Novelties in Brazilian Tradescantia L. (Commelinaceae)
Author
Pellegrini, Marco O. O.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8783-1362
Universidade de Sao Paulo, Departamento de Botanica, Rua do Matao 277, CEP 05508 - 900, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil & Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leao 915, CEP 22460 - 030, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil & Current address: Smithsonian Institution, NMNH, Department of Botany, MRC 166, P. O. Box 37012, Washington D. C. 20013 - 7012, USA
marcooctavio.pellegrini@gmail.com
Author
Forzza, Rafaela C.
Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leao 915, CEP 22460 - 030, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Author
Sakuragui, Cassia M.
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Botanica, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho 373, Bloco A, Sala A 1 - 088, Ilha do Fundao, CEP 21941 - 902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
text
PhytoKeys
2017
2017-04-25
80
1
31
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.80.12232
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.80.12232
1314-2003-80-1
ED17FFDBFFB3312BFFC49921FFA6EA22
576386
Tradescantia
chrysophylla M.Pell.
sp. nov.
Figs 2
, 8
Diagnosis
.
Similar to
T. cymbispatha
due to its habit with an indefinite base, creeping stems with ascending apex, sessile succulent leaves with flat blades homogeneously covered by indumenta, inconspicuous secondary veins, saccate cincinni bracts, broadly ovoid floral buds, sepals without keels, and pistil the same length as the stamens. It can be differentiated by its velutine to hispid, golden to light brown indumentum covering almost the entire plant, strongly unequal cincinni bracts, and pedicels and sepals glandular-pubescent, or with a mixture of glandular and eglandular hairs.
Figure 2.
Tradescantia chrysophylla
M.Pell.
A
habit
B
detail of the stem and leaf-sheath, showing the hispid indumentum, and detail of the sessile leaf-blade
C
detail of the hispid hairs of the leaf-blade and of the ciliolate margin
D
detail of the inflorescence, showing the unequal cincinni bracts
E
detail of the bracteole
F
detail of the pedicel and sepals, showing the glandular hairs
G
frontal view of the flower
H
stamen, showing the filament with basal, dense and long moniliform hairs, the rhomboid connective, and the ellipsoid anther sacs
I
detail of the gynoecium, showing the punctate stigma
J
mature, partially open capsule, still covered by the persistent sepals.
K-L
seed:
K
dorsal view of a seed, showing the costate testa and dorsal embryotega
L
ventral view of the seed, showing the linear hilum. Line drawing by M.A. Rezende.
Type
.
BRAZIL
.
Sao
Paulo
:
Biritiba Mirim
,
Estacao
Biologica
de
Boraceia
, fl.,
24 Nov 1983
,
A.
Custodio
Filho
1910 (
holotype
: RB!; isotype: SP!)
.
Description.
Herbs
ca. 11-27 cm tall, with an indefinite base, terrestrial or rupicolous, rarely epiphyte.
Roots
thin, fibrous, cream to light brown, emerging from the nodes touching the substrate.
Stems
creeping to ascending at the apex, delicate to slightly succulent, densely branched; internodes 1.5-8.2 cm long at base, distally shorter, dark green to vinaceous, velutine to hispid, hairs golden to light brown.
Leaves
distichously-alternate, sessile; sheaths 0.4-1 cm long, green to vinaceous with dark green to purple striations, velutine to hispid, margin densely setose, hairs golden; blades broadly elliptic to broadly ovate, 1.8-7.6
x
0.9-3.4 cm, flat, succulent, velutine to hispid on both sides, hairs golden to light brown, adaxially dark green, abaxially vinaceous, turning dark brown to olive-green on both sides when dry, base cordate to rounded, margin ciliolate, apex acute, sometimes acuminate; midvein conspicuous, adaxially impressed, secondary veins inconspicuous, adaxially inconspicuous, abaxially inconspicuous, becoming more evident abaxially when dry.
Synflorescences
terminal or axillar in the distal portion of the stems, composed of a solitary main florescence, 1 per leaf axis.
Inflorescences
(
main florescences
) consisting of a pedunculate double-cincinni fused back to back; peduncles (0.4-)1.1-9.5 cm long, vinaceous, velutine to hispid, hairs golden to light brown; basal bract inconspicuous, tubular, hyaline, glabrous; peduncle bracts absent; supernumerary bracts absent; cincinni bracts strongly unequal among themselves, elliptic to ovate to broadly ovate, 0.9-6.6
x
0.4-3.1 cm, leaf-like, velutine to hispid, hairs golden to light brown, adaxially dark green, abaxially vinaceous, base cordate to round, saccate, margin ciliolate, apex acute; double-cincinni (4-)6-12-flowered; bracteoles inconspicuous, imbricate, linear-triangular to triangular, hyaline.
Flowers
bisexual, actinomorphic, flat (not forming a floral tube), 1.1-1.6 cm diam.; floral buds broadly ovoid, apex acute; pedicels upright at anthesis and pre-anthesis, reflexed at post-anthesis, 0.9-1.3 cm long, glandular-pubescent, rarely with a mixture of glandular and eglandular, golden to light brown hairs; sepals 3, equal, free, ovate, cucullate, margin hyaline, apex acute, persistent in fruit, 4.7-5.8
x
2.6-4 mm, without dorsal keels, glandular-pubescent or with a mixture of glandular and eglandular, golden to light brown hairs; petals 3, equal, free, elliptic to ovate, rarely broadly ovate, not clawed (sessile), flat, 8.8-9
x
5.7-6.2 mm, white; stamens 6,
arranged
in two series, equal, filaments free from the petals and from each other, filaments 6-6.2 mm long, straight at anthesis and post-anthesis, basally densely bearded with moniliform hairs, hairs as long as the stamens, white, anthers basifixed, rimose, 0.6-0.8
x
0.3-0.7 mm, connective expanded, rhomboid, yellow, anther sacs ellipsoid, divergent, yellow, pollen yellow; ovary sessile, subglobose, 1.5-1.7
x
1.2-1.4 mm, white, smooth, glabrous, 3-loculate, locules equal, locule 2-ovulate, ovule uniseriate, style straight, white, cylