Cordia glabrata (Martius) De Candolle (1845: 473)

Melo, José Iranildo Miranda De, Paulino, Renan Da Cruz, Oliveira, Regina Célia De & Vieira, Diego Daltro, 2018, Flora of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil: Boraginales, Phytotaxa 357 (4), pp. 235-260 : 239

1.1. Cordia glabrata (Martius) De Candolle (1845: 473) .

≡ Gerascanthus glabratus Martius (1838: 87–88) .

Trees, up to 10 m tall; branches tomentose, trichomes simple. Leaves alternate, homomorphic; blades 2.5–15.5 × 2–10.5 cm, membranaceous, ovate to widely ovate or, less frequently, obovate, apex acute to obtuse, margin entire or slightly undulate, base obtuse to somewhat truncate, abaxially densely tomentose, adaxially lightly tomentose to glabrous; venation brochidodromous; petiole 0.5–3 cm long, sulcate, tomentose. Inflorescences 5–11 cm long, paniculiform, congested, terminal and axillary; peduncle 0.3–7 cm long, tomentose. Flowers 4–4.5 cm long, dystilous, sessile; calyx 1.5–1.8 cm long, tubular or rarely subglobose, costate, with filiform lobes ca. 2 mm long, externally and internally tomentose, with longer trichomes internally; corolla tubular-salverform, cream to pale brown, nectariferous disk villous at the point of stamen insertion, marcescent; tube 2.8–3.3 cm long; corolla lobes 0.9–1.2 cm long, rounded. Short-styled flowers: stamens with lobes divaricate, dorsifixed; filaments ca. 1.3 cm long; anthers ca. 4 mm long, oblong; ovary ca. 1.3 cm long in the short-styled, subglobose to globose; style ca. 2 cm long; stigmas ca. 7 mm long, linear, curved. Long-styled flowers: stamens with ca. 2.5 cm long, lobes divaricate, dorsifixed; ovary 3–8 mm long, subglobose to globose; style 2.5–2.9 cm long; stigmas ca. 7 mm long, linear, curved. Drupe not seen.

Notes:— Cordia glabrata is morphologically related to C. trichotoma and is recognized by the simple trichomes of its vegetative and reproductive organs, flowers to 4.5 cm long with rounded corolla lobes, nectariferous disk villous at the stamen insertion point, and linear curved stigmas. Illustrations of this species can be found in Vieira et al. (2015).

Geographic distribution:— Occurring in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay ( Miller 2013). In Brazil is associated to the North, Northeast, Midwest and Southeast regions ( BFG 2015), in the Caatinga and Cerrado vegetation ( Flora do Brasil 2020 under construction). D2, E1.

Habitat:— Caatinga, in sandy, stony soils and in rocky podzolic outcrops.

Phenology:— Collected in flower in January, April, June, and July.

Selected material examined:— BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Norte: Almino Afonso, 06°02’08”S, 37°45’58”W, July 1995, fl., F.E. Sobrinho 254 (MOSS). Jucurutu, 05°59’00”S, 37°04’30”W, June 1980, fl., O.F. Oliveira et al. 1216 (MOSS). Serra Negra do Norte, 06°38’30”S, 37°24’00”W, April 1980, fl., O.F. Oliveira 994 (MOSS).