Myrcia magnipunctata Verly, Cabral-da-Silva & Sobral

Myrcia magnipunctata Verly, Cabral-da-Silva & Sobral , sp. nov.

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Coronel Fabriciano, área de preservação da Cenibra , parcela 10, 19°24.46’16” S, 42°43.21’42” W, 24 May 2024, O.M. Verly 1 (holotype VIC!) GoogleMaps .

Figures 1–2 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 .

Diagnosis:—This species is morphologically close to Myrcia espiritosantensis B.S.Amorim (in Amorim & Alves 2016: 288; type images MBML barcode 00017196, RB barcode 00548991), from which it differs by the leaves with petioles up to 2 mm (versus petioles 5–7 mm) and blades 400–410 × 67–98 mm, 4.3–6.1 times longer than wide (vs. 165–300 × 45–102 mm, 2.9–3.7 times longer than wide) with 23–32 lateral veins at each side (vs. 16–18), bracteoles elliptic or ovate, to 2 mm, not concealing the buds before anthesis (vs. ca. 7 mm, concealing the buds before anthesis). It is also vegetatively strikingly alike Myrcia megaphylla M.F.Santos & Sobral (in Santos et al. 2015: 104, type images BHCB 035310, K 000752554, SPF 198095), also with oblong blades, but differs by the not monopodial growth (vs. monopodial growth in M. megaphylla ), blades visibly pilose (vs. glabrous) and markedly punctate (vs. glandular dots inconspicuous), flowers with sepals about the same size (vs. unequal) and anthers with displaced thecae (vs. not displaced).

Description:—Trees 3–5 m height, rugose trunk, grey, longitudinally striate, very slender, less than 50 mm in diameter, scarcely branched, sometimes bending downwards. Twigs cylindrical, the internodes to 70 × 7 mm, rufescent, covered with simple erect trichomes 1.0– 1.3 mm. Leaves opposite, subsessile, usually congested at the apex of short branches; petioles visible only from the abaxial side, to 2 × 3 mm, semiterete, with simple brown trichomes 0.3–0.5 mm; blades oblong, 400–410 × 67–98 mm, 4.3–6.1 times longer than wide (sometimes proximal leaves in a branch are smaller, to 140 × 50 mm), discolorous when dry, adaxial surface dull dark green or grey, with very scattered simple grey trichomes 0.2–0.3 mm on the surface, these better visible only under lenses, the indumentum denser and more visible along the midvein, abaxial surface light brown, densely covered with simple erect brown trichomes 0.5–0.7 mm, the indumentum denser along the veins; glandular dots 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter, very scattered, less than one per mm², scarcely perceptible adaxially (only when backlit), visible abaxially, darker than the surface and sometimes slightly raised above it; base cordiform, the lobes extending about 10 mm behind the insertion of the petioles; apex acute; midvein finely impressed adaxially and strongly raised abaxially; lateral veins 23–32 at each side, leaving the midvein at angles 45–80°, slightly raised adaxially, markedly raised abaxially; secondary lateral veins, that is, those between the lateral veins forming the intramarginal vein, and high order venation perceptible on both surfaces and with a thinner gauge than the main lateral veins; intramarginal veins two, 2.5–3.1 mm and 0.4–0.5 mm from the slightly revolute margin. Inflorescences paniculiform, on the last node of the season branches, at the axiles of the distal leaves, 2–4 axes emerging from each axil, with 70–120 flowers each, densely covered with brown or rufescent trichomes 1.0– 1.2 mm, the axes 95–135 × 1.5–3.0 mm, the peduncle 25–47 mm, the first order branches diminishing in length distally, the proximal ones 55–60 mm, the distal ones about 10 mm, the second order branches 5–15 mm, the third order branches 5–6 mm; bracts narrowly triangular, to 5 × 1–2 mm, persistent; flowers sessile usually in groups of three at the apex of the branches; bracteoles ovate or elliptic, 2 × 1 mm, occasionally deciduous before anthesis but usually persistent after it, with simple grey trichomes 0.2–0.5 mm; flower buds 4–5 mm × 3.0– 3.5 mm in diameter, pilose, more densely so on the ovaries, the trichomes simple, grey or brown, 0.2–0.3 mm; sepals five, about the same size, widely ovate, 2.0–2.3 × 2 mm, pilose on both surfaces, abaxially with ascending simple trichomes 0.2–0.3 mm, adaxially with simple appressed trichomes to 0.1 mm; petals five, rounded, 2.5–3.0 mm in diameter (in bud), concave, scarcely glandulose, abaxially with trichomes to 0.2 mm, adaxially glabrous; stamens not counted, the filaments (in bud) about 2 mm, the anthers subglobose, 0.2–0.3 × 0.2 mm, the thecae slightly displaced; staminal ring (in bud) 2 mm in diameter, with white trichomes to 0.2 mm; hypanthium not extended above the ovary; style glabrous except for sparse trichomes to 0.2 mm at the base, to 3 mm (in bud), stigma punctiform; ovary with two locules and two ovules per locule. Fruits subglobose to slightly obpyriform or ellipsoid, 10–15 mm long × 10–12 mm in diameter, reddish to vinaceous when ripe, with scattered trichomes, crowned by the sepals, with scarce pulp, no more than 1 mm thick; seeds two to three, somewhat reniform, about 10 mm long, 6 mm wide and 3 mm thick, testa brown, shining, easily detachable; embryos with two foliaceous cotyledons and a visible hypocotyl.

Distribution, habitat, phenology:— Myrcia magnipunctata is presently known from a semideciduous forest fragment in the municipality of Coronel Fabriciano, in the Atlantic Forest biome in the southeastern portion of the state of Minas Gerais, where it grows as a small, slender treelet in the interior of forests; immature flowers were collected in May and mature fruits in October.

Affinities:—This species is related with Myrcia espiritosantensis , from the southeastern Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, with which it is compared in the diagnosis. Regarding its sectional placement, the anthers with thecae displaced in relation to each other suggests its inclusion in section Gomidesia (O.Berg) B.S.Amorim & E.Lucas (in Lucas et al. 2018: 9; basionym: Gomidesia O. Berg, 1855 –1856: 5). It is also vegetatively alike Myrcia megaphylla , a species from rocky outcrops in the Campos Rupestres of Minas Gerais, with which it is also compared in the diagnosis; this species, nevertheless, seems to belong to Myrcia sect. Myrcia (cited by Santos et al. 2015 as “ Myrcia clade 5” in reference to the then informal grouping of species of Myrcia proposed by Lucas et al. [2011: 922], later assigned to formal section in Lucas et al. 2018).

Conservation:— Myrcia magnipunctata is known from three individuals collected—and eight more, including seedlings, observed—along a tree inventory in a forest fragment in the municipality of Coronel Fabriciano. This may be an indicative of its rarity, although the collection site is not sufficiently surveyed in order to allow a proper evaluation of the its possible conservation status. Coronel Fabriciano has an area of 221 km ² ( IBGE 2024) from which there are recorded 166 plant collections ( CRIA 2024), what points for an area still scarcely surveyed, with an average of 0.75 collections/km², still below the minimum average index of 1 collection/km² suggested by Campbell (1989). An evaluation of its conservation status via Geocat (Geocat 2025) resulted in an Extent of Occurrence of 0.087 km ² and an Area of Occupancy of 4 km ², suggesting a status of Critically Endangered (CR) according to IUCN guidelines (IUCN 2019). Nevertheless, considering the scarcity of knowledge of the area studied, additional information may modify this evaluation in a near future.

Etymology:—The epithet, meaning “with large punctuations” in Latin, alludes to the markedly visible glandular dots in the blades of the species.

Paratypes:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Coronel Fabriciano, área de preservação da Cenibra , proximidades da parcela 10, 19°24.46’21” S, 42°43.21’42” W, 9 September 2024, O.M. Verly 225 ( VIC!) GoogleMaps ; ibidem, área de preservação da Cenibra , projeto São José, Parcela 06, 19°24’52”S, 42°43’, 33” W, 16 October 2024, O.M. Verly 245 ( VIC!) GoogleMaps .