Rudgea hileiabaiana Zappi & Bruniera

Bruniera, Carla P., Zappi, Daniela C. & Groppo, Milton, 2015, Rudgea agresteophila and R. hileiabaiana (Palicoureeae, Rubiaceae): two new species from eastern Bahia, Brazil, Phytotaxa 202 (4), pp. 289-293 : 290-292

2. Rudgea hileiabaiana Zappi & Bruniera , sp nov. ( Fig. 1E–J )

Rudgea hileiabaiana resembles R. brachyandra Müller (1876: 461) , also from Bahia, Brazil, but differs from it by the 2–3 cm long inflorescence axis (vs. to 1.5 cm long in R. brachyandra ) and the 1–2 mm long calyx tube (vs. calyx tube absent, lobes ca. 0.5 mm long).

Type: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Una, BR-101, km 9, de São José a Una, 400 m, 18 October 1983, fl., T. S. Santos 3882 (holotype SP!, isotype CEPEC).

Treelets to trees to 7 m tall; branches pale greyish, glabrous, fissured, compressed, upper internodes 2–5.5 cm long, not thickened at nodes. Stipules interpetiolar to sheathing, 1 – 2 upper pairs present, interpetiolar portion broadly obovate, 5–9 x 6–9 mm, apex truncate to rounded, dorsally keeled, keel 6–10 mm long, with terminal deciduous glandular appendages 1–2 mm long. Leaves with petioles 5–10 x 2–4 mm, canaliculate; blades narrowly-elliptic to oblongelliptic, (13–)16–27(–30) x (5–) 9–11 cm, base rounded to cordate, apex 0.5–1 cm long, acute to shortly acuminate, coriaceous, matt, drying concolorous, pale grey-green to olive-green, margin usually thickened and revolute, midrib adaxially canaliculate, very prominent, paler abaxially, secondary veins 12–20 on each side of the midrib, prominent on both sides, inter-secondary veins and tertiary venation visible to obscure below; domatia absent. Inflorescence terminal, a compound cyme, 7–10 x 4–10 cm, 20–40-flowered; peduncles 2–3 cm long, to 3 mm thick (– 4 mm in infructescence), with 2–3 pairs of secondary branches ending in 6–9-flowered cymes. Flowers sessile, 5-merous; hypanthium ca. 2 mm long; calyx limb 2–4 x 5–6 mm, puberulous, tube 1–2 mm long, lobes shortly triangular, 1–2 x 1–3 mm, apex rounded, erect, margins ciliate; corolla infundibuliform, 20–25 mm long, 5 mm wide at the base, 12 mm wide at mouth, membranaceous, white, externally glabrous, tube 12–15 mm long, pubescent within at mouth; lobes ovate, 8–10 x 3–6 mm, sometimes slightly corniculate, reflexed at anthesis; filaments ca. 8 mm long in long-styled flowers, anthers ca. 4 mm long, dorsifixed; nectar disc ca. 1.5 mm long, depressed centrally; style ca. 14 mm long, stigma bilobed. Fruits ovoid to obovoid, 13–17 x 10–16 mm, smooth, sometimes drying ribbed, yellow, carnose, calyx remnants not tubular, lobes erect, triangular, 2 mm long; pyrenes 2, plano-convex, 1-seeded; seeds to 12 mm long, dorsally ribbed, dark-brown to black.

Etymology: — The epithet “ hileiabaiana ” refers to the vegetation in which the new species occurs. The name “hylaea” (“hiléia” in Portuguese) was applied by Humboldt to the evergreen forests he visited in Amazonian region in the 19 th Century (see Kohlhepp 2005). The Atlantic Rainforest of southern Bahia and northern Espírito Santo is frequently called “ hiléia baiana ” (in Portuguese), given its structural and floristic similarities with Amazonian evergreen vegetation (see Thomas et al. 1998). Instead of the long and complicated latinized spelling “hylaeabahiana”, we opted for its simpler Portuguese translation “hileiabaiana ”.

