Desmodium craspediferum A.M.G. Azevedo & Abruzzi de Oliveira, Revista

Lima, Laura Cristina Pires, Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci De, Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo & Lewis, Gwilym Peter, 2014, A Taxonomic Revision of Desmodium (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 169 (1), pp. 1-119 : 35-37

8. Desmodium craspediferum A.M.G. Azevedo & Abruzzi de Oliveira, Revista Brasil. Bot. 5: 1. 1982. Type:— BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Sul: Vacaria, fazenda da Ronda, 11 January 1947, B. Rambo s.n. (holotype PACA 35064 !). Fig. 10

Decumbent, branched subshrub, lacking stolons rooting at the nodes, with a xylopodium; stems virgate, slender, tetragonal, striate, sparsely uncinate or puberulous-uncinate, not glaucous; internodes (1.5–2) 3–4.5 cm long. Stipules 4–8 × 1–2 mm, ovate, not auriculate, semi-amplexicaul, inserted obliquely at the base of the leaf petiole, free from each other, apex caudate, margin straight, puberulous-uncinate, veins conspicuous, persistent. Leaves unifoliolate; petiole 4–7 mm long, cylindrical, sulcate, sparsely uncinate; stipels 3–5 mm long, subulate, margin straight, glabrescent on the outer surface, persistent; leaflet concolorous, chartaceous, venation brochidodromous,

DESMODIUM (LEGUMINOSAE, PAPILIONOIDEAE ) IN BRAZIL

Phytotaxa 169 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press • 35 36 • Phytotaxa 169 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press

LIMA ET AL.

primary, secondary and tertiary veins prominent on the abaxial surface, indumentum uncinate on the primary, secondary and tertiary veins on the abaxial surface, adaxial surface puberulous-uncinate, uncinate hairs covering both surfaces, leaflet 4–6 × 1.9–3.2 cm, ovate, base truncate or slightly cordate, apex obtuse. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary pseudoraceme or paniculate; the main axis longer than the adjacent leaves, 5.5–16.4 cm long, densely uncinate, 2 flowers per node; primary bract ca. 2 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, margin straight, hirsute on the outer surface, caducous, veins conspicuous on the outer surface; secondary bract ca. 1 mm long, lanceolate, margin straight, hirsute on the outer surface, caducous, veins conspicuous on the outer surface; pedicel 3–4 mm long, sparsely uncinate. Flowers 5–6 mm long; calyx bilabiate, tube campanulate, ca. 1 mm long, tomentose on the outer surface; upper lip entire, apex retuse; lower lip trifid, lateral tooth lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm long, central tooth triangular, ca. 2 mm long; corolla lilac, standard 4–6 × 3–5 mm, broadly obovate, apex retuse or obtuse, not maculate, claw ca. 0.1 mm long; wing petals 4–5 × 1–2 mm, oblong, apex obtuse, without callosities, claw 0.5–1 mm long; keel petals 4–6 × 1–1.5 mm, narrowly obovate, apex obtuse, without callosities, claw ca. 1 mm long; androecium monadelphous, ca. 6 mm long, vexillary stamen partially fused with the other from the base 1–2 mm long; ovary 2–3 mm long, tomentose, stipe ca. 0.3 mm long, glabrous. Craspedium 2.3–3 cm long, stipe 0.5 mm long, glabrescent, isthmus central, upper suture straight and lower suture sinuate; articles uniform 2–4, 5–8 × 3–4 mm, obovate-depressed, not tortuous, dehiscent, subcoriaceous, veins conspicuous, densely uncinate. Seed 3–3.5 × 2 mm, narrowly elliptic, hilum central.

Selected specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Paraná: Ponta Grossa, Parque Vila Velha, 24 February 1967, fr., G . Hatschbach & O . Guimarães 16050 ( G, MBM, PAMG, paratype!) . Rio Grande do Sul: Bom Jesus: fazenda do Cilho, 28 February 2009, fl., fr., L. C. P . Lima et al. 546 ( HAS, HUEFS); Esmeralda: área rural, 6 Km Oeste da Vila São Sebastião e 1 Km do rio Bernardo José , 2 February 2009, fl., fr., E . Vélez s.n. ( ICN162826 ) .

Distribution and Ecology:— restricted to Brazil, in the States of Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul, in the Pampa biome ( Azevedo 1982, Cervi et al. 2007). It also has been collected in stony fields adjacent to the Touros river ( Setubal et al. 2010).

Conservation Assessment:— CR, critically, endangered ( IUCN 2001); extent of occurrence estimated to be less than 100 km in severely fragmented and declining habitat.

Phenology:— flowering and fruiting from January to February.

Etymology:— in reference to the fruit which is a craspedium (the valves of the fruit break away to leave a persistent suture, the replum).

Common Name:— pega-pega.

Taxonomic notes:— a craspedial fruit occurs only in this species of Desmodium . Desmodium craspediferum is morphologically similar to D. microcarpum by the unifoliolate leaves with ovate leaflets, but the tetragonal stems (vs. cylindrical in D. microcarpum ) and craspedial fruit (vs. loment) differentiates between the two species.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Desmodium craspediferum. A. Fruiting branch. B. Detail of vegetative branch. C. Stipules inner surface. D. Fruit. E. Detail of Fruit. F. Seed. (A–F: Lima 546).