Croton timandroides (Didr.) Müller Argoviensis (1865: 132)

Medeiros, Débora, Valle, Luci De Senna, Esser, Hans-Joachim & Alves, Ruy José Válka, 2016, Floristic and taxonomic treatment of Croton subsect. Medea (Euphorbiaceae) from Brazilian campos rupestres, Phytotaxa 263 (3), pp. 167-201 : 193-195

10. Croton timandroides (Didr.) Müller Argoviensis (1865: 132) .— Medea timandroides Didrichsen (1857: 141) . Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais, Serra da Piedade, November 1834 (fl), N.T. Lund s.n. (holotype C!, isotypes C 21537!, G-DC!). ( Fig. 19 , A–L)

Croton abnormis Baillon (1864: 354) . Lectotype (designated here):— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: no locality, without date (fl), C.F.P. von Martius Herb. Fl. Bras. 958 (P 00634789!, isolectotypes K 000186128!, M 0089122!, NY 00246502 !).

Subshrubs, 0.2−0.6 m tall, branches erect, conspicuously dichotomous, reddish. Leaves imbricate and concentrated at the branch apices, subsessile with the petiole 1−1.8 mm long; leaf blade subcoriaceus, ovate, not punctuated, 0.6−1.2 × 0.3−0.5 cm, base obtuse, symmetric, apex acute, margin entire and punctuated, penninerved, trichomes stellate on both surfaces, concentrated at the margin and the midrib; stipules digitate, 3−5 fid, 1 mm long, glandulose at the tips, glabrous, not persistent. Inflorescences glomeruliform, 1−2 cm long, without a naked sterile zone between the basal pistillate flowers and the apical staminate ones, 5−7 flowers covered by leaves usually simulating a solitary flower; bracts lanceolate, stipitate-glandulose, trichomes stellate on the adaxial surface, 2−4 mm long in the staminate flowers, 3−5 mm in the pistillate ones. Staminate flowers 7 per inflorescence, pedicel 1.8−3 mm long; sepals 5, lanceolate, 3−4 × 1.5−1.7 mm, margin entire, trichomes stellate on the adaxial surface and the abaxial apex of the sepals; petals 5, obovate-spathulate, unguiculate, 1−4 × 0.3 mm, margin entire, glabrous on the adaxial surface; stamens 9−11, filaments 0.8 mm long, villous at the base, anthers ovoid, 0.5 × 0.2 mm, glabrous. Pistillate flowers 1−2 per inflorescence, pedicellate, pedicel 2 mm long; sepals 5, ovate-lanceolate, 4.8−6 × 1−2 mm, stipitate-glandulose, trichomes stellate on the adaxial surface; petals absent; ovary subglobose, 1.2−1.5 × 1 mm, trichomes stellate, whitish; styles multifid, 4−(5−6) times branched at the base, 1.5−2 mm long, glabrous. Capsules globose, 4 × 4 mm, trichomes stellate brownish; seeds ellipsoid, 3 × 2 mm.

Distribution: — Minas Gerais State, Serra do Cipó, 1150 m elevation; Quadrilátero Ferrífero, 1200−2072 m elevation; Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, 1390−1430 m elevation; and Bahia State, Abaíra, 1650 m elevation ( Fig. 20 ).

Additional specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Abaíra, Campo do Cigano, 13 o 25’S, 41 o 91’W, 12 February 1992 (fl), L.P.de Queiroz et al. 52010 (HUEFS); 13 o 33’S, 41 o 88’W, 11 April 1994, W. Ganev 3063 (HUEFS); Lençóis, Serra dos Lençóis, Serra da Larguinha, 2 km to northeast of Caeté− Açú, 25 May 1980 (fl), R.M. Harley 22549 (SPF); Mucugê, Chapadinha, 13 o 22’S, 41 o 15’W, 06 February 2005 (fl), R. Funch 644 (HUEFS). Minas Gerais: Caeté, Serra da Piedade, November 1893 (fl), A.F.M. Glaziou s.n. (OUPR 6137); Serra da Piedade, 29 March 1957 (fl), E. Pereira 2688 (R, RB); Catas Altas, Serra do Caraça, September 2004, D. Medeiros 285 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 286 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 287 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 289 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 293 & A.M. Werneck (R); Cardeal Mota, Serra do Cipó, rodovia MG-010, km 20, 25 July 2004 (fl,fr), D. Medeiros 263 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 264 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 265 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 266 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 267 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 268 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 269 & A.M. Werneck (R); D. Medeiros 270 & A.M. Werneck (R); Conceição do Mato Dentro, Serra do Cipó, km 128, Palácio, 02 February 1934 (fl), A. Sampaio 6883 (BHCB); Serra do Cipó, 1938 (fl), J. Badini & M. Barreto s.n. (OUPR 8035); Serra do Cipó, km 138 da estrada de Conceição do Mato Dentro, 06 December 1949 (fl), A.P. Duarte 2422 (RB); Serra do Cipó, km 126, 07 April 1957 (fl), E. Pereira 2921 & Pabst 3757 (RB). Itabirito, Serra do Itabitiro, Pico do Itabirito, 16 June 1994 (fl), W.A. Teixeira s.n. (BHCB 31033); Jaboticatubas, Serra do Cipó, July 1949 (fl), Chapéu de Sol, 19º40’S, 43º57’W, 29 April 1952 (fl), L.B. Smith 7038 (R); entre Chapéu de Sol e Vacaria, February 1953 (fl), J. Vidal 11 (R); Lavras Novas: Serra de Lavras Novas, 1904 (fl), C.A.W. Schwacke s.n. (BHCB 589); Serra de Lavras Novas, 18 January 1942 (fl), M. Magalhães 1070 (BHCB); Serra de Lavras Novas, 18 January 1942 (fl), M. Magalhães 1071 (BHCB); Serra de Lavras Novas, próximo à entrada da cidade, 07 September 2004 (fl, fr), D. Medeiros 293 & A.M. Werneck (R); without locality, no date, L. Damazio s.n. (OUPR 6144); Ouro Preto, base da Serra do Itatiaia, 31 December 1972 (fl), J. Badini s.n. (OUPR 6133); Campo da Caveira, 18 February 1973 (fl), J. Badini s.n. (OUPR 6136); Rodrigo Silva, 16 October 1977 (fl), J. Badini s.n. (OUPR 6145); Três Moinhos, 04 May 1977 (fl), J. Badini s.n. (OUPR 6146); Campo da Caveira, ao lado da estrada para Rodrigo Silva, a 21 km da Escola de Farmácia de Ouro Preto, 05 June 1978 (fl), J. Badini & J. Fontella 1094 (RB); Chapada, 25 August 1980 (fl), H.C. de Lima et al. 1289 (RB); estrada da torre Samarco Mineração para Antônio Pereira, 03 June 1996 (fl), J. Craig & Roschel 186 (OUPR); Santa Luzia, Serra do Cipó, 18 June 1908 (fl), L. Damazio s.n. (RB 78615); Serra do Cipó, 02 November 1924 (sl), no collector s.n. (R 40935); Santana do Riacho, Serra do Cipó, km 118, 23 August 1933 (fl), M. Barreto 8169 (BHCB); Serra do Cipó, 13 January 1934 (fl), M. Barreto 8171 (R); Serra do Cipó, km 118, 14 February 1963 (fl), A.P. Duarte 7800 (RB); Serra do Cipó, rodovia Belo Horizonte− Conceição do Mato Dentro, antigo km 115, 06 March 2002 (fl, fr), I. Cordeiro et al. 2767 (R); Serra do Cipó, APA Morro da Pedreira, 19º17’00”S, 43º35’20”W, 06 March 2002 (fl), C.G. Gomes et al. 151 (RB); estrada de Belo Horizonte para Conceição do Mato Dentro, no date (fl, fr), G.M. Faria & M. Mazucato 1990 (SPF); Serra do Cipó, 16 April 1935 (fl), M. Barreto 1017 & Brade 14441 (RB); locality?`no date (fl), L. Damazio s.n. (RB 82978); without locality, 1894 (fl), A. Sena s.n. (OUPR 6131).

Taxonomic notes: —This is the species of subsection Medea that is most represented in herbarium collections. Croton serratus and C. timandroides are very close species, due to their high similarity in floral morphology, and also because of their geographic distribution ( Table 3).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Croton timandroides. A. Branch; B. Stipule; C. Inflorescence; D. Staminate flower: E. Stamen, F. Sepals (dorsal side), G. Petal (ventral side); H. Pistillate flower: I. Sepal (ventral side), J. Gynoecium; K. Fruit; L. Seed (dorsal and ventral side) (after D. Medeiros & A.M. Werneck 293 (R)).

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of Croton timandroides.