A new species of Ocotea (Lauraceae) from Espírito Santo, Brazil

Ocotea Aubl. is the largest genus amongst the Neotropical Lauraceae, estimated to have 469 recognised species in the Americas, 183 of them occurring in Brazil, 117 being endemic to the country. In the course of preparing a treatment of Lauraceae for the Flora of Espírito Santo, Brazil, an undescribed species of Ocotea was encountered. Its description and illustrations are presented here.

Ocotea vervloetii P.L.R.Moraes & L.S.Santos is a new species of Ocotea from the Atlantic Rainforest of south-eastern Brazil, collected in the Municipality of Santa Teresa, State of Espírito Santo. This new species probably belongs to the Ocotea floribunda group, since it bears relatively large male flowers ca. 7-8 mm diam., with receptacle flat, small, shallow, bowl-shaped and pistillode densely tomentose. Nevertheless, it is clearly different from other congeners in this group by presenting relatively short leaves, oblanceolate to obovate, elliptic, discolorous, coriaceous, with margin strongly revolute, adaxially glabrous to glabrescent, shiny, strongly bullate, abaxially sparsely to densely strigulose and papillose.