Lippia origanoides Kunth (1817: 267)

Cardoso, Pedro Henrique, Valério, Vanessa Imaculada Dos Reis, Neto, Luiz Menini & Salimena, Fátima Regina Gonçalves, 2021, Verbenaceae in Espírito Santo, Brazil: richness, patterns of geographic distribution and conservation, Phytotaxa 484 (1), pp. 1-43 : 23-24

7.4. Lippia origanoides Kunth (1817: 267) . (Figs. 3A, 7A)

Shrubs 0.8‒3.5 m high, branches cylindrical to tetragonal, strigose, pubescent to hirsute. Leaves opposite, petiole 0.1‒1.3 cm long; blade 0.5‒4.6 × 0.3‒2.2 cm, chartaceous, ovate, apex acute or rounded, base cuneate or obtuse, margin crenate, ciliate, adaxial surface puberulous, strigose, pubescent or hirsute, abaxial surface hirsute to tomentose, glandular sessile trichomes present. Inflorescences 0.3‒1.4 cm long, 3‒6 per axil, peduncle 0.3‒1.6 cm long, strigose or hirsute, glandular sessile trichomes present; rachis not elongated in fructification; bracts 2.5‒5 mm long, tetrastichous, lanceolate to ovate, abaxial surface hirsute, glandular sessile trichomes present, margin ciliate; calyx 2‒2.2 mm long, externally hirsute, glandular sessile trichomes present; corolla 3‒5 mm long, white, throat yellow. Fruit schizocarp, with two cluses, ca. 1 mm long, surrounded by the persistent calyx.

Distribution and habitat:— Lippia origanoides is widely distributed throughout South America, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States ( O’Leary et al. 2012b). In Brazil, it occurs in the Cerrado, Caatinga, Atlantic Forest, and Amazon Forest ( Salimena & Cardoso 2020). In Espírito Santo, L. origanoides is found in dense rainforest, seasonal semideciduous forest, and inselbergs, often in sunny sites. Not collected inside SPAs in this state.

Phenology:— Collected with flowers and fruits from January to May, and from July to September.

Preliminary conservation assessment: — Lippia origanoides is the most common species of the genus, widely distributed (O’Leary et al. 2012) and occurs inside PAs in South America. Considered “Least Concern” (LC) ( IUCN 2019).

Selected material:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Água Doce do Norte , 27 April 2008, fl., A . P . Fontana et al. 5072 ( CESJ, MBM); Águia Branca, 19 August 2015, fl., H . V . Pinto Junior et al. 175 ( CESJ, SAMES); Barra de São Francisco , 10 September 2009, fl. and fr., L . Kollmann & E . Leme 11783 ( MBML); Cariacica, 4 July 2012, fl., A . M . Assis et al. 3256 ( CESJ, MBML); Colatina, 18 April 2008, fl. and fr., L . Kollmann et al. 10917 ( HUEFS, MBML); Conceição da Barra , 26 March 1992, fl. and fr., O . J . Pereira 3203 ( CESJ, VIES); Guarapari, 28 January 1964, fl. and fr., W . Hoehne 5549 ( CESJ); Ibiraçu, 26 May 1990, fl., J . M .L. Gomes et al. 1136 ( CESJ, MBML, VIES); Jaguaré, 15 May 2014, fl., D. A . Folli 7208 ( CVRD, RB); Jerônimo Monteiro, 7 August 2013, fl., D. R . Couto & V . C . Manhães 2364 ( R); Linhares, 24 May 2001, fl. and fr., D. A . Folli 3930 ( CVRD); Marilândia, 20 April 2013, fl. and fr., M . O .O. Pellegrini et al. 354 ( CESJ, RB); Nova Venécia, 14 January 2009, fl., P . H . Labiak et al. 5095 ( CESJ, RB); Ponto Belo, 30 November 2012, fl. and fr., D. A . Folli 6962 ( CESJ, CVRD, RB); Santa Teresa, 17 August 2005, fl. and fr., L . Kollmann et al. 8236 ( CESJ, MBML); Serra, 13 July 1995, fl. and fr., J . M .L. Gomes 1995 ( CESJ, VIES); Vitória, 20 May 2003, fl., G . B . Dias 46 ( VIES); Vila Velha, 23 August 2009, fl., R . T . Valadares & V . B . Sarnaglia Júnior 864 ( CESJ, VIES) .

Notes:— Lippia origanoides is characterized by the presence of 3‒6 inflorescences per axil; imbricate bracts, and white corolla. This species has approximately 30 synonyms ( O’Leary et al. 2012b), presenting high leaf polymorphism and different types of indument. This delimitation is quite controverse and it is necessary new studies to understand the identity of this taxon. Lippia origanoides is similar to Lippia grata Schauer (1847: 576) , a species distributed throughout the states of Pará, Roraima, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe and Minas Gerais ( Salimena & Cardoso 2020), but can be differentiated due to the free bracts (vs. connate bracts in L. grata ) ( O’Leary et al. 2012b).

Illustrations in O’Leary et al. (2012b).