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Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-24
Page range: 263-272
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A long-term permanent forest plot reveals a remarkable new species of Roucheria (Linaceae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica; Escola Nacional de Botânica Tropical; Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro; Brazil
Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; UESC; Departamento de Ciências Biológicas; Ilhéus; Bahia; Brazil
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica; Escola Nacional de Botânica Tropical; Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro; Brazil
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Florianópolis; Santa Catarina; Brazil
Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Campinas; São Paulo; Brazil
Universidade Federal do Maranhão; São Luís; Maranhão; Brazil
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica; Escola Nacional de Botânica Tropical; Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro; Brazil
Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica; Santa Teresa; Espírito Santo; Brazil
Eudicots endemism Hugonioideae Linaceae Malpighiales neotropical flora estado do Espírito Santo Sudeste do Brasil. Descrevemos e ilustramos Roucheria krenakiana uma árvore do estrato superior da Floresta Atlântica montana que se

Abstract

A new species of Roucheria (Linaceae) was revealed through a vegetation monitoring campaign in a long-term permanent plot in Santa Teresa municipality, Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil. Here, we describe and illustrate Roucheria krenakiana, a canopy tree of the montane Atlantic Forest, which stands out for its obovate leaves with obtuse apex, crenulate margins and flowers with pale green petals and 3 to 5 styles, as well as congested axillary cymules, caducous stipules, and a glabrous ovary with 3–5 locules. We provide its description, illustration, phenology, a preliminary conservation assessment, and a discussion of its morphological relationships with closely related species. Our study highlights that long-term forest monitoring, when integrated with systematic voucher collecting, strengthens the documentation of poorly known lineages, and can reveal undescribed species.

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How to Cite

Ottino, G.C., Amorim, A.M.A., Fraga, C.N.D., Fiaschi, P., Silva, S.P., Silva, L.F.G.D., Soares-Silva, J.P., Marinho, L.C., Cardoso, D. & Viana, P.L. (2026) A long-term permanent forest plot reveals a remarkable new species of Roucheria (Linaceae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Phytotaxa 763 (3): 263–272. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.763.3.5