The genus Dolichoura Brade was de- scribed in 1959, with only one species occur- ring in the state of Espírito Santo, eastern Brazil. The genus was characterized by its 7- merous flowers with stamens presenting a long, “whip”-like dorsal appendage, and distinguished from Behuria Cham. by its glabrous ovary (Brade, 1959). Dolichoura clearly belongs to the tribe Merianieae, which is characterized by thick, dorsally appendaged anther connectives and by cuneate and sometimes winged seeds (Renner, 1993; Almeda, 1993). The tribe is apparently monophyletic, and closely related to two clades, one with Henriettea DC., Hen- riettella Naudin, and Blakea P. Browne, and the other formed by the remaining genera formerly placed within the tribe Miconieae (Clausing & Renner, 2001; Michelangeli et al., 2004). The state of Espírito Santo, to which Dolichoura is endemic, was until very re- cently covered by a diversity of Atlantic For- est vegetation types. Strong deforestation has taken place in the past decades, but in the west-central hilly portion of the state there are good remains of montane and submon- tane forests (Mendes & Padovan, 2000). The melastome flora in these forests is very dis- tinctive, with several endemics (Wurdack, 1980; Baumgratz, 1998; Goldenberg, 1999; Guimarães & Goldenberg, 2001). The land- scape of the state is also strongly marked by huge granitic inselbergs that support a very rich and interesting herbaceous and shrubby flora. Dolichoura Brade, Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 16: 12. 1959. Type: Dolichoura spiritusanctensis Brade. A new species of Dolichoura (Melastomataceae) and broadened circumscription of the genus Renato Goldenberg 1, 3 and Rafael dos Anjos Mendes Tavares 2 1 Departamento de Botânica, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Centro Politécnico, UFPR, Caixa Postal 19031, Curitiba, PR, 81531-970, Brazil; e-mail: rgolden@ufpr.br 2 PROTAXON, Instituto de Pesquisa Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; e-mail: rtavares@jbrj.gov.br 3 Author for correspondence Abstract. Dolichoura has two species, D. spiritusanctensis and D. kollmannii, the latter described here. The genus can be recognized within the tribe Merianieae by 6- or 7-merous flowers, purple petals, stamens with a dorsal, spiraled appendage at the base of the connective, and seeds with narrow, lateral wings. The new species can be recognized by the suffruticose habit, 4-winged branches, coriaceous leaves with very small petioles and bullate adaxial surfaces, and by the 6-merous flowers. Key words: Melastomataceae, Merianieae, Dolichoura, Atlantic Forest, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Resumo. Dolichoura apresenta duas espécies, D. spiritusanctensis e D. kollmannii, esta descrita neste trabalho. O gênero pode ser reconhecido entre aqueles na tribo Merianieae pelas flores 6- ou 7-meras com pétalas purpúreas, estames com o conec- tivo com um apêndice dorso-basal espiralado e sementes com alas laterais estreitas. A nova espécie pode ser reconhecida pelo hábito subarbustivo, ramos 4-alados, folhas coriáceas com pecíolos curtos e face adaxial bulada, e flores 6-meras. Brittonia, 59(3), 2007, pp. 226–232. ISSUED: 27 September 2007 © 2007, by The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY 10458-5126 U.S.A.