Neodiversity 4: 1-4 www.neodiversity.org 14th Dec 2009 TWO NEW VARIETIES OF EUGENIA CAPPARIDIFOLIA DC. AND A NEW NAME FOR EUGENIA MONTICOLA (SW.) DC. VAR. RACEMOSA AMSH. (MYRTACEAE) F.F. MAZINE1 & V.C. SOUZA1 1Herbarium ESA, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Caixa Postal 9, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil. e-mail: ffmazine@carpa.ciagri.usp.br ABSTRACT Two new varieties of Eugenia capparidifolia DC. (Myrtaceae), E. capparidifolia var. major Mazine and E. capparidifolia var. longipetiolata Mazine, are described and illustrated. They are endemic from the Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais (Brazil). In addition, Eugenia monticola (Sw.) DC. var. racemosa Amsh., is elevated to species level, receiving the new name Eugenia gerdae Mazine, since the name Eugenia racemosa is already occupied. Eugenia is currently estimated to contain ca. 500 (Holst et al. 2003) to 2000 species (Sanchez-Vindas et al. 2001), distributed from South of Mexico, Cuba, the Antilles to Uruguay and Argentina, with a small number of species (ca. 60) in Africa (Van der Merwe et al. 2005). Some species, with edible fruits, have been cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions (e.g., Eugenia uniflora L., E. brasiliensis Lam.). Eugenia is the largest genus in Myrtaceae and has the highest number of species of tree species in the rainforests and semideciduous of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest region (Oliveira-Filho & Fontes 2000). The most common features of Eugenia are the 4merous flowers, with free sepals that are distinct in the flower bud, and with the hypanthium little or not prolonged beyond the summit of the ovary, which is bilocular, with many ovules per locule. During the preparation of the treatment of Eugenia sect. Racemosae O. Berg from the Neotropics, 59 species were recognized (38 occurring in Brazil). Two new varieties of Eugenia capparidifolia DC. have been found and are herein described and illustrated. Also, a new name for Eugenia monticola (Sw.) DC. var. racemosa Amsh. is given, once it has to be elevated to species level and the epithet “racemosa” is already occupied for Eugenia. NEW VARIETIES OF EUGENIA CAPPARIDIFOLIA DC. Endemic from Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais (Brazil), Eugenia capparidifolia includes plants with coriaceous leaves, robust and rigid racemes, with thick rachis. Four varieties are recognized in Eugenia capparidifolia, distinguished principally by their distribution, leaf base and leaf petiole. 1. Plants from Diamantina and region .............. ..........E. capparidifolia var. capparidifolia 1’. Plants from other regions of Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais..............................2 2. Base of the leaves generally cordate ..................E. capparidifolia var. neglecta 2’. Base of the leaves acute or obtuse.........3 3. Subshrub 20-50 cm, apex of the leaf not pendent, raceme with long peduncle (1.21.9 cm long), pedicel long (0.9-1.3 cm long)..........................E. capparidifolia var. longipetiolata 1 MAZINE & SOUZA - NEW TAXA IN EUGENIA 3’. Treelet 2.5 m, apex of the leaf pendent, raceme with short peduncle (0.4-1.1 cm long), pedicel short (0.3-0.4 cm long) .......................E. capparidifolia var. major Eugeniae capparidifoliae var. neglectae affinis, sed habitu arboreo (nec fruticoso) et basi folii obtusa (nec cordata vel rotundata) distincta. Treelet 2.5 m. Leaf blade 8.3-10 cm long, 4-4.8 cm wide, moderately pubescent on both surfaces, more densely at the midvein; apex shortly acuminate, pendent; base obtuse; petiole 5-7 mm long. Raceme 3 pairs of flowers; peduncle 0.4-1.1 cm long. Pedicel 3-4 mm long. Fruit unknown. COMMENTS. Eugenia capparidifolia var. major is an endemic to the municipality of Turmalina (Espinhaço Range, in Minas Gerais, Brazil), occurring only in riverside relicts. Known from a single collection, this is the only specimen of Eugenia capparidifolia that is a treelet and can reach