Distribution and habitat: — Rudgea hileiabaiana is endemic to the state of Bahia, Brazil; however, it has a wider distribution than R. agresteophila . It was collected in a few municipalities in southern Bahia, in the humid Bahian Atlantic Rainforest known as hiléia baiana (see etymology above), growing in transitional semi-deciduous forests, gallery forests and wet forests on rocky slopes, at 100–300 m elevation.

Phenology: — Flowering from October to February, and fruiting from October to March.

Conservation Status: — Endangered (EN), B1a,b(i,iv); extent of occurrence <5000 km 2. At least one population is situated within a protected area according to Brazilian laws (Reserva da Fazenda do Teimoso, Jussari); however, the populations are fragmented and known from only five locations. The forests of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest domain have been suffering a rapid process of deforestation ( Morellato & Haddad 2000, Ribeiro et al. 2009), and forests in the area of occurrence of R. hileiabaiana are under constant threat from urban expansion.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — BRAZIL. Bahia: Aurelino Leal, 11.2 km W of BR 101 on road from Aurelino Leal towards Laje do Banco , 14°20’72’’S, 39°22’91,2’’W, 175–200m, 30 October 2001, W. W. Thomas , J. L. Paixão & S. Sant’Ana 12676, fl.fr. ( NY, SP). Itacaré. Fazenda Capitão, 7.9 km a oeste da junção da BA 001 com a Rodovia Itacaré-Ubaitaba , 14°20’S, 39°05’W, 100–125m, 11 November 2003, P. Fiaschi , A. Amorim , J. Jardim & S. Sant’Ana 1880, fr. ( SPF). Jussari , Serra do Teimoso , 7.5 km N then W of Jussari on road to Palmira , then 2 km S to Fazenda Teimoso , “Reserva da Fazenda Teimoso”, southern end, 15°09.3’S, 39°31.4’W, 300 m, 1 February 1999, W. W. Thomas, J. Kallunki & J. Jardim 11917, fr. ( NY, SP) ; Estrada de Jussari para Palmira, entrada à esquerda ca. 7.5km após Jussari , Fazenda Teimoso , RPPN Serra do Teimoso , 15°09’37’’S, 39°32’10’’W, 14 February 2004, P. Fiaschi , A. Amorim , J. L. Paixão & S. Sant’Ana 1985, fl. ( SP, SPF). Uruçuca , estrada de Serra Grande para Uruçuca , km 8, Área do Inventário do Plano de Manejo , Fazenda da Serraria , 14°21’05’’S, 39°03’55’’W, 140 m, 16 March 2004, P. Fiaschi, A. Amorim, J. L. Paixão, A. Martini & Evandro 2121, fr. ( SPF) .

Discussion: — Rudgea hileiabaiana has been collected in the surroundings of Ilhéus and Itabuna in fragments of the once extensive Atlantic Rainforest of southern Bahia. This new species is distinguished by its coriaceous, leaves to 30 cm long, round to cordate base and 12–20 pairs of secondary veins, resembling R. brachyandra , which is known only from the type specimen and historical collections from Bahia, but without specific localities. Other distinctive characteristics, such as the broadly infundibular flower, with corolla 20–25 mm long (5 mm wide at the base, up to 12 mm wide at the throat) is not very common in other species of Rudgea , being present in R. vellerea and R. insignis Müller (1881: 203) , both from southeastern Brazil. The combination of leaf features (as described above), broadly infundibular corollas and unexpanded calyces (2–4 x 5–6 mm) differentiates R. hileiabaiana from other species in the genus.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–D. Rudgea agresteophila. A. Branch with inflorescence. B. Stipule. C. Detail of inflorescence. D. Fruit. E–J. Rudgea hileiabaiana. E. Branch with inflorescence. F. Stipule. G. Flower bud. H. Flower. I. Fruit. J. Seed, dorsal and ventral view. A, D: Senra s.n. (HUEFS 96517); B, C: Senra 51 (HUEFS); E, G, H: Santos 3882 (SP); F: Fiaschi 1880 (SPF); I: Thomas 11917 (SP), J. Fiaschi 2121 (SPF). Drawn by Maíra Clasen Massarani.