Eugenia farneyi Faria & Proença, 2015

Eugenia farneyi Faria & Proença View in CoL , sp. nov.

Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro, Mun. Armação dos Búzios, Saco da Ferradurinha , 7 October 1998, Farney, C. et al. 3823 (holotype UB! , isotype RB! ). Figures 4 View FIGURE 4 and 5 View FIGURE 5 .

Similar to Eugenia malacantha D. Legrand (1961: 324) , from which it can be distinguished by its leaves with plane margins (margins strongly undulate in E. malacantha ); precocious (auxotelic) racemes (umbelliform racemes in E. malacantha ); and subpyriform, non verrucose, 1-seeded fruits (oblate to ellipsoid, verrucose, 2–4-seeded fruits in E. malacantha ).

Tree 5–6 m; trichomes simples, white. Trunk with smooth, reddish bark; young branches grey to pale brown, densely to sparsely velutinous. Leaves ovate to elliptic, 2.8–4.5 × 0.9–2.2 cm, leaf ratio 2–2.8, coriaceous, glabrous on the upper surface, sparsely velutinous on the lower surface; apex acuminate to slightly caudate; base cuneate; midvein sulcate on the upper surface at the proximal end and plane at the distal end, prominent on the lower surface, glabrous on the upper surface, sparsely velutinous to glabrous on the lower surface, 12–14 pairs of lateral veins, marginal vein simple, 0.7–1.5 mm from the edge; glands sunken to barely raised on both surfaces; petiole canaliculate, 4–6.4 mm long × 0.6–0.9 mm diam., sparsely pubescent. Inflorescence a terminal, precocious raceme, which continues vegetative growth and produces leaves after producing a single pair of flowers (auxotelic); peduncle absent; rachis absent. Floral bud pyriform, 6.2–8.4 mm long × 4–5.2 mm diam.; bracts cucullate, ca. 1.1 mm long, velutinous, deciduous before anthesis; pedicel 10.6–21.7 mm long, velutinous; bracteoles not seen, presumably (deduced by the scars) free, deciduous in the young bud; hypanthium densely velutinous, elevated above the level of style insertion; calyx lobes 4, in unequal pairs, the inner pair oblong, rounded, 3.7–4.1 × 2.7–3.4 mm, the outer pair ovate, acuminate, 3.7–5.4 × 2–2.7 mm, velutinous on both surfaces, persistent; petals rounded to spatulate in bud, cucullate, rounded, 4.3–5.4 mm long, glabrous on the upper surface, velutinous on the lower surface, glands sparse, sunken; staminal disk velutinous, region between the staminal disk and the base of the style velutinous; stamens 180–218, filaments 2.6–4 mm long in bud, glabrous, anthers ovate to oblong; style 5.3–5.4 mm long in bud, velutinous on the lower 2/3rds, stigma punctiform, papillose; ovary 2-locular, locules internally glabrous, ovules 10–12 per locule. Fruit subpyriform, brownish when immature and yellow when mature, 24.8–25.5 mm long × 20.2–20.7 mm diam., velutinous, glands inconspicuous; seed 1, testa crustaceous in the immature fruit; embryo elliptic oblate, glands inconspicuous, cotyledons plano-convex, partially free.

Geographic distribution, habitat and phenology:— Eugenia farneyi is known from only two collections in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in the Municipalities of Armação dos Búzios and Cabo Frio ( Figure 3 View FIGURE 3 ). It occurs at low altitudes on forest-covered slopes and semi-deciduous seasonal forests in the Centro de Diversidade Vegetal de Cabo Frio. It was collected with flowers and fruits in October.

Etymology:—The specific epithet commemorates Brazilian botanist Cyl Farney, the first to collect this species, who has also done many floristic and phytosociological studies in this region, contributing significantly to improve botanical knowledge of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Conservation status:— Eugenia farneyi occurs in the neighbour municipalities of Armação dos Búzios and Cabo Frio. The combined territories of these two municipalities, Armação dos Búzios (ca. 70 km 2) and Cabo Frio (ca. 410 km 2) (IBGE 2013), is 480 km 2. Specieslink (CRIA 2013) cites 8138 plant collections for this area, resulting in a ratio of ca. 17 collections/km 2, a high value when compared to the Brazilian average ( Sobral & Stehmann 2009). As E. farneyi occurs in the same region of E. gastropogena , it is exposed to much the same risks. It is also known from only two collections and its Extent of Occurrence (EOO) is of approximately 1, 26 km 2, and the Area of Occupancy (AOO) is of approximately 8 km 2, as calculated by Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool (GEOCAT 2013). The application of IUCN (2011) criteria to this data indicated that the EEO is smaller than 100 km 2 (fulfilling criterion B1) and the AOO is smaller than 10 km 2 (fulfilling criterion B2) and that this species is apparently limited to a very small or restricted population (fulfilling criterion D); this permits us to classify E. farneyi as CR (Critically endangered).

Paratype:— BRAZIL. RIO DE JANEIRO: Cabo Frio, Morro do Mico, área do Camping do Bosque, vertente para o Jacaré, entrada pela casa do sr. Nozô , 22 October 2002, Farney, C. & Fernandes, D.S. 4464 ( RB!, UB!) .