Utricularia breviscapa C.Wright ex Grisebach (1866: 161–162)

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 : 9-10

3. Utricularia breviscapa C.Wright ex Grisebach (1866: 161–162) ( Fig. 3 : A)

Aquatic submersed herbs, chasmogamous inflorescence rising up to 10 cm above water-surface. Stolons and vegetative parts glabrous. Leaves alternate, divided into capillary segments, with 3 primary segments. Traps lateral, with a pair of setaceous, branched dorsal appendages and some lateral and ventral simple setae. Inflorescence (chasmogamous) erect, emerged, 1–5-flowered, flowers up to 6 mm distant from each other; cleistogamous inflorescence submersed, 1–3-flowered, flowers <1 mm distant from each other. Peduncle pink; (chasmogamous inflorescence) up to 5 cm long, 4–6 lateral spongy floats (nearly 1 cm long); cleistogamous inflorescence up to 2 cm long, 4–6 lateral spongy floats (nearly 5 mm long). Sterile bracts absent. Pedicels 1–6 mm long, longer or shorter than calyx lobes. Bract 1 × 2 mm, basifixed, oblong, apex truncate or trilobed, margin entire or irregularly sinuous, lateral lobes shorter than the median one, apex rounded or acute. Bracteoles absent. Calyx lobes 1–2 × 1–2 mm, equal, ovate, apex retuse, margin entire, without prominent nerves. Corolla yellow with reddish marks; upper lip 3 × 5 mm, orbicular, apex rounded; lower lip 7 × 8 mm, deeply trilobate, apex acute to rounded; spur 5 × 2 mm, conical, apex rounded, generally shorter than the lower lip of the corolla, not forming an angle of 90º with the latter, in lateral view. Style and filaments short. Capsule ellipsoid to globose, dehiscence circumscissile. Seeds nearly 20, lenticular, testa cells polygonal to circular, inconspicuous, with conical and setaceous projections on margin.

Distribution:— Utricularia breviscapa is present in South America and the Antilles ( Taylor 1989). In Brazil it occurs in the northern, northeastern, central-western and southeastern regions ( Miranda et al. 2016). It grows in shallow to deep water-bodies with clear, dark or turbid waters, or humid soils in mud, lakes and rivers ( Taylor 1989). Found in the VNP in grassy to arboreal white-sand savannas.

Taxonomic notes:— Utricularia breviscapa is distinguishable from other species by the yellow corolla, lateral spongy floats on the chasmogamous inflorescence and by the circumscissile capsule.

Specimens:— BRAZIL. Roraima, Caracaraí, Viruá National Park : PPBio grid L3 / N4, 24 January 2010, S. M. Costa 858, K. G. Cangani ( INPA!, UEC!) ; “Mata do Seu Nerí”, 26 Junuary 2010, S. M. Costa 902, K. G. Cangani ( INPA!, UEC!) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Utricularia breviscapa C.Wright ex Griseb. A. habit. Utricularia chiribiquetensis Fernandez-Pérez—B. flower and fruit enclosed by the calyx (lateral view); C. trap. Utricularia costata P.Taylor—D. habit. E. flower (view from the top). Utricularia cucculata A.St.-Hil. & Girard—F. habit. G–H. flower (front view of purple and white and pale-pink variants), I. flower (lateral view). Utricularia foliosa L.—J. flower (front view). K. flower (front view, reproductive parts evident). L. fruits.