Piper aghaense E.F. Guim & M.Carvalho-Silva, 2015

Carvalho-Silva, Micheline, Guimarães, Elsie Franklin, Pereira, Luciano Araujo & Junior, Valderes Bento Sarnaglia, 2015, Two new species of Piper section Ottonia (Piperaceae) from southeastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 212 (4), pp. 293-299 : 295

Piper aghaense E.F. Guim & M.Carvalho-Silva sp. nov.

Piper aghaense is similar to Piper eucalyptophyllum or Piper piscatorum distinguished by inflorescences in spikes and leaf with a cordate or lobate base.

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Piuma-Sopé do Morro Aghá , 16 February 1999, M. C.Assis et al. 584 (holotype SPF!; isotype RB!). ( Fig. 1 , 3 ) .

Shrubs ca. 0.5m tall. Branches ca. 3 mm diameter, pubescent to glabrescent, hairs ca. 0.3–0.5 mm long, internodes striate. Prophylls caducous, ca. 1.9 cm long, ovate, apex acute, reflex, pubescent on abaxial surface and glabrous on adaxial, ligule concave, ovate, apex acute, margins membranaceous to coriaceous. Leaves 8–14 × 1.7–3.5 cm, lanceolate, rare falcate, papyraceous, sightly discolored, glabrous in both sides, base cordate to lobate, asymmetric, with one side 1 mm shorter at the petiole, the longer side overlapping the petiole, margin revolute, glabrous in abaxial surface, apex acute to acuminate, veins broquidodromous, 11–15 pairs, midvein sightly impressed and glabrous on the adaxial surface, proeminent and densely pubescent on the abaxial surface, secondary veins plane on adaxial surface, glabrous, proeminent on abaxial surface, densely pubescent; petiole 3–4 mm long, pubescent, base of petiole slightly alate. Inflorescence in a spike, 3.7–6.5 cm × 2–4 mm, pendule, brown; peduncle 4–6 mm long, pubescent; rachis glabrous to slightly fimbriate, glandulosous, not visible when in fruit; flower bracts 0.5–0.7 mm long, 0.25 mm wide, saccate-galeate, glabrous, papillose, pedicel 0.25 mm long, fimbriate. Fruit 1.5–2 × 1 mm, oblong to ovate-oblong, tetragonal, 4-sulcate, papillosous, 4 stigmas, persistent. Seeds oblong, brown, 4-sulcate, apex short apiculate.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the locality of occurrence of this species, in Morro Agha.

Observations: — Piper aghaense is characterized by lanceolate leaves with cordate to lobade bases with one side overlapping the petiole. The abaxial vein is densely pubescent and the inflorescence a spike. This species resembles P. eucalyptophyllum Cassimir De Candolle. (1869: 252) in general appearence, but the inflorescence of the latter is a raceme. Another similar species is P. piscatorum Trelease & Yuncker (1950: 395) , but it has an acute leaf base while the leaf bases of P. aghaense are cordate or lobade (tab. 1).

piscatorum Trel. & Yunck.

Geographic distribution and conservation status: —The species occurs in the municipality of Piúma (state of Espírito Santo, Brazil), only in one location, Morro Aghá. This location is not included in Conservation Units, receives visits from tourists and is very close to the city center. According to the IUCN Red List criteria (2010) the species belongs to the Critically Endangered (CR) category, criteria B2b (ii, iii).

Phenology: — Piper aghaense has been found with flowers and fruits in Frebuary.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Piper aghaense E.F. Guim & M. Carvalho-Silva. a—habit, b—branches, c—leaf base in abaxial surface, d—inflorescence with fruit, e—fruit, f—stamen, g—floral bracts, h—seed (Assis et al. 584, RB).

FIGURE 3. Distribution map for (circle) P. aghaense E.F. Guim & M.Carvalho-Silva and (triangle) Piper bicorne M. Carvalho-Silva, E.F. Guim. & L.A. Pereira in Brazil.