Eugenia sobraliana Giaretta & Fraga, 2014

Eugenia sobraliana Giaretta & Fraga View in CoL , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 View FIGURE 2 , 4 View FIGURE 4 )

This specie is related to Eugenia sessilifolia but differs from it by its ovate leaves, fasciculiform inflorescence with 2–4 flowers and pedicels exfoliating longitudinally after anthesis.

Type: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Nova Venécia, Área de Proteção Ambiental da Pedra do Elefante, Serra de Baixo, Mata do Fuxico , Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, elev. 360 m, 14 Apr. 2009 (fl.), C.N. Fraga , R.C. Forzza, A.M. Amorim & L. Daneu 2502 (Holotype: RB! , isotypes: BHCB! , CEPEC! , MBML! , UPCB! ).

Tree 3– 4 m. Branchlets terete, glabrous, longitudinally striate, irregularly exfoliating, grey, with young tissue reddish below. Leaves sessile or subsessile, glabrous; petioles, when present, to 1–2 × 2.5 mm; blades ovate, rarely oblong, glabrous, 5.4–14 × 3.2–6.2 cm, discolorous when dry, lighter abaxially; glandular dots 0.1 mm diameter, 5–9 per square millimeter, darker abaxially; apex acute to acuminate; base cordate or subcordate; midvein sulcate or biconvex adaxially, prominent abaxially; secondary veins 14–18, slightly salient abaxially and mostly visible; marginal veins two, the internal one 2.5–5.5 mm, the external one 0.5–1.5 mm from the margin, the margin occasionally slightly revolute. Inflorescences fasciculiform, axillary, the axes 1–2 × 1.2 mm, with 2–4 flowers; basal bracts ovate, with simple brown trichomes, 1–1.5 × 0.8 mm, persisting after anthesis; pedicels 12–28 × 0.5 mm in flower bud, glabrous, with a discrete rupture below the bracteoles when in flower bud exfoliating longitudinally after anthesis; bracteoles ovate, with sparse simple brown trichomes, 0.6–1.5 × 1–1.2 mm, not connate, persisting after anthesis; flower buds pyriform, 5.5–7 × 5–6.5 mm, glabrous; calyx lobes four, glabrous, concave, unequal, the external ones 3.5–4 × 5–5.5 mm, hemispherical, the internal 4.5–5.5 × 5 mm, hemispherical or oblong; petals four, white, rounded, concave, glabrous, margins with cilia 0.2–0.3 mm, 8–9 × 7–9 mm; stamens about 180, to 14 mm, anthers 1–1.3 × 0.5–0.7 mm, eglandular; stamen disk 5–6 mm in diameter, with simple grey trichomes 0.1 mm; style to 8.5 mm, glabrous, stigma punctiform; ovary with two locules and 10–12 ovules per locule. Fruit not seen.

Phenology: —Flowers were collected in April and July.

Etymology: —The specific epithet pays homage to Marcos Eduardo Guerra Sobral, whose botanical studies have made valuable contributions to our knowledge of Brazilian biodiversity, especially to that of the Myrtaceae .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia sobraliana is known so far from only two collections in the Environmental Protection Area of Pedra do Elefante, in the municipality of Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ) and is seemingly restricted to inselbergs covered in dry seasonal forests, at elevations of c. 150 to 360 m elev. The region is characterized by granitic and gneissic inselbergs that are frequently dome-shaped and rise more or less abruptly above the surrounding landscape and delimited by the border of the tropical semideciduous forest. The inselbergs of southeastern Brazil have been recognized as one of the three top hotspots of the inselberg plant diversity, by their species richness and the high level of endemism ( Porembski 2007). Several endemic species of other plant families have been recently described for these dry seasonal forest remnants ( Versieux & Wanderley 2010; Leme et al. 2010; Goldenberg et al. 2012).

Conservation: —This species is endemic to just one locality, with populations of few and scattered individuals in an area of less than 20 km 2. It is thus prone to the effects of stochastic events, and its continued existence can't be assured. Although this locality lies in a protected area, it has open boundaries with livestock farms and their frequently undisciplined use of natural resources. We therefore include this species under the category VU D2 of the IUCN Red List ( IUCN 2013) of endangered plant species.

Paratype: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Nova Venécia, Área de Proteção Ambiental da Pedra do Elefante, Trilha Principal na Mata da Fazenda Santa Rita , Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, Elev. 154 m, 16 Jul. 2008 (fl.), A.M. Amorim et al. 7522 ( BHCB, CEPEC, MBML, RB!, UPCB) .

Affinities: — Eugenia sobraliana is close to Eugenia sessilifolia de Candolle (1828: 263) , from which it differs by the morphological characters presented in the following key:

1. Leaves elliptic, base truncate or subcordate; inflorescence terminal on an auxotelic axis producing vegetative shoots with adult leaves after anthesis, flowers 2–6; pedicels not exfoliating ............................................................. Eugenia sessilifolia

1’. Leaves ovate, base cordate to subcordate; inflorescence axillary, fasciculiform, with 2–4 flowers; pedicels exfoliating after anthesis ...................................................................................................................................................... Eugenia sobraliana