the state and was collected in three protected areas: Parque Natural Municipal Sombra da Tarde, Reserva Biológica do Córrego Grande and Reserva Natural Vale, which confirms the EN status.