Tovomita leucantha ( Schltdl.) Planch. & Triana

33. Tovomita leucantha ( Schltdl.) Planch. & Triana View in CoL in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser. 4, 14: 278. 1860 ≡ Clusia leucantha Schltdl. in Linnaea 8: 186. 1833. – Holotype: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, “in saxosis umbrosis montosisque pr. Rio de Janeiro ”, [Nov 1829], J. Lhotzky 18 (LE photo!).

Description — Trees up to 13 m tall, prop roots inconspicuous; exudate yellow, abundant. Petioles 1.3–5 cm long, green or reddish, smooth, lenticels absent. Leaf blades 6.5–21 × 3–10.5 cm, generally greyish in sicco, black dots absent, coriaceous, obovate to oblong, base decurrent, apex rounded, sometimes retuse; papillae, lenticels and fungal spots absent; exudate canals inconspicuous. Venation: secondary veins 22–40 pairs, 1.8–3 mm apart from each other, forming angle 50°–75° to midvein, prominent in both surfaces, straight near margin; intersecondary veins present, one per intercostal area, similar to secondary veins, parallel to major secondary,> 50 % of subjacent secondary length; tertiary veins inconspicuous; intramarginal vein present. Inflorescences: ♂ lax cyme with 3 basal branches and up to 9 flowers, lacking terminal flower, ♀ dichasium, lenticels absent. Pedicels 12–30 mm long, green or reddish, distal and proximal portion with same gauge, proximally articulated on lateral flowers of dichasia; calyptrae and lenticels absent. Floral buds 6–7 mm long, spheroid, apex rounded, lenticels absent. Sepals 4, 9.5–15 × 6.5–12 mm, circular to oblong, apex rounded, green; petals 4–6, 11–20 × 6–11 mm, oblanceolate to oblong, deflexed, apex round- ed, white. Staminate flowers: stamens 60–70, 1.5–2 mm long, isodynamous; filaments subclavate, white; anthers c. 0.5 mm long, yellow, connective not exceeding thecae; pistillode inconspicuous. Pistillate flowers: staminodes 60–70, 1.5–2 mm long, white; ovary c. 4 mm long, not costate or lobed, 4-locular, yellow, stigmas 4, sessile, c. 1.5 mm in diam. Capsules fleshy, 2.5–4 × 2.5 cm, 4-septate, spheroid when closed, not costate or lobed, rostrum present, 3–6 mm long, epicarp smooth, lenticels absent, green when immature and mature, mesocarp greenish becoming reddish; sepals, petals, and staminodes caducous, stigmas persistent. Aril orange to reddish. Fig. 55.

Iconography — Illustration available in Engler (1888: 99).

Distribution — Endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic forest (Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro states). Fig. 50.

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

Recognition and discussion — Tovomita leucantha can be easily recognized when sterile by the obovate leaves with the apex generally rounded or retuse. Also, the species is characterized by short subclavate stamens, which, among Atlantic forest species of the genus, are similar only to those of T. guianensis and T. salimenae , from which it can be differentiated when sterile by the greyish leaf blades in sicco ( Fig. 13L) and 22–40 pairs of secondary veins (vs greenish or purplish-red, with 11–15 pairs of secondary veins in T. guianensis and T. salimenae ).

Selected specimens examined — BRAZIL: ESPÍRITO SANTO: Ibiratama , 25 Oct 2012, fr., T . B . Flores & O . R . Campos 1562 ( RB!) ; MINAS GERAIS: Marliéria , 7 May 1998, sterile, M . G . Bovini & al. 1369 (RB!); RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio de Janeiro, Parque Municipal Ecológico da Prainha , 29 Oct 2003, bud, J . M . A. Braga & al. 7224 ( RB!) .