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| Eugenia sarahchazaroi Cházaro, Franc.Gut. & J.R.Carral, in Francisco-Gutiérrez, Cházaro-Basáñez, Carral-Domínguez, Narave-Flores et Islas-Tello, 2023. |
Abstract
Following the description of Eugenia naraveana in 2016 from the cloud forest of the Cofre de Perote volcano, Mexico, the doubt about the existence of another unlocalized and sympatric species of Eugenia remained. After years of searching, the second endemic species of the Cofre de Perote volcano, Eugenia sarahchazaroi, is presented here. It belongs to the section Umbellatae, and is described, illustrated, and compared with E. naraveana and E. coetzalensis, recently described from Veracruz, the second state with the highest diversity of Eugenia in Mexico. The species is only known from the type locality and is classified in the Critically Endangered CR B1+B2(a,biii) category of the IUCN Red List conservation assessments.
Key words: Cloud forest, Cofre de Perote, endemic species, Eugenia naraveana, Umbellatae, Veracruz
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| Eugenia sarahchazaroi A inflorescence B twig with fruits C detail of flowers D fascicles E floral budsF staminal disc G adaxial surface of a leaf H abaxial surface of a leafI immature fruitJ ripe fruit, and K seedling. All photographs were taken by Rodrigo Carral-Domínguez and edited by Antonio Francisco-Gutiérrez. |
Eugenia sarahchazaroi Cházaro, Franc.Gut. & J.R.Carral, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Eugenia sarahchazaroi is morphologically similar to E. naraveana but differs by having shorter and smaller leaves (37.3–59.7 × 14.4–21.3 mm vs. 57–116 × 22–55 mm in E. naraveana), reduced number of flowers per fascicle (4–6 vs. 3–16), absence of bracteoles (vs. presence), shorter pedicels (1–1.7 × 0.6–1 mm vs. 6–12 × 1–2.6 mm), smaller staminal disc (1.6–2 mm vs. 3–5 mm wide), presence of central cavity in staminal disc (vs. absence), shorter style (3.4–7 mm vs. 7.5–9.7 mm), and shorter fruits (1.4–1.8 cm vs. 1.1–4.3 cm). The species is also similar to E. coetzalensis but it can be distinguished by its inflorescence (axillary fascicles vs. axillary racemes in E. coetzalensis).
Etymology: The specific epithet honors Sarah Magyari Cházaro-Hernández, the beloved daughter of Miguel Cházaro-Basáñez, who has accompanied him on numerous botanical expeditions. As a child, Sarah Cházaro developed an interest in botany by learning to identify several plant genera on field trips with her father (Fig. 4). This new species is the third dedicated to his children, with Agave paskynnellchazaroi Arzaba, Cházaro & Franc.Gut. (Arzaba-Villalba et al. 2023), and Valeriana rudychazaroi Cházaro, Franc.Gut. & J.R.Carral (Francisco-Gutiérrez et al. 2023b). These eponyms were the last will of Miguel Cházaro before he passed away on April 04, 2023. The obituary with a review of his life and work can be found in Francisco-Gutiérrez and Vázquez-García (2023).
Antonio Francisco-Gutiérrez, Miguel Cházaro-Basáñez, Rodrigo Carral-Domínguez, Héctor Narave-Flores and Luis Islas-Tello. 2023. Eugenia sarahchazaroi (Myrtaceae, Myrteae), A New Species from the Cloud Forest of Mexico. PhytoKeys. 236: 53-64. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.236.111421
