Lepidaploa decumbens (Gardner) Robinson (1990: 486)

Marques, Danilo, Farco, Gabriela Elizabeth, Nakajima, Jimi Naoki & Dematteis, Massimiliano, 2018, The genus Lepidaploa (Vernonieae, Asteraceae) in southern South America, Phytotaxa 362 (2), pp. 115-142 : 125-126

5. Lepidaploa decumbens (Gardner) Robinson (1990: 486) . Vernonia decumbens Gardner (1845: 115) . Type:— BRAZIL. Without locality, G. Gardner 517 (syntypes B! E! F! G! K! NY! P! [online image!]). Figure 8 .

Herbs 0.2–0.6 m tall; branches glabrescent. Leaves distichous, cauline, internodes ca. 1 cm long; sessile, blade 7–10 × 0.8–1.34 cm, membranaceous, weakly rugose, lanceolate, apex largely acute, margins entire, revolute, base cuneate, both surfaces strigose; venation camptodromous. Capitulescence short seriate-cymose with capitula sessile, 1.6–3.6 cm long, axis glabrescent, brown. Involucre campanulate, 7–8 mm in diam., phyllaries 5–6-seriate, chestnut, scarious, densely tomentose, outer oval-lanceolate, apex apiculate-recurved, inner lanceolate, apex apiculate-recurved. Florets 15–20, corolla violet, tube 2.5–3 mm long, glabrous, lobes 3.5–4 mm long, lanceolate, apex glandular; apical anther appendages acute, base sagittate; basal stylar node enlarged. Cypsela turbinate to obconic, 1.5–2 mm long, velutinous; carpopodium anullar. Pappus white.

Selected specimens examined — BRASIL. Santa Catarina: Garuva, Morro Crista, 19 January 1961, R. Reitz & R. M. Klein 10647 (HBR). idem, 23 March 1961, R. Reitz & R. M. Klein, 10895 (HBR). Minas Gerais: Parque Nacional do Caparaó, 14.VI.1991, G. Hatschbach & D. Guimarães 55471 (CTES).

Distribution and habitat —In southern South America Lepidaploa decumbens is restricted to the states of Paraná ( Dematteis & Almeida 2015) and Santa Catarina ( Cabrera & Klein 1980) in Brazil. In Santa Catarina this species was found in the Cerrado ( Figure 7 ).

Phenology —The species blooms between January and March.

Notes — Lepidaploa decumbens can be recognized by the following combination of characters: apiculate-recurved phyllaries, lanceolate leaves with revolute margins, camptodromous venation and short inflorescence (1.6–3.6 cm long).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Geographical distribution of L. chamissonis (circle) and L. decumbens (square) in Cone Sur.

FIGURE 8. Lepidaploa decumbens. A. Plant. B. Abaxial leaf surface detail. C. Capitula. D. Cypsela and pappus. E. Floret. F. Floret dissected with anther detail. G. Style. H–I. Outer phyllaries. K–L. Inner phyllaries.