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Star myrtle, a new Myrcia (Myrtacae) from Espírito Santo, Brazil

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Abstract

A species of Myrcia (Myrtaceae) bearing distinctive star-shaped fruits has been observed in the Vale Natural Reserve in Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil, for the last 20 years, and was informally named star myrtle (Portuguese: araçá-estrela). During ongoing taxonomic studies of Myrcia from this region it became apparent that the star myrtle was a new species to science, here described as Myrcia stellaris. This species resembles M. racemosa, but differs mainly in glabrous branchlets, inflorescence rachises, hypanthia, and outer surface of sepals (vs. covered with trichomes in M. racemosa) and fruits with five longitudinal ridges (vs. without ridges in M. racemosa). Further investigations expanded the distribution of M. stellaris based on a specimen collected in the municipality of Castelo. The new species is illustrated and information on habitat, phenology, affinities, and conservation status are provided.

Resumo

Uma espécie de Myrcia (Myrtaceae) com frutos peculiares em formato de estrela tem sido observada pelos últimos 20 anos na Reserva Natural Vale em Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brasil, sendo esta informalmente conhecida como araçá-estrela. Durante estudos taxonômicos de Myrcia em andamento nesta região, foi constatado que o araçá-estrela era uma espécie nova para a ciência, aqui descrita como Myrcia stellaris. Esta espécie é similar a M. racemosa, mas difere principalmente em ramos jovens, raques das inflorescências, hipantos e face externa das sépalas glabros (vs. cobertos com indumento em M. racemosa) e frutos com cinco cristas longitudinais (vs. sem cristas em M. racemosa). A distribuição geográfica de M. stellaris foi expandida com o registro de um espécime coletado no município de Castelo. A espécie nova é ilustrada e são fornecidas informações de habitat, fenologia, afinidades e estado de conservação.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Thiago B. Flores and the RNV team for overall support; the Sooretama Biological Reserve for hosting during field expeditions in Linhares; Giovane Siqueira (CVRD herbarium), Marcos Sobral, and Thiago Fernandes for discussions about the new species; Paula Leitman and Rafaela C. Forzza (RB herbarium) for providing a high-resolution image of the holotype; and the reviewers who contributed much to the quality of this paper. The last author acknowledges the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq-Brazil) for research funding (grant 302309/2018-7); this study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia, Sistemática e Conservação de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Campus Sorocaba, Rodovia João Leme dos Santos (SP-264), km 110, CEP: 18052-780, Itinga, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Paulo Henrique Gaem, Fernanda Savioli Scaravelli & Fiorella Fernanda Mazine

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, CEP: 13083-862, Barão Geraldo, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Karinne Sampaio Valdemarin

  3. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, TW9 3AB, Richmond, Surrey, UK

    Eve Lucas

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  1. Paulo Henrique Gaem
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  2. Fernanda Savioli Scaravelli
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  3. Karinne Sampaio Valdemarin
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  4. Eve Lucas
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  5. Fiorella Fernanda Mazine
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Correspondence to Paulo Henrique Gaem.

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Gaem, P.H., Scaravelli, F.S., Valdemarin, K.S. et al. Star myrtle, a new Myrcia (Myrtacae) from Espírito Santo, Brazil. Brittonia 73, 304–310 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-021-09667-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-021-09667-8

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