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).

Mexico. Veracruz: Municipio Acajete, Paraje La Cieneguilla, cerca del Encinal II, 19.517372, -97.043692, elev. 2400 m, 01 July 2021, fl., M. Cházaro-Basáñez & H. Narave-Flores 11226 (holotype: XAL!; isotypes: CIB!, CITRO!, ENCB!, IBUG!, MEXU!, XALU!).

Tree 4.5–20 m tall. Bark exfoliating, the outer layer fissured and covered by lichens, the inner layer smooth and pink to reddish. Twigs terete, some covered by lichens, apical leaves paired. Internodes 15.8–21.6 mm long, 1.1–2.1 mm in diam., not exfoliating, shortly lanose to glabrescent in apical leaves. Cataphylls absent. Leaves opposite, petioles curved and adpressed, later the terminal petioles parallel to the main axis of the branches, sometimes straight and perfectly aligned one in front of the other, simulating a cross, 2.4–7.2 × 0.9–1 mm, shortly lanose. Blades 37.3–59.7 × 14.4–21.3 mm, lanceolate or elliptical, chartaceous and glossy, discolorous when dry, glabrous adaxially and abaxially, oil glands present; base cuneate, apex acuminate, 5.6–10.7 mm long, margin entire and sinuate; midvein slightly impressed adaxially, prominent abaxially, glabrous in both surfaces; secondary veins 7–14 at each side, leaving the midvein at angles of 53–76°, slightly conspicuous adaxially; one marginal vein, 0.6–1.4 mm from the margin. Inflorescences axillary fascicles, frequently 2 per node, rarely 1, 4–6 flowers each, bracts, and bracteoles absent. Pedicels of floral buds: 1.0–1.7 × 0.6–1 mm, straight to slightly curved, sometimes thickened at the base. 2-ribbed, pubescent, trichomes strigose. Flower buds ovoid to spherical, 1.1–3 mm diam., hypanthium campanulate, 1.2–2.3 × 1.5–2.2 mm, light green, shortly pubescent, trichomes simple. Flowers at anthesis with hypanthium, 1.08–1.5 × 1.4–1.9 mm, glabrous, pale green to reddish. Calyx lobes 4, free, one pair slightly less developed than the other, lobes 0.44–0.77 × 1.2–1.91 mm, widely triangular or orbicular, apex obtuse, abaxially, and adaxially glabrous, margin ciliate, trichomes 0.04–0.07 mm long, green to reddish. Petals 4, 2.4–3.2 × 2.7–2.9 mm, orbicular to elliptical, with few circular brown glands, apex widely rounded, glabrous. Staminal disc a circular ring, sometimes square with rounded corners, 1.6 mm in diameter or 1.6–2.0 mm in diameter, central cavity with no stamens inserted, 0.79–1 mm in diameter, glabrous. Stamens 31–76, deciduous, filaments 2.1–5 × 0.16–0.18 mm, glabrous; anthers 0.38–0.51 × 0.31–0.64 mm, oblong to ellipsoid, glabrous. Style 3.4–7 × 0.33–0.44 mm, glabrous, white, sometimes reddish, deciduous. Ovary locules 2, 2 ovules each. Fruit a drupe; peduncles straight or slightly curved, 4.2–4.7 × 1.9–3.8 mm; immature fruit globose to ellipsoid with some prominent and longitudinally parallel veins, 9–17.9 × 11.3–14.8 mm, smooth to reticulate, partially green, yellow or red-tinged, glabrous, not crowned at the apex with calyx lobes, pulp yellow with red granules; ripe fruit globose to ellipsoid with no veins, 14.1–18.2 × 14.7–17.2 mm, smooth, dark purple to black, glabrous; mesocarp 3.1 mm wide, salmon to dark purple; one seed per fruit, spherical to elliptical, 13.5–13.8 × 12–12.5 mm, testa smooth (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. 

Eugenia sarahchazaroi A inflorescence B twig with fruitsC detail of flowersD fasciclesE floral budsF staminal discG adaxial surface of a leafH 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.

The species was collected with floral buds, flowers, and mature fruits from April to July.

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).

The Cofre de Perote volcano, has been botanically explored since 1804 by Humboldt & Bonpland and many subsequent botanists. The mountain and its periphery house rare and new species recorded and described since the 1980’s (for a detailed review, see Cházaro et al. 2016). Eugenia sarahchazaroi is only known from the type locality. Other species inhabiting the cloud forest near the new species are Quercus corrugata Hook., Q. acherdophylla Trel. (Fagaceae), Eugenia naraveana Cházaro & Franc.Gut., Myrsine penduliflora A.DC. (Primulaceae), Ilex discolor Hemsl., Peperomia tenerrima Schltdl. & Cham. (Piperaceae), Lamourouxia xalapensis Kunth, Pedicularis canadensis L. (Orobanchaceae), Oreomunnea mexicana (Standl.) J.-F.Leroy (Juglandaceae), Echeveria secunda Booth ex Lindl., E. rosea Lindl. (Crassulaceae), Turpinia occidentalis (Sw.) G.Don (Staphyleaceae), Ocotea disjuncta Lorea-Hern. (Lauraceae), Citharexylum hidalgense Moldenke (Verbenaceae), Cestrum fasciculatum Miers (Solanaceae), Symplocos coccinea Bonpl. (Symplocaceae), Oreopanax flaccidus Marchal (Araliaceae) and Aporocactus flagelliformis (L.) Lem. (Cactaceae), among many other species. It is close to the also endemic E. naraveana, which was only known from the type locality. Recent data allow for the expansion of its distribution, reported in the municipality of Zongolica, Veracruz (David Jimeno-Sevilla, curator of ZON herbarium, pers. comm.). An updated distribution map of E. sarahchazaroi and related species is provided in Fig. 3.

“Guayabillo” (Macario Córdova-Cortina and Héctor Narave-Flores, pers. comm.).

Mexico. Veracruz: Municipio Acajete, Rancho de Martín Sangabriel, camino El Zapotal – El Encinal 2, km 1.52, 19.512869, -97.04118, 2320 m, 18 April 2022, fr., R. Carral-Domínguez, L. Islas-Tello, I. Gómez-Escamilla & B. Téllez-Baños RCD-852 (IBUG!, MEXU!, XAL!); Municipio Acajete, Rancho de Martín Sangabriel, camino El Zapotal – El Encinal 2, km 1.52, 19.512974, -97.040498, 2312 m, 18 April 2023, R. Carral-Domínguez, E. Marinero-Sobal & L. Abrajan-Cortés RCD-853 (XAL!, MEXU!); Municipio Acajete, Rancho de Martín Sangabriel, camino El Zapotal – El Encinal 2, km 1.52, 19.513025, -97.040499, 2306 m, 07 May 2023, R. Carral-Domínguez, D. Canales-Suardíaz & A. Seedorf-Anaya RCD-854 (XAL!, MEXU!, IBUG!).

The species has geographic ranges of Extent of Occurrence (EOO) of 0 km², and Area of Occupancy of 4 km². The species grows in the foothills of the Cofre de Perote Volcano, about 7.5 km from the limit of the protected area under the national park category (Fig. 3), a location that threatens it because the vicinity of the volcano has experienced constant overexploitation of forests and illegal logging since the 20^th century (Hoffmann 1989). Because of EOO < 100 km², AOO < 10 km², number of locations = 1, and continuing decline observed in the extent and quality of habitat, we evaluate the new species E. sarahchazaroi in the category critically endangered CR B1+B2(a,biii). This species is currently the target of conservation efforts being reproduced in the greenhouses of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (SEDEMA) of Veracruz.

Eugenia sarahchazaroi belongs to the section Umbellatae through having bracteoles and calyx lobes not foliaceous, calyx open in the bud, and flowers 4-merous arranged in fascicles. This section has the largest species richness in Eugenia, with about 680 species (Mazine et al. 2016).

The species of Eugenia from Veracruz, Mexico, were studied in the issue of Myrtaceae of the Flora of Veracruz series (Sánchez-Vindas 1990). These species were considered for the morphological comparisons with E. naraveana (Cházaro-Basáñez and Francisco-Gutiérrez 2016), the most similar species. Besides, only the species E. coetzalensis was later described for Veracruz. Because of it, the new species presented here is compared with both.

Eugenia sarahchazaroi is distinguished from E. coetzalensis mainly by the type of inflorescence (fascicle vs. racemes, respectively). The paratype of E. coetzalensis, E. Guízar-N. & J.C. Echeverría 5688 (MEXU1075426) can be electronically consulted at https://datosabiertos.unam.mx/IBUNAM:MEXU:1075426. Eugenia sarahchazaroi is similar to E. naraveana but it differs in several morphological characters, which can be analyzed in the Table 1. Overall, this new species’ leaves, pedicels, hypanthium, staminal discs, and fruits are smaller than those of the E. naraveana. Additionally, the number of leaves and fruits are notably higher than in E. naraveana, as seen in photographs of Fig. 2. The staminal disc also shows a suppressed central area with no stamens where the style inserts, which is lacking in the staminal discs of E. naraveana. These features allow us to determine this taxon as a different species.

Figure 2. 

Morphological comparison between Eugenia sarahchazaroi and E. naraveana. All photographs of E. sarahchazaroi were taken by Rodrigo Carral-Domínguez; photographs of E. naraveana were taken by Antonio Francisco-Gutiérrez, except for the branch with fruits by Jose Luis Ramírez-Pacheco.

Figure 3. 

Distribution map of Eugenia sarahchazaroi and similar species in Mexico. The colored square corresponds to the Cofre de Perote volcano and its natural protected area under the category of National Park, delimited with the yellow line.

Figure 4. 

Miguel Cházaro and his beloved daughter, Sarah M. Cházaro-Hernández A learning her first botanical knowledge at three years old at home B botanical expedition in El Chico National Park, Hidalgo, Mexico, in 2018. Photographs taken by Patricia Hernández-Romero.