Ameroglossum manoelfelixii L.P.Felix & E.M.Almeida

Almeida, Erton M., Christenhusz, Maarten J. M., Wanderley, Artur Maia, Cordeiro, Joel Maciel P., Melo, José Iranildo Miranda De, Batista, Fabiane Rabelo Da Costa & Felix, Leonardo P., 2021, An overview of the Brazilian inselberg genus Ameroglossum (Linderniaceae, Lamiales), with the description of seven new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 746, pp. 1-25 : 18-19

Ameroglossum manoelfelixii L.P.Felix & E.M.Almeida

Fig. 2G

Systematic Botany 41: 423–429. ( Almeida et al. 2016). – Type: BRAZIL – Paraíba • Esperança, Distrito de Lagoa de Pedra, Fazenda Timbaúba ; 35°52ʹ50.3ʺ W, 7°01ʹ0.8ʺ S; 699 m a.s.l.; 30 Aug. 2013; E.M. Almeida & H.C.M. Oliveira 785; holotype: EAN !.

Etymology

The specific epithet was given in honor of Prof. Manoel Felix da Silva, of the Universidade Federal da Paraíba, an enthusiastic botanist.

Material examined

Paratypes

BRAZIL – Paraíba • Remígio , Agreste dos Coelhos ; 20 Sep. 1959; J.C. Morais s.n.; EAN ! • Pedra do Caboclo ; 19 Jun. 1977; P.C. Fevereiro & V.P.B. Fevereiro 28; EAN ! • Remígio, Agreste dos Coelhos; 5 Aug. 1988; L.P. Felix & L.T. Silva 1392; EAN ! • Esperança , Lagoa de Pedra ; 23 Jul. 1991; L.P. Felix 4040; EAN ! • Fazenda Timbaúba; 7°00ʹ S, 35°53ʹ W; 20 Aug. 2009; A.M. Wanderley & L.P. Felix s.n.; UFP ! • Areia, Assentamento Rural Emanuel Joaquim ; 19 Jul. 2012; E.M. Almeida 385; EAN ! • Puxinanã; 21 Jul. 2012; E.M. Almeida & W.C. Silva 392; EAN ! • Bananeiras; Fazenda Jatobá ; 35°36ʹ02ʺ W, 6°45ʹ20ʺ S; 509 m a.s.l.; 29 Jul. 2012; E.M. Almeida 412; EAN !

Description

Saxicolous chamaephyte up to 3 m, occasionally with secondary branching along the stem. Young branches purplish, lustrous, quadrangular, winged, glabrous; when mature brownish, slightly inclined, subquadrangular. Leaves opposite, decussate (rarely ternate); leaf blade 4.0–15.0 × 3.3–4.8 cm, purplish when young, later greenish, lustrous, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, sometimes trullate, slightly bullate; younger leaves densely covered by papillose trichomes, later glabrous; apex acuminate to acute, often cirrhose; margin revolute when young, later flat, ciliate. Inflorescence a compound dichasium. Peduncle purplish, cylindrical, without wings, glabrous; primary peduncle 0.8–2.5 × 0.15 cm, secondary peduncle 0.5–1.1 × 0.1 cm, tertiary peduncle 0.5–0.7 × 0.1 cm. Pedicel 0.8–1.0 × 0.1 cm, purplish, glabrous, ventral side without wings. Bracts 0.3–0.7 × 0.8 cm, purplish, glabrous. Calyx purplish, abaxial side glabrescent with papillose trichomes, abaxial side densely covered by papillose trichomes, sepals lanceolate, dorsal one 1.5–1.8 × 0.3–0.5 cm, lateral ones 1.1–1.3 × 0.2–0.3 cm, ventral ones 0.8–1.1 × 0.2–0.4 cm. Corolla 5.0– 5.7 cm long, scarlet, externally glabrous to densely covered by papillose trichomes, internally glabrescent with papillose trichomes; tube 3.5–4.0 cm, upper lip 1.5–1.7 × 0.8– 0.9 cm, slightly bilobate; lower lip 0.9–1.3 × 0.4–0.5 cm, yellow, rarely with scarlet margins, inner perianth with trichomes filiform, violet; lobes revolute; median lobe ca 0.15 × 0.10 cm. Stamens with ventral pair exserted and dorsal pair enclosed, adnate to the median third of the corolla tube; filaments 1.8–3.5 cm, violet; thecae 0.2 cm diam.; staminodium 0.30 × 0.02 cm, adnate at the median third of the corolla tube, glabrous. Ovary 0.7–1.0 × 0.2–0.4 cm; style 4.0– 5.5 cm, slightly exserted. Capsule 1.4–1.3 × 0.5–0.6 cm, purplish. Seeds 0.10 × 0.05 cm.

Distribution

Ameroglossum manoelfelixii occurs exclusively on granite outcrops in Paraíba State, restricted to the Agreste da Borborema, Curimataú and Brejo microregions. Elevation between 500 and 700 m.

Ecology

This species is pollinated by hummingbirds ( Wanderley et al. 2020). It has been collected with flowers and fruits between March and August.

Population and threats

This species has a fragmented distribution and its populations are under intense anthropogenic pressure. Many rock outcrops where the species occurs have been quarried for cobblestones, and many populations are on farms where the vegetation is trampled and grazed by livestock. Fires are also often set to these vegetation islands for no clear purpose.

Figures

Fig. 2. Reproductive branches and floral details of different taxa of the genus Ameroglossum Eb.Fisch., S.Vogel & A.V.Lopes. A. A. alatum sp. nov. B. A. asperifolium sp. nov. C. A. bicolor sp. nov. D. A. fulniorum sp. nov. E. A. genaroanum sp. nov. F. A. intermedium sp. nov. G. A. manoelfelixii L.P.Felix & E.M.Almeida. H. A. pernambucense Eb.Fisch., S.Vogel & A.V.Lopes. I. A. xukuruorum sp. nov.