Emmotum harleyi, a New Species from Bahia, Brazil, and
Lectotypification of Other Icacinaceae
Rodrigo Duno de Stefano and Diego F. Angulo
Herbarium CICY, Centro de Investigación Cientı́fica de Yucatán A.C., Calle 43, No. 130, Col.
Chuburná de Hidalgo, 97200 Mérida, Yucatán, México. roduno@cicy.mx; dangulo@cicy.mx
Fred W. Stauffer
Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, Case postale 60, CH-1292 Chambésy/
Genève, Switzerland. fred.Stauffer@ville-ge.ch
ABSTRACT . Emmotum harleyi R. Duno (Icacinaceae),
a new species of Emmotum Desvaux, is described,
illustrated, and compared with E. nitens (Bentham)
Miers. This new species from Bahia, Brazil, is
distinguished by leaves densely tomentose abaxially
with large and crisped hairs, secondary nerves 9 to 11,
and ovary glabrous. Furthermore, lectotypes for E.
nitens (Bentham) Miers and Mappia racemosa Jacquin
var. brachycarpa Grisebach are designated.
Key words: Bahia, Brazil, Emmotum, Icacinaceae, IUCN Red List, lectotype, Mappia.
Emmotum Desvaux is a small genus in the
Icacinaceae with 11 recognized species, including
seven in Brazil. The genus occurs in Colombia,
Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru,
Brazil, and Bolivia. Four regional taxonomic revisions
of the genus have been published (Engler, 1897;
Carvalho et al., 1973; De Roon, 1994; Howard &
Duno de Stefano, 1999), and only one complete
monograph was published, more than 60 years ago
(Howard, 1942b). One of the most common species, E.
nitens (Benthan) Miers, grows in cerrado vegetation
across the Central Brazilian Plateau and the Mato
Grosso Plateau, extending from Brazil into Bolivia and
reaching the Amazonian basin in the north. Emmotum
nitens is characterized by petals with a continuous
band of hairs along the midvein on the inner surface,
stamens with the connective broadly ovate and
slightly prolonged at the apex, and a short style.
When studying herbarium specimens referred to E.
nitens (AAU, B, BM, F, G, GH, INPA, K, M, MO, NY,
P, SPF, and US), a distinct set of populations was
detected that differ in morphology and ecological
features and therefore require taxonomic recognition.
Emmotum harleyi R. Duno, sp. nov. TYPE: Brazil.
Bahia: 19.5 km SE of Morro do Chapéu on
BA052 rd. to Mundo Novo, by Rio Ferro Doido,
NOVON 17: 306–309. PUBLISHED
ON
ca. 900 m, ca. 11u389S, 41u029W, 2 Mar. 1977
(fl), R. M. Harley, S. J. Mayo, R. M. Storr, T. S.
Santos & R. S. Pinheiro 19248 (holotype, K;
isotypes, K, NY). Figure 1.
Species haec Emmoto nitenti (Bentham) Miers similis sed
foliis subtus dense tomentosis, pilis longioribus, erectis,
crispatis non adpressis rectis, ovariis glabris non hirsutis
recedit.
Shrub to small tree up to 5 m high; young branches
tomentose, persistent, trichomes of icacinaceous hairs,
simple, articulate at base. Leaves coriaceous, sharply
bicolored, dark green and shiny adaxially, yellow or
golden abaxially; petioles 1.3–1.5 cm, sulcate, tomentose; blade elliptic or widely elliptic, rarely ovate or
narrowly ovate, 5–10 6 3–4.5 cm; apex acute, rarely
acuminate, attenuate, shortly acuminate or emarginate;
margin entire, slightly revolute; base rounded; nervation penninerved, camptodromous, 9 to 11 pairs of
secondary nerves, alternate, well developed but hidden
by a dense indument; adaxially glabrous; abaxially
densely tomentose with crisped hairs ca. 0.2 mm.
Inflorescences to 4 cm, axillary, paniculate, 1- to 4floriferous branches per axil, all parts densely
tomentose; peduncle short, to 2 cm, tomentose; bracts
narrowly triangular, 3 mm, tomentose outside, glabrous
inner surface; bracteoles 1 or 2, narrowly triangular, 1
6 0.1 mm, tomentose outside, glabrous inner surface.
Flowers 5-merous, articulate at base, slightly fragrant;
calyx campanulate, slightly fleshy, lobes triangular,
1 mm long, tomentose outside, glabrous inner surface;
corolla with white petals, slightly retrorse or erect at
anthesis, slightly fleshy, ovate or narrowly ovate, 2.5–3
6 1 mm, sericeous outside, slightly bearded on the
inner surface, with large, undulate hair to 0.5 mm;
stamens 2.5–3 mm, filament 1.5–1.8 mm, basally
dilated, glabrous; anthers 1 mm, basifixed; connective
broadly ovate, slightly prolonged at the apex; pistil
subglobose, 1.8–2.5 mm high, glabrous; style terminal,
very short, only 0.5 mm or less; stigma diminute,
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Duno de Stefano et al.
Emmotum harleyi from Brazil
307
Figure 1. Emmotum harleyi R. Duno. —A. Habit. —B. Detail of the leaf indument (abaxial surface). —C. Detail of the
inflorescence. —D. Flower. —E. Detail of the pistil. —F. Stamen, outside surface. —G. Stamen, inner surface. Drawn from
the holotype, Harley et al. 19248 (K).
capitate. Fruit 1 to 2(3) per infructescence, drupe,
depressed-globose, 1–1.2 cm, 1–1.5 cm diam., the
apex short or mucronate, 3 locules, each 1-seeded,
sparingly pilose, becoming glabrate, with heavy stony
endocarp, sutures not developed, but rugose or
sculptured outside.
Etymology. The plant is named to honor R. M.
Harley (1936–), who worked for many years and
gathered many collections in the Chapada Diamantina, especially in the Mucugê area where the new
species is found.
Distribution and ecology. Emmotum harleyi is
only known from the Chapada Diamantina including
the Serra do Tombador in Bahia, Brazil. It grows
mainly in campo rupestre over white crystalline sand
rock, between 800 and 1200(–1450) m and, more
rarely, on mata ciliar at 500 m. The plants flower from
September to July, with fruits from September to June.
IUCN Red List category. The information about
the population status of this species is far from
complete to produce a precise conservation evaluation, but some general information can be gathered
from the specimen’s label. Emmotum harleyi occurs
along discontinuous extensions in an area of ca.
100,000 km2. There are numerous botanical collections, including some made inside protected areas of
Bahia such as Parque Municipal de Mucugê, P. M.
308
Novon
Natural Pico das Almas, Parque Nacional da Chapada
Diamantina, and Santuário Ecológico do Largo do
Queiroz, among others. Despite the cerrado and
campo rupestre being two of the most threatened
ecosystems in northeastern Brazil, the population of
this species seems to be large enough to be excluded
from any category of protection according to IUCN
criteria (IUCN, 2001).
A. Mori 13410 (A, NY); Mun. de Rio de Contas, Serra das
Almas, a 5 km ao NW de Rio de Contas, 21 Mar. 1980, S. A.
Mori & F. Benton 13526 (A, NY).
Vernacular name. Aderno (Melo et al. 1636).
Relationships. The proposed new taxon is similar to
Emmotum nitens, but the abaxial surface of the leaves
has long, erect, and crisped hairs, instead of short,
appressed, straight hairs. The flowers have the inner
surface of the petals with a continuous band of hairs
along the midvein instead of two tufts of hairs at the base
and the apex; the ovary is glabrous and not hirsute. The
new species occupies a different habitat and a different
geographical area of distribution. Emmotum harleyi
occurs at the eastern edge of the distribution of E.
nitens, in Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, where it grows in
campo rupestre vegetation over white crystalline sand
rock, between 900 and 1400 m. In contrast, E. nitens is
found between 300 and 900 m in cerrado vegetation on
clay soils in the states of Bahia, Distrito Federal, Goias,
Minas Gerais, and Pernambuco in Brazil and the
departments of Beni, La Paz, and Santa Cruz in Bolivia.
Another related species, E. orbiculatum (Bentham)
Miers, occurs in the Amazon basin and is distinguished
by its orbicular leaves.
Paratypes. BRAZIL. Bahia: Mun. Morro do Chapéu,
4 km de Morro do Chapéu, na estrada a Utinga, 26 Mar.
1996, M. L. Guedes, E. Woodgyer & B. Stannard 2570 (SPF);
Mun. Mucugê, área antropizada, 31 Jan. 1997, M. L. Guedes,
B. Stanndar, S. Atkins, E. Saar & L. Passos 4750 (K, SPF);
4 km S of Mucugê, on rd. from Cascavel by Rio Cumbuca, 6
Feb. 1974, R. M. Harley, S. A Renvoize, C. M. Erskine, C. A.
Brighton & R. Pinheiro 16055 (K, NY); 4 km S of Mucugê,
on rd. from Cascavel by Rio Cumbuca, 6 Feb. 1974, R. M.
Harley, S. A. Renvoize, C. M. Erskine, C. A. Brighton & R.
Pinheiro 16056 (K); betw. 2.5 and 5 km S of Vila do Rio de
Contas on side rd. to W of the rd. to Livramento, 28 Mar.
1977, R. M. Harley, S. J. Mayo, R. M. Storr, T. S. Santos & R.
S. Pinheiro 20136 (NY, US); Mun. Rio de Contas, 2–9 km da
cidade na estrada a Arapiranga (furna) para o aeroporto, R.
M. Harley, M. C. Assis & F. S. Pires 26113 (MO, NY); Mun.
Rio de Contas, Pico das Almas, vertente leste, Perto da Faz.
Brumadinho, 16 km ao NO da cidade, 27 Nov. 1988, R. M.
Harley & N. Taylor 27010 (NY, SPF); Mun. Lençóis, Serra da
Chapadinha, entre Chapadinha e Brejões, 21 Feb. 1995, E.
Melo, M. Sena & M. França 1636 (SPF); Mun. Rio de Contas,
Barra do Brumado, 25 July 1978, S. A. Mori, T. S. dos Santos
& I. White 10310 (A, NY); Mun. de Lençóis, arredores de
Lençóis, caminho para Barro Branco, 1 Nov. 1979, S. A. Mori
12940 (A, NY); Mun. de Andarai, Nova Rodovia Andarai/
Mucugê, a 15–20 km ao S de Andarai, 21 Dec. 1979, S. A.
Mori & F. P. Benton 13119 (A, NY); Mun. de Lençois, BR
242, Km 214, entrada na antiga estrada para Lençóis, 12 km
ao N de Lençois, 29 Feb. 1980, S. A. Mori 13320 (A, NY);
Mun. de Mucujê, a 6 km ao SW de Mucugê, 04 Mar. 1980, S.
LECTOTYPIFICATION OF SOME SPECIES OF THE
FAMILY ICACINACEAE
There are some species of the family Icacinaceae
that need to be lectotypified to increase the
nomenclatural precision. Such is the case of Emmotum nitens and Mappia racemosa Jacquin var.
brachycarpa Grisebach. In concordance with the
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (McNeil
et al., 2006), a lectotype for each taxa is proposed.
LECTOTYPIFICATION OF EMMOTUM NITENS
This species was originally described by George
Bentham (1800–1884) as a member of the genus
Pogopetalum. Bentham used one collection of George
Gardner 3309 from Brazil as type material, and two
sheets were deposited at Kew. We chose the collection
with flowers as the lectotype of Emmotum nitens. Also,
E. faia Kuhlmann is included here as a synonym; even
though the type was not studied, its description and
illustration correspond to E. nitens.
Emmotum nitens (Bentham) Miers, Ann. Mag. Nat.
Hist., ser. II, 10: 180. 1852. Basionym: Pogopetalum nitens Bentham, London J. Bot. 2: 377. 1843.
TYPE: Brazil. Goias: G. Gardner 3309 (lectotype,
designated here, K; isotypes, G, K [2], NY).
Emmotum faia Kuhlmann, Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro
XXVI: 45. 1982. Syn. nov. TYPE: Brazil. Espı́ritu
Santo: ‘‘ad marginis Lagoa do Durão, Rio Doce,’’ 12
May 1934, J. G. Kuhlmann 177 (holotype, RB).
LECTOTYPIFICATION OF MAPPIA RACEMOSA VAR. BRACHYCARPA
Mappia Jacquin is a genus of the Icacinaceae with
four or five species. The genus occurs from Mexico to
Panama and in the Antilles. Mappia racemosa is the
most common species in the Antilles and has two
varieties (Howard, 1942a). Grisebach described M.
racemosa var. brachycarpa in his Plantae Wrightianae
(1860), using two collections made by Charles Wright
(numbers 1389 and 1578) as type material, but without
indication of the herbarium where these specimens were
stored. Here, we propose one of these syntypes
deposited at GOET as the lectotype for the species.
The collection C. Wright 1389 is chosen because the
original description mentioned a plant with flowers and
fruits, congruent with the specimen at GOET. Borhidi
(1983) previously elevated this variety to the rank of
subspecies without further explanation. We are still
studying the botanical material of the Greater Antilles to
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Duno de Stefano et al.
Emmotum harleyi from Brazil
evaluate any correlation between morphological variation and any geographical or ecological differentiation.
Carvalho, M. J. C., M. E. Van Der Berg & P. B. Cavalcantes.
1973. O gênero Emmotum Desv. (Icacinaceae) na
amazônia Brasileira. Publ. Avulsas Mus. Paraense Emilio
Goeldi 20: 203–219.
De Roon, A. C. 1994. Icacinaceae. Pp. 82–109, plates 17–23
in A. R. A. Görts-Van Rijn (editor), Flora of the Guianas.
Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein.
Engler, G. A. 1897. Icacinaceae. Pp. 41–61 in C. F. P. von
Martius (editor), Flora Brasiliensis, Vol. 12, Pt. 2.
Grisebach, A. 1860. Plantae Wrightianae e Cuba orientali
(Polypetalae et Apetalae). Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n.s. 8:
191.
Howard, R. A. 1942a. Studies of the Icacinaceae, II.
Humirianthera, Leretia, Mappia and Nothapodythes, valid
genera of the Icacinaceae. J. Arnold Arbor. 23: 55–78.
———. 1942b. Studies of the Icacinaceae, III. A Revision of
Emmotum. J. Arnold Arbor. 23: 479–493.
——— & R. Duno de Stefano. 1999. Icacinaceae. Pp.
646–658 in P. E. Berry, K. Yatskievych & B. K. Holst
(editors), Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana, Vol. 5:
Eriocaulaceae–Lentibulariaceae. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
McNeil, J., F. R. Barrie, H. M. Burdet, V. Demoulin, D. L.
Hawksworth, K. Marhold, D. H. Nicolson, J. Prado, P. C.
Silva, J. E. Skog, J. H. Wiersema & N. J. Turland (editors).
2006. International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
(Vienna Code). Regnum Veg. 146.
IUCN. 2001. Red List Categories and Criteria Version 3.1.
Prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
Mappia racemosa Jacquin var. brachycarpa Grisebach, Pl. Wright. 8: 119. 1860. Mappia
racemosa subsp. brachyarpa (Grisebach) Borhidi,
Acta Bot. Hung. 29: 185. 1983. TYPE: Cuba. Ch.
Wright 1389 (lectotype, designated here, GOET;
isotypes, GH, HAC, K, MA, MO [2], NY).
Acknowledgments. The first author thanks Santiago Castroviejo and Mauricio Velayos (MA), who
helped to get loan material for this study; the curators
of the following herbaria: A, AAU, B, BM, F, G, GH,
INPA, K, M, MO, NY, SPF, and US; Fernando
Rivadavia, who provided digital images of the material
at SPF; Jochen Heinrichs (GOET) for digital images of
Wright’s material; Kanchi Gandhi (GH) for his
nomenclatural advice; Juan Castillo for his excellent
illustration; and Kew Latin American Research
Fellowships program for providing funding to visit K
and BM to study the type material.
Literature Cited
Borhidi, A. 1983. New names and new species in the flora of
Cuba and Antilles, III. Acta Bot. Hung. 29: 181–215.
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Rodrigo Duno