more than 2m tall. It has leaves with pendent apexes and short flower pedicels. It is similar to Eugenia capparidifolia var. neglecta (O. Berg) Mazine, but can be distinguished by the leaves with obtuse base and the treelet habit. Eugenia capparidifolia var. longipetiolata Mazine, var. nov. Type: BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Joaquim Felício, rio da Onça, 19 Jan 1996, G.Hatschbach, M.Hatschbach & J.M.Silva 64419 (Holotype ESA; isotype MBM). Fig. 1 A-C. Eugeniae capparidifoliae var. neglectae affinis, sed basi folii acuta vel obtusa (nec cordata vel rotundata) et petiolo longo (nec inconspicuo) distincta. Subshrub 20-50 cm. Leaf 6.5-9.5 cm long, 3.4-4.5 cm wide, sparsely to moderately pubescent on both surfaces; apex acute, not pendent; base acute or obtuse; petiole 3-4 mm long. Raceme (1-)23(-4) pairs of flowers; peduncle 1.2-1.9 cm long. Pedicel 0.9-1.3 cm long. Fruit unknown. COMMENTS. Eugenia capparidifolia var. longipetiolata is endemic to the region of Itacambira and Joaquim Felício (Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais, Brazil), occurring only in cerrado. It is similar to E. capparidifolia var. neglecta (O. Berg) Mazine, but can be distinguished by the base of the leaves acute or obtuse and the longer petiole (the petiole of E. capparidifolia var. neglecta is inconspicuous and the base of the leaves are cordate, rarely rounded). PARATYPE. BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Itacambira, rd. to Montes Claros, 9 Jan 1986, J. R.Pirani et al. CFCR 9177 (ESA, SPF). A NEW NAME FOR EUGENIA MONTICOLA (SW.) DC. VAR. RACEMOSA AMSH. Eugenia gerdae Mazine, nom. nov. Basionym: Eugenia monticola (Sw.) DC. var. racemosa Amsh. in A. A. Pulle, Fl. Suriname 3(2): 121. 1951. Type: Surinam, Upper Gran Rio, 20 Sep 1908, Tresling 459 (syntype U, lectotype here designated); Copename R., Voltzberg, Aug, Pulle 244 (syntype U-not found), Lanjouw 926 (syntype U-not found). Eugenia gerdae Mazine occurs in Northern South America and differs from E. monticola by having flowers in racemes, with a distinct rachis. The epithet honors Gerda Jane Hillegonda Amshoff, the author of the variety in Eugenia monticola (Sw.) DC. Eugenia capparidifolia DC. var. major Mazine, var. nov. Type: BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Turmalina, rd. TurmalinaItacambira, 700m.s.m., 17º20’S 43º5’W, 24 Feb 2002, V.C.Souza, D.Sampaio, A.O.Araújo, G.O.Romão & S.I.Elias 28284 (Holotype ESA, isotype K). Fig. 1 D-F. 2 MAZINE & SOUZA - NEW TAXA IN EUGENIA Figure 1. A-C. Eugenia capparidifolia DC. var. longipetiolata Mazine. A. Flowering branch. B. Leaf (upper surface). C. Flower. D-F. Eugenia capparidifolia DC. var. major Mazine. D. Flowering branch. E. Leaf (upper surface). F. Flower bud. (A-C. Hatschbach et al. 64419; D-F. Souza et al. 28284). Drawn by Wellington Forster. 3 MAZINE & SOUZA - NEW TAXA IN EUGENIA ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Oliveira-Filho, A.T. & Fontes M.A.L. 2000. Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810. Sanchez-Vindas, P.E., Holst B.K. & Pool A. 2001. Myrtaceae. In: Stevens WD, Ulloa C, Pool A, Montiel OM. Flora de Nicaragua. Angiospermas: Fabaceae-Oxalidaceae. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: 1564-1580. Van der Merwe, M.M., Van Wyk, A.E. & Botha, A.M. 2005. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae), with emphasis on southern African taxa. Plant Systematics and Evolution 251: 21-34. The authors express sincere appreciation to Dr Wellington Forster, for preparing the illustration here presented and Dr Cássio van den Berg, for reviewing the Latin diagnosis. FAPESP is gratefully acknowledged for providing support during the development of the activities in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. LITERATURE CITED Holst, B.K., Landrum L. & Grifo F. 2003. Myrtaceae. In: Berry PE, Yatskievych K, Holst BK. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana 7:1-99. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. ISSN 1809-5348 4