Utricularia viscosa Spruce ex Oliver (1860: 172)

Costa, Suzana M., Bittrich, Volker & Do Amaral, Maria Do Carmo E., 2016, Lentibulariaceae from the Viruá National Park in the northern Amazon, Roraima, Brazil, Phytotaxa 258 (1), pp. 1-25 : 22

22. Utricularia viscosa Spruce ex Oliver (1860: 172) ( Fig. 6 : H–K)

Marsh herbs, up to 25 cm tall. Stolons and vegetative parts with simple hairs. Leaves (not seen). Traps lateral, without appendages; on stolons and anchor stolons. Inflorescence erect, up to 10-flowered, flowers 0.5–2 cm distant from each other. Peduncle greenish, with glands above, covered with a viscous substance (observed in vivo only); lateral spongy floats absent. Sterile bracts up to 3 mm long, peltate, elliptic, apex acute, evenly distributed. Pedicels ca. 2 cm long, longer than the calyx lobes. Bract ca. 4 × 1 mm, peltate, elliptic, apex and base acute, margin entire or irregularly denticulate. Bracteoles absent. Calyx lobes equal, lanceolate, apex acute, margin entire, without prominent nerves, greenish to blackish; lower lobe 1.5 × 1.5 mm and upper lobe 2 × 2 mm. Corolla white or lilac, sometimes with a yellow mark on the lower lip; upper lip 2 × 2 mm, broadly ovate, apex rounded to orbicular; lower lip 3 × 4 mm, orbicular; spur ca. 5 × 1 mm, conic, apex rounded, longer than the lower lip and not forming an angle of 90º with the latter in lateral view. Style and filaments short. Capsule globose, dehiscing by a longitudinal ventral slit. Seeds numerous, globose, with reticulate surface, testa cells polygonal to circular (each cell with flattened projections).

Distribution:— Utricularia viscosa occurs in Central and South America ( Taylor 1989). In Brazil this species occurs in the northern, northeastern and central-western regions ( Miranda et al. 2016). Generally, it grows in humid areas in sandy savannas, sometimes in relatively deep waters, with the vegetative parts intermingled with other aquatic plants ( Taylor 1989). In VNP we collected this species in grassy white-sand savannas and “buritizais” (flooded areas dominated by Mauritia palms), growing among roots.

Taxonomic notes:—According to Taylor (1989), the leaves are alternate, capillary, terete, simple or presenting dichotomous branching, 1 mm wide, with traps. For mature seeds, the author illustrates isodiametric elliptic to circular testa cells. It is distinguished by the presence of a viscous substance on the peduncle (secreted by inconspicuous glands), which is also noticeable on dried specimens, the presence of hairs on the vegetative parts (including traps), by the white or lilac corolla and the conical spur.

Specimens:— BRAZIL. Roraima, Caracaraí, Viruá National Park : PPBio grid L3 / N2, 13 September 2010, S. M. Costa 719, T.D. M. Barbosa ( UEC!) ; “Estrada Perdida”, 20 September 2010, S. M. Costa 789, T.D. M. Barbosa, K. G. Cangani ( UEC!) ; PPBio grid L3 / N4, 24 January 2011, S. M. Costa 859, K. G. Cangani ( UEC!) ; “ Estrada Perdida ”, 25 January 2011, S. M. Costa 876, K. G. Cangani ( UEC!) ; “ Mata do Seu Nerí ”, 23 January 2011, S. M. Costa 903, K. G. Cangani ( UEC!) ; “ Estrada Perdida ”, 23 July 2010, T.D. M. Barbosa 1290, S. M. Costa ( UEC!) .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Utricularia sandwithii P.Taylor A–C. flower (front, lateral—inferior lip of corolla partially removed, note the spur—and posterior views). Utricularia simulans Pilg.—D. inflorescence (detail). E. flower (front view). Utricularia subulata L.—F. inflorescence (detail); G. flower (front view). Utricularia triloba Benj.—H. inflorescence (detail of herbarium specimen, note the nerves on calyx lobes); Utricularia viscosa Spruce ex Oliv—I. inflorescence (detail). J. peltate sterile bract. K. flower (posterior view). L. fruit.