Staurogyne miqueliana Kuntze (1891: 497)

Braz, Denise Monte & Monteiro, Reinaldo, 2017, Taxonomic Revision of Staurogyne (Nelsonioideae, Acanthaceae) in the Neotropics, Phytotaxa 296 (1), pp. 1-40 : 25-26

17. Staurogyne miqueliana Kuntze (1891: 497) . Ebermaiera humilis Miquel (1850: 128) . Type: — SURINAME. "in arenosis secus ipsum fluvium. Bergendal fluv.", October (year unknow), H. Focke 1159 (holotype: U!). ( Fig. 17 )

Staurogyne agrestis Leonard (1937: 400) , syn. nov. Type: — PANAMÁ. Matías Hernandes - Juan Diaz, without date, P.C. Standley 31936

(holotype: US!). Staurogyne fockeana Bremekamp (1938: 146) , syn. nov. Type: — SURINAME. "in cultivi", H. Focke 1146 (holotype: U!). Staurogyne stahelii Bremekamp (1938: 145) , syn. nov. Type: — SURINAME.Boven…Rio, Expedite naar het Wilhelmingebergteb

“DeMcan” cal, 17 March 1926, G. Stahel 272 (holotype: U!). Staurogyne wullschlaegeliana Bremekamp (1938: 147) , syn. nov. Type: — SURINAME. Paramaribo: in arenosis, 1857, H.R. Wullschlaegel

426 (holotype: BR!).

Creeping herb, densely branched, pubescent with scattered simple trichomes. Leaves subsessile, or with a petiole up to 2 mm long; blade ovate to ovate-elliptic, 0.9 − 2.3 × 0.3 − 1.2 cm, apex acute to obtuse, base obtuse, rarely subcordate, with sparse simple trichomes on both surfaces, abaxially densely pilose along veins. Inflorescence in dense, terminal and axillary, bracteate spike, terminal ones up to 7 cm long, sessile, axillary ones 0.7 − 2.2 cm long, peduncle 0.3 − 0.7 mm long; flowers opposite at the base, alternate above; rachis, bracts and bracteoles sparsely simple pilose; bracts and bracteoles green, bract lanceolate to elliptic, 8 − 10 × 2 − 5 mm, 1-nerved, bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 4.5 − 6.5 × 0.5 − 0.9 mm. Flowers sessile; calyx greenish, sparsely pilose with glandular trichomes, ciliate, posterior segment 5.5 − 6 × 0.7 − 0.9 mm, 3-nerved, lateral pair of segments 4 − 4.5 × 0.3 − 0.4 mm, anterior pair of segments 5 − 5.7 × 0.3 − 0.4 mm; corolla white, 3.8 − 5.1 mm long, basal tube 1 − 1.5 mm long, anterior lobe 1.7 − 2.3 mm long, externally and internally glabrous; posterior stamens 1 − 1.3 mm long, anterior stamens 1.2 − 1.5 mm long, staminode 0.4 − 0.6 mm long; ovules 28 − 30 per locule, posterior lobe of the stigma truncate. Capsule 3.5 − 4 × 0.7 − 0.9 mm, sparsely glandular pilose near the apex.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: Ilha , 13 November 1907, Guedes 2291 ( MG) ; May 1911, Hoehne & Mildbread 4225 ( RB). Pará: Monte Alegre , August 1957, Black 57-20.118 ( IAN) ; May 1911, Hoehne 4224 & Mildbread ( RB) . GUYANA. October 1904, Bartlett 8360 ( K) ; 22 November 1935, Myers 5715 ( K) . NICARAGUA. “1853-56”, Wright ( P) . SURINAME. Paramaribo: 1857, Wullschlaegel 426ª ( BR). Tanjimama: 16 November 1954, Mennega 412 ( U). Without locality: 17 March 1926, Stahel 272 ( U), October (year unknow), Focke 1159 ( U), sine date, Focke 1146 ( U), Sine date, Jansen ( E 116.844 ) .

Distribution and habitat:— Beyond the type locality, Staurogyne miqueliana is referred to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela and Mexico ( Daniel & Lott 1993), and is now also registered in Brazil. Daniel & Lott (1993) registered its occurrence (as S. agrestis ) in North America, extending its distribution from northern Brazil up to Mexico.

Phenology:— It was reported as colleted with flowers and fruits between January and May ( Daniel & Lott, 1993) and also between August and November.

Taxonomic notes:— Staurogyne miqueliana is especially recognized by its ciliate calyx and by the anterior stamens inserted approximately in the middle of the corolla. It resembles the Amazon species S. repens (Nees von Esenbeck 1847: 20) Kuntze (1891: 497) and S. trinitenisis Leonard (1937: 401) by the creeping habit, but differs from S. repens by the hairy (not glabrescent) leaves, the bracts 8 − 10 mm long (not 4.3 − 8 mm long) and the corolla 3.8 − 5.1 mm long (not 4.8 − 7.8 mm), and from S. trinitenisis by the leaves ovate to ovate-elliptic (not suborbicular to broad-ovate), 0.9 − 2.3 cm long (not 1.2 − 2.2 cm long) and the bract lanceolate to elliptic (not broad-elliptic to elliptic-ovate). Leonard (1937) presented a detailed description and illustration of S agrestis , but the holotype cited does not differ from that of S. miqueliana . Likewise, among the five species described by Bremekamp (1938) from Surinam, three are here included as synonyms, S. fockeana , S. stahelii and S. wullschaegeliana . Of these, some variation appears more significant in the type of S. wullschaegeliana , which has a more ovate to suborbicular leaf blade, however, no other differences nor other materials that could support the taxon were found. Bremekamp (1938) described these species from Suriname based only in the type collections (holotypes). The author already mentioned the similarity between its pollen grains and reported the similarity between S. stahelii and S. agrestes . Wasshausen (2006) consulted and recorded almost the same collections of those used by Bremekamp when studying the Acanthaceae in the Guianas ( Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) recently, including some old collections from the years 1856-19154, and no other actual collection was recorded. The characters mentioned by Wasshausen (2006) for the differentiation of S. agrestis ( form and base of the leaf blade, form and venation of the bracts, and glandular trichomes in the calyx and bracts) are variable in the studied specimens, not supporting more than one taxa.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Staurogyne miqueliana. A.Flowering plant. B. Flower, bract and bracteoles. C. Bract. D. Bracteoles. E. Calyx. F. Anther in frontal view. G. Anther in dorsal view. H. Staminode. I. Stigma in dorsal view. J. Corolla in internal view (from Black 5720).