Bertolonia linearifolia Bacci & Michelangeli

Bisewski, Gessica C. A., Bacci, Lucas F., Amorim, André M. & Goldenberg, Renato, 2022, The Genus Bertolonia (Melastomataceae) In The State Of Bahia, Brazil, Phytotaxa 548 (2), pp. 153-183 : 170-172

9. Bertolonia linearifolia Bacci & Michelangeli (in Bacci et al. 2018: 777). Figures 10b , 12 .

Herbs 10–25 cm tall, epiphytic or terrestrial. Stem 1–2 mm wide, rounded, moderately to densely glandulose-punctate (trichomes less than 0.1 mm long) and moderately glandulose-villose (trichomes 1–1.4 mm long). Leaves opposite; petioles 0.9–4.4 cm long, quadrangular, moderately glandulose-punctate and sparsely glandulose-pilose (trichomes 0.9–1.9 mm long); blades 4.5–9.5 × 0.5–2 cm, flat, lanceolate, base rounded or attenuate, apex acute, margins entire, sparsely ciliate, adaxial surface green, sparsely to moderately glandulose-punctate and sparsely to moderately glandulose-pilose (trichomes 1–2 mm long, brownish), abaxial surface vinaceous, moderately glandulose-punctate and sparsely glandulose-villose (trichomes 0.8–1 mm long, brownish), main veins 1 or 3, plus one pair that do not reach the leaf apex, basal to slightly suprabasal. Inflorescences terminal, pseudo-lateral when old, 2.1–4.6 cm long (5.7–13.5 cm long in infructescences), branches moderately glandulose-punctate and sparsely glandulose-pilose, moderately glandulose-punctate when old. Bracts 2.8–5.2 mm long, obovate, apex acute, margins ciliate, both surfaces glandulosepunctate and glandulose-villose; bracteoles 1.3–2.5 mm long, lanceolate, apex acute, both surfaces glandulosepunctate and glandulose-villose. Hypanthium 2.2–3.4 × 2.1–2.8 mm, short terete or obconic, glandulose-punctate and glandulose-villose. Sepals elliptic to ovate, apex acute, margins entire, ciliate, both surfaces glandulose-punctate and glandulose-villose. Petals 5.4–5.7 × 3–4.2 mm, pink, obovate or widely ovate, base truncate, apex apiculate, the apiculum ca. 0.4 mm long, with a caducous gland head, margins entire, eciliate, both surfaces papillose, otherwise glabrous. Stamens 4.3–5 mm long; filaments 2–2.6 mm long; anthers 2.2–2.3 mm long, cream colored, lanceolate, surface flat or slightly undulate, pore rounded, non-thickened margins, extrorse; connective shortly dorsally prolonged (ca. 0.3 mm), unappendaged. Style 5–5.5 mm long, straight to slightly curved, glabrous. Fruits 0.4–0.7 × 0.9–1.2 cm. Seeds reniform.

Examined material: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Amargosa, Cardoso 1543 ( CEPEC!, HUEFS!); Cardoso 1677 ( CEPEC!, HUEFS!); Paixão 1350 ( CEPEC!, HUEFS!), Perdiz 229 ( CEPEC!). Ubaíra, Ferreira 28 ( ALCB!). Wenceslau Guimarães, Aona 2780 ( HURB!); Goldenberg 2045 ( HURB!, NY, UPCB!); Reginato 1297 ( CEPEC!).

Conservation Status: — Bertolonia linearifolia has an EOO of 604 km ² and AOO of 296 km ², and should be classified as “Endangered” (EN), following IUCN (2017) categories. This species has been found in the conservation units “Refúgio da Vida Silvestre de Amargosa” and “Estação Ecológica Estadual Wenceslau Guimarães”.

Notes: — Bertolonia linearifolia is endemic to Bahia, occurring in montane forest ( Fig. 13a ), on shaded and moist slopes. Collected with flowers in January and November, fruits in January, August, October and November. The species is easily distinguished from other species of the genus mainly because of its lanceolate, 0.5–2 cm wide leaf blades, but also by the rounded or attenuate leaf base and acute apex. Only two other species of Bertolonia have similar leaf blades: B. angustifolia Cogniaux (1886: 56) and B. valenteana Baumgratz (1990: 141) , both occurring in Rio de Janeiro state. Moreover, it has flowers with pink petals and anthers dehiscing through an extrorse pore. For more details, see Bacci et al. (2018) and Table 1 .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Specimens in vivo. A. Bertolonia igrapiuna. B. B. linearifolia. C. B. reginatoi. D. B. violacea. E. B. vitoriana. F. Bertolonia sp, belonging to the B. maculata/B. marmorata species complex. Photos:A, C and D by L. F. Bacci; B by F. Michelangeli; E and F by A. M. A. Amorim.

FIGURE 12. Bertolonia linearifolia. A. Fertile branch. B. Trichomes on the petiole. C. Leaf base, abaxial surface. D. Short-stalked glandular trichomes on the abaxial leaf surface. E. Inflorescence. F. Hypanthium and calyx, abaxial surface. G. Petals apex, showing the apiculum with glands (arrow). H. Stamen, dorsal (left) and lateral (right) views, note the extrorse pore on dorsal view. I. Ovary and style. [A, B, F, H: Cardoso 1677; C, E, G, I: Perdiz 229; D: Cardoso 1543].

FIGURE 13. Distributions of species of Bertolonia in Bahia.A.Bertolonia linearifolia. B. Bertolonia maculata. C. Bertolonia marmorata. D. Bertolonia reginatoi. E. Bertolonia riocontensis. F. Bertolonia violacea. G. Bertolonia vitoriana.