Casearia sylvestris Swartz (1798: 752)

5. Casearia sylvestris Swartz (1798: 752) View in CoL ( Fig. 3 c–d View FIGURE 3 )

Description: —Trees 3.5–8 m; unarmed, branches slightly striate, brown to grayish, puberulent, lenticellate; stipules 1 × 1 very broadly ovate, glabrous on both surfaces, apex and margin tomentose, glands in the margin absent; Leaves discolorous; petiole 3–5 mm long, cylindrical, canaliculate, puberulent; blade 63–99(–115) × 18–36 mm, narrowly elliptic, rarely elliptic, apex acuminate, base cuneate, slightly oblique to oblique, margin serrate, glands not observed, however usually entire in the lower third and slightly revolute, membranaceous to chartaceous, both surfaces glabrous, translucent dots present, brochidodromus, midvein and secondary veins slightly prominent in both surfaces, glands at the base of the leaf blade absent. Inflorescences fasciculate, bracts and bracteoles not observed. Flowers bisexual; pedicels 3–4.5 mm long, tomentose to pubescent in the lower third glabrous towards the apex, articulated near the middle region; sepals 5, 1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, ovate to very broadly ovate, internal surface pubescent to tomentose, pubescent on the edges, external surface glabrous, margin ciliate; petals absent; stamens 10, filaments ca. 1 mm long, pubescent, slightly curved, anthers dorsifixed, rimose, glabrous, apical gland of the anther present; lobes of the nectariferous disk conspicuous, 0.5 mm long, clavate, tomentose at the apex, alternate to the filaments; ovary 0.5–1 × 0.5–1 mm very broadly ovoid to widely ovoid, glabrous, superior, 3-carpelate, unilocular, ovules numerous, placentation parietal, style ca. 0.5 mm long, pubescent at the base, cylindrical, stigma 3-lobed. Fruit a capsule, 4–5 × 4 mm, spheroid to widely ovoid, glabrous, opaque, regularly dehiscent, aril present, orange to vivid red; seeds 4–5, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, brown to slightly yellow, ornamentations and cavities on the seed surface; embryo spatulate ca. 1 × 0.25 mm, cotyledonary leaves rounded at apex and base, hypocotyl-radicle axis cylindrical.

Examined Material: — BRAZIL. PARANÁ: Posto de Informações e Controle, Area 1, 25°09’16” S, 53°50’44” W, 25 August 2016, fl.,bt., M.G. Caxambu et al. 7453 (HCF!) GoogleMaps ; margin oeste do rio Floriano, Area 2, 1 December 1966 (est.), J.C. Lindeman & J.H. de Hass 3561 (RB!) ; near the antiga Fazenda Salinet, Area 3, 25º59’42’’ S, 54º38’67’’ W, 11 October 2010, fr., A.P. Cardozo et al. 27 (UNOP!) ; trilha do Poço Preto, Area 3, 25º62’82’’ S, 54º46’38’’ W, 26 September 2019, fr., L.H.S.M. Conceição et al. 64 (UNOP!) .

Additional Material: — BRAZIL. PARANÁ: Capanema, futuro reservatório da UHE Baixo Iguaçu , 25º31’19’’ S, 53º38’53’’ W, 26 July 2018, bt., D.R. Da Silva et al. 425 (UNOP!). BRAZIL, PARANÁ: Cascavel, borda da Mata Fechada da FAG, 24º56’34’’ S, 53º30’48’’ W, 15.IX.2017, fl.,fr., L.H.S.M. Conceição & J.P.B. Silva 19 (UNOP!) GoogleMaps ; Parque Ecológico Paulo Gorski, 23.IX.2012, fr., J.P. Borges et al. 28 (UNOP!). BRAZIL, PARANÁ: Matelândia, mata da antiga Fazenda Leão, 25º21’12’’ S, 53º53’40’’ W, 10.VII.2014, bt., R. Cielo-Filho & J.N. Oliveira 1443 (UNOP!). BRAZIL, PARANÁ: Santa Terezinha do Itaipu, Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Santa Maria , 1 September 2010, fl., D. Gris 57 (UNOP!) GoogleMaps .

Distribution and habitat: Casearia sylvestris occurs from Mexico to South America, except in Chile ( Marquete & Mansano 2016). In Brazil it occurs in all regions (Flora e Funga do Brasil 2024). In the ParNa Iguaçu it occurs in all areas, in Submontane Semideciduous Seasonal Forest, Alluvial Seasonal Semideciduous Forest and in Mixed Ombrophilous Forest.

Phenology: —Collected with flowers in August and with fruits in September and October.

Diagnosis: — Casearia sylvestris can be recognized by its small stipules (1 × 1 mm), the leaves with conspicuous, abundant translucent dots and traces, the 3-lobed stigma and by the smaller fruits (4–5 × 4 mm) when compared to C. decandra .

Preliminary Conservation Status: —This species has a very wide distribution, EOO= 26,386.398 km ², as well as several records deposited in herbaria, including recent collections and confirmed occurrence in integral protection conservation units, this species is therefore assessed as Least Concern – LC (IUCN 2024).