Keraunea brasiliensis Cheek & Simao-Bianchini , Nord. J. Bot. 31: 454. 2013.

Moonlight, Peter W. & Cardoso, Domingos Benicio Oliveira Silva, 2023, A taxonomic revision of Keraunea, including three new species and its phylogenetic realignment with Ehretiaceae (Boraginales), PhytoKeys 219, pp. 145-170 : 145

1. Keraunea brasiliensis Cheek & Simao-Bianchini, Nord. J. Bot. 31: 454. 2013.

Fig. 3

Type.

Brazil. Bahia: Mun. Caetité, caminho da Fazenda Boa Vista para Urânio, 13°59'35"S, 42°12'27"W, 560 m, 8 Feb 1997, L. Passos, M.L. Guedes, B. Stannard & E. Saar 5263 (holotype: SPF; isotypes ALCB, CEPEC [CEPEC00077827], HRCB [acc. #38156], HUEFS [HUEFS000058973], K [K000979156]) .

Description.

Scandent shrub or liana, to 7 m tall. Stems cylindrical, hollow, 3-9 mm in diameter, frequently branching, sericeous-pubescent with silky hairs; internodes 0.7-11 cm long; side shoots 4-9 cm long, hirtellous-pubescent with minute, rigid hairs. Leaves of main stem with the blades 5.0-6.5 × 3.1-3.6 cm, ovate, hirtellous-pubescent with minute, rigid hairs, the venation pinnate, camptodromous, with 4-6 secondary veins; the base acute, the margins entire, ciliate, the apex obtuse; petioles of leaves on main stem ca. 8 mm long, distinctly curved to 90° ⅓ of the way along their length. Side shoots with 3-5 leaves, these progressively larger along the shoot; blades 5.1-7.2 × 2.3-3.9 cm, ovate, hirtellous-pubescent, the venation as on leaves of the main stem, the base acute, the margins entire, ciliate, the apex obtuse; petioles 5.7-6.1 mm long, straight, hirtellous-pubescent like the leaves. Inflorescence corymbose, with 2-4 flowers; free portion of the peduncle ca. 3.5 mm long, 2.5 cm long, the remainder adnate to the bracteole, hirtellous-pubescent; bracteole 5.1-8.1 × 2.4-3.8 cm, inserted ca. ¼ of the way along the pedicel, ovate, hirtellous-pubescent, the venation as the leaves, the base acute, the margins entire, ciliate, the apex obtuse. Flowers incompletely known, 5-merous. Calyx with the tube campanulate, ca. 3.5 mm long, the lobes ca. 12 × 1.5 mm, lanceolate, velutinous-pubescent. Corolla unknown; androecium and gynoecium unknown. Fruit inserted on the accrescent bracteole; calyx persistent, expanding to 14 mm long.

Distribution.

Keraunea brasiliensis is endemic to Brazil and is known only from the state of Bahia (Coribe, São Félix do Coribe and Caetité municipalities) (Fig. 2 ).

Habitat.

Keraunea brasiliensis has primarily been collected scrambling over exposed rocks and vegetation in karst formations supporting Caatinga seasonally dry tropical forest vegetation. The two most easterly collections of the species (Pereira-Silva et al. 9111, Passos et al. 5263) were collected in Caatinga vegetation but far from any known karst outcrops.

Conservation status.

Keraunea brasiliensis was provisionally assessed by Cheek and Simão-Bianchini (2013) as Endangered (EN B2 a b iii) under IUCN Criteria ( IUCN 2019). We alter this assessment as it covered specimens now known to be of two different species. Our narrower concept includes plants from four localities and has an EOO of 4,550 km2. None of the known localities are in protected areas. Accordingly, we still assess K. brasiliensis as EN (EN B2 a b iii) under IUCN criteria ( IUCN 2019).

Etymology.

Named for the country of Brazil.

Notes.

The protologue of K. brasiliensis cited individuals we now recognise as two different species and both paratypes collected in Minas Gerais fall under our circumscription of K. confusa . The authors of K. brasiliensis did, however, note the unusual intraspecific morphological variation within the species and speculated that the material collected in Bahia and Minas Gerais may have represented two different species. The original illustration in the protologue ( Cheek and Simão-Bianchini 2013) included individuals of both of the species we recognise here so only the subfigures (B, H-I) represent K. brasiliensis . Muñoz-Rodríguez et al. (2022) also published sequence data for K. brasiliensis and K. confusa and a member of the family Malpighiaceae under the name K. brasiliensis .

