Eplingiella fruticosa (Salzmann ex Bentham 1833: 123 ) Harley & J.F.B.Pastore (2012: 22)

Soares, Arthur De Souza, Pastore, José Floriano Barêa & Jardim, Jomar Gomes, 2017, New records, conservation assessments and distribution of Lamiaceae in Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern, Brazil, Phytotaxa 311 (1), pp. 43-56 : 50

3. Eplingiella fruticosa (Salzmann ex Bentham 1833: 123) Harley & J.F.B.Pastore (2012: 22) ( Figure 7C )

EOO: 1,027,135 km 2. AOO: 52,000 km 2. IUCN Assessment: Endangered

This species is endemic to Brazil and occurs in Minas Gerais (Southeast Region) and almost all of the Northeast Region, except the states of Maranhão and Piauí ( BFG 2015). In RN, populations of E. fruticosa were found in restinga vegetation, semideciduous forest and open savannas with sandy soils, and there is a single record from the Caatinga. The species occurs in conservation units such as APA Bonfim-Guaraíras, APA Piquirí-Una and the “Parque Estadual Dunas do Natal Jornalista Luiz Maria Alves,” on the coast of the state. According to criteria B: 1b (i, ii), 2b (i, ii) ( IUCN 2001), it was classified as EN. Despite its wide distribution in the Northeast Region of Brazil, E. fruticosa was found only along the coast of RN, showing its preferences for sandy areas. Most of the populations found on the coast are in restinga vegetation, an area threatened by urban development.

Figures

FIGURE 7. A. Aegiphila verticillata; B. Amasonia campestris; C. Eplingiella fruticosa, D. Hypenia salzmannii; E. Marsypianthes chamaedrys; F. Mesosphaerum suaveolens; G. Rhaphiodon echinus; H. Vitex gardneriana; I. Vitex rufescens. Photos: (A) E.O. Moura, (B, E, I) E.C. Tomaz, (C, D, F, G) A.S. Soares, (H) J.G. Jardim.