Researchers at Rio's Botanical Garden have discovered a new species of fruit tree with only one known specimen in the world to date

Researchers from the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden have discovered a new species of fruit tree, the Siphoneugena carolynae, inside the Pedra de Itaocaia Municipal Natural Monument, in the municipality of Maricá, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The tree belongs to the genus Siphoneugena, a close relative of the jabuticaba, and is seven meters tall. The study, conducted by JBRJ researchers Thiago Fernandes and João Marcelo Braga, points out that there is only this one tree in the world.

- This species has only one known individual to date. It is the thirteenth species of the genus Siphoneugena known to date. We collected it with the fruit still green. We don't know the ripe fruits, but we can predict that they are similar to jabuticabas (genus Plinia), as they are close relatives - says Thiago Fernandes.Also according to the researcher, the region has attracted the interest of naturalists since the 19th century, including Charles Darwin, who visited the region in 1832 and stayed at the historic Fazenda Itaocaia, where the new species was discovered today.

- This new discovery is a step forward in fully understanding the flora of the Atlantic Rainforest, which is still home to many species unknown to science. It also demonstrates the importance of protected areas for the conservation of this and other rare species with restricted distribution - says the researcher.

The field expeditions were carried out between 2018 and 2023, on Morro Itaocaia, and the species was monitored periodically throughout the stages of reproductive development.

- I've been studying it since graduation with my advisor and other collaborators. We've already made other discoveries in the area. There was a fruit species that was only known from a single collection made in the 19th century, which is already in the Botanical Garden in cultivation, and two other new species occurring in Itaocaia and Niterói - says Thiago.

The scientific name of the new tree was proposed by the researchers in honor of Carolyn E. B. Proença, a researcher at the University of Brasilia and a senior specialist in Myrtaceae, for her long career of contributions to the taxonomy and reproductive biology of species in this family. She also contributed to the discussion on the new species.

The results of the research were published last July in the scientific journal Brittonia, a publication of the New York Botanical Garden, one of the most respected in the world.