Our emended description of K. brasiliensis reflects our much narrower circumscription of this species. The specimens we cite represent a morphologically homogenous group of specimens all collected at a similar phenological state, i.e. with fruits but lacking flowers. As such, our description lacks some floral traits. The floral description of K. brasiliensis provided by Cheek and Simão-Bianchini (2013) was made using a dissected bud from Lombardi & Salino 1819 (K), which we now consider as an isotype of K. confusa (see below).

Identification notes.

Within its range, K. brasiliensis is most likely to be confused with K. confusa , but the two species can be distinguished with ease based entirely upon vegetative characters. The leaves of K. confusa are larger (to 18 × 12 cm versus to 7.5 × 4 cm) with brochidodromous venation and a rugose texture (versus camptodromous venation and smooth texture in K. brasiliensis ). Keraunea brasiliensis is most similar to K. capixaba (though this species is also similar to K. velutina ), from which it can be distinguished by its rugose stems (versus smooth) and membranous, dull green leaves (versus chartaceous, glossy green) with indistinct secondary veins (versus raised above the lower leaf surface).

Additional specimens examined.

Brazil. Bahia: Mun. Coribe, BA-172 sentido São Félix do Coribe, entrada a direita em Colônia do Formoso por estrada de terra até afloramento de calcário a ca. 2.5 km de Ponta d'Agua , 13°41'28"S, 44°15'33"W, 4 Dec. 2022, 4 Dec 2022, D. Cardoso et al. 4902 (ALCB, RB, TCD), D. Cardoso et al. 4904 (ALCB, HUEFS, RB, TCD), D. Cardoso et al. 4906 (ALCB, HUEFS, RB, TCD; Mun. Sao Felix do Coribe , BA-172 sentido Coribe, afloramento de calcário do lado esquerdo, 13°26'6"S, 44°13'5"W, 4 Dec. 2022, D. Cardoso et al. 4909 (ALCB, HUEFS, RB, TCD), D. Cardoso et al. 4910 (ALCB, HUEFS, RB, TCD), D. Cardoso et al. 4912 (ALCB, HUEFS, RB, TCD); Mun. Caetité, Distrito de Maniacu , Estrada para São Timóteo, km 6, 13°51'18"S, 42°20'45"W, 870 m alt., 22 May 2004, G. Pereira-Silva et al. 9111 (HUEFS [HUFES000117294]); Mun. Santa Maria da Vitoria , c. 7.7 km S de Santa Maria da Vitória na Estrada para Lagoinha, extremidade septentrional da Serra do Ramalho , 13°27'0"S, 44°10'16"W, 13 Feb 2000, L.P. de Queiroz et al. 5972 (CEPEC [CEPEC00113512]; HUEFS [HUEFS000110252]); Mun. Coribe, c. 5 km S em estrada de terra que cruza pequeno ramal que sai a 5.1 km E de Ponta d’Água, a 24.4 km S de São Félix do Coribe na estrada para Coribe, 13°35'10"S, 44°19'12"W, 14 Apr. 2007, L.P. de Queiroz et al. 12707 (CEN [CEN00113310], HUEFS [HUEFS000117258]) .

Figures

Figure 2. Distribution of species of the genus Keraunea. Shading denotes elevation; two letter codes represent the standardised two letter codes for the states of Brazil. Species are coloured as follows: blue, K. brasiliensis Cheek & Simao-Bianchini; black, K. bullata Moonlight & D. B. O. S. Cardoso; yellow, K. capixaba Lombardi; red, K. confusa Moonlight & D. B. O. S. Cardoso; green, K. velutina Moonlight & D. B. O. S. Cardoso.

Figure 3. Habitat and morphology of Keraunea brasiliensis Cheek & Simao-Bianchini A-C karstic Caatinga in southwestern Bahia D stem and leafy side shoots E habit F main shoot and side shoots with fruits G-H close up of developing fruits and accrescent bracteole. All photos by Domingos Cardoso.