Tovomita amazonica ( Poepp.) Walp.

3. Tovomita amazonica ( Poepp.) Walp. View in CoL in Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 392, t. 212. 1842. ≡ Marialva amazonica Poepp. in Nov. Gen. Sp. Pl. 3: 13. 1840. – Lectotype (designat- ed here): Brazil, “Flor. Amazon. Fruticula. Ega, crescit in fruticetis circum oppidum Egam, Brasiliae borealis”, [Oct 1831], E. Poeppig D 2697 (W [no. W-0051863]!; isolectotypes: G [ G00355560 ] photo!, G [ G00355562 ] photo!, G [ G00414642 ] photo!).

= Tovomita trachycarpa L. Marinho View in CoL in Pl. Syst. Evol. 302: 1125. 2016, syn. nov. – Holotype: Brazil, Amazonas, Coari, Lauro Sodré   GoogleMaps do Paraná do Nazária   GoogleMaps , 03°51'33"S, 62°35'08"W, 40–45 m, 16 Jul 2008, R. H. Leal A07 LS33 (INPA [no. 228513]!).

Description — Trees up to 9 m tall, prop roots conspicuous; exudate yellow, scarce. Petioles 1–1.5 cm long, smooth, green, lenticels absent. Leaf blades 6–10 × 2.5– 5 cm, adaxially brown in sicco, abaxially olive in sicco, black dots absent, membranaceous to chartaceous, elliptic to oblong, base convex to decurrent, apex straight to strongly acuminate; papillae, lenticels and fungal spots absent; exudate canals immersed, inconspicuous adaxially, as blackish lines on abaxial surface in sicco, crossing secondary veins. Venation: secondary veins 13–18 pairs, 2–6 mm apart from each other, forming angle 60°–70° to midvein, slightly prominent abaxially, immersed abaxially, straight near margin; intersecondary veins present, one, rarely two, per intercostal area, similar to secondary veins, parallel to major secondary,> 50 % of subjacent secondary length; tertiary veins percurrent mixed; intramarginal vein absent. Inflorescences: ♂ lax cyme with 3 basal branches and up to 12 flowers, lacking terminal flower, ♀ dichasium, lenticels absent. Pedicels 5–8 mm long, green, distal and proximal portion with same gauge, proximally articulated on lateral flowers of dichasia, calyptrae and lenticels absent. Floral buds 3.5–7 mm long, ovoid, apex rounded, rarely apiculate, lenticels absent, not blackened in sicco. Sepals 2, 5–6 × 3–5.5 mm, ovate, apex rounded, rarely apiculate, coloration not seen; petals 4, 7–8 × 3–4 mm, oblong to linear, inner ones strongly patent, apex acute to rounded, coloration not seen. Staminate flowers: stamens 24–28, 2.8–4.7 mm long, isodynamous; filaments terete, coloration not seen; anthers 0.5–0.7 mm long, connective not exceeding thecae; pistillode c. 1.5 mm high, conic, coloration not seen. Pistillate flowers: staminodes 20–25, 2.5–5 mm long, coloration not seen; ovary 4.5–5 mm long, 8-costate, 4-locular, coloration not seen, styles fused, coloration not seen, stigmas 4, c. 1.3 mm in diam. Capsules fleshy, 1.5–1.8 × 1.8–2 cm, 4-septate, napiform to spheroid when closed, slightly 4-lobed, rostrum present c. 1 mm long, epicarp rugose, green when immature, light brown with green marks when mature, nut-brown with dark brown marks in sicco, mesocarp white; sepals, petals and staminodes caducous; stigmas persistent. Aril yellow. Fig. 17.

Iconography — Illustration available in Marinho & al. (2016c: 1126).

Distribution — Brazil (Amazonas, Pará, Roraima), Colombia (Amazonas, Caquetá, Meta), Guyana (Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo), and Suriname (Paramaribo). Fig. 18.

Conservation status — Least Concern (LC, Marinho & Beech 2019).

Nomenclatural notes — The Poeppig collection is deposited at W herbarium, which supports that the author examined the W specimen (W-0051863) to describe Tovomita amazonica . Moreover, the lectotype designated here bears several leaves and floral buds. The absence of fruits in the type of T. amazonica led Marinho & al. (2016c) to describe T. trachycarpa due to the unusual fruits with rugose epicarp and white mesocarp. After a careful analysis of the W specimen, especially the stamen number and shape, we concluded that these two names should apply to the same species, so T. trachycarpa is listed as a heterotypic synonym under T. amazonica .

Recognition and discussion — Tovomita amazonica can be recognized by the ovoid floral buds and the few (20–28) stamens/staminodes. This species was for a long time misidentified with other species of Tovomita with small leaves (see Table 1), from which it can be distinguished especially by fruit characters. The fruits of T. amazonica have unique characters, such as the rugose epicarp ( Fig. 19B), white mesocarp and yellow aril ( Fig. 19D). When dry, these fruits are similar to those from T. fructipendula ( Fig. 19C, D) and T. longirostrata ( Fig. 19E, F), which have an asperous epicarp and orangish or red aril ( Fig. 19A, B).

Selected specimens examined — BRAZIL: AMAZONAS: Anori, RDS Piagaçu-Purus , 26 Jun 2009, fl. ♀ fr., B . G . Luiza 37 ( INPA!); MATO GROSSO: Paranaíta, UHE São Manuel , 09°17'19"S, 56°47'36"W, 13 Oct 2008, fl. ♂, C GoogleMaps . R GoogleMaps . A. Soares & al. 1716 ( HERBAM photo!); PARÁ : Oriximiná, Rio Trombetas , 4 Jul 1980, fl. ♂, C . A. Cid & al. 1289 ( CEPEC!, INPA!, NY!); RORAIMA: Rorainópolis, Comunidade Xixuaú, Lago Atucurá , 9 Sep 2013, bud fl. ♂, C . Assahira & al. 19 ( CEPEC!, INPA!) . — COLOMBIA: AMAZONAS: aproximadamente 50 m em dirección 110° de la margen izquierda del Río Caquetá, 01°02'29"S, 71°34'11"W, 4 Oct 1997, sterile, M GoogleMaps Sánchez & al. 6427 ( COAH!). CAQUETÁ: Belén de Los Andaquíes, Parque Natural Municipal Andaquí , 01°40'09"N, 75°54'08"W, 28 Jan 2017, bud, N GoogleMaps . Castaño-A. & al. 8986 ( COAH!). META: Mesetas, Vereda Villa Lucia , 03°27'23"N, 74°08'38"W, 7 Oct 2002, bud, D. Cárdenas L GoogleMaps . & al. 13609 (COAH!). — GUYANA: UPPER TAKUTU-UPPER ESEQUIBO GoogleMaps : Acaraí Mts , ridge ascending to summit of unnamed peak, 01°22'N, 58°56'W, 26 Aug 1998, bud, D. Clarke & al. 7136 ( NY!) GoogleMaps . — SURINAME: PARAMARIBO: Lely Mountains , 175 km SEE of Paramaribo, 18 Oct 1976, bud, S . Mori & A. Bolten 8525 ( NY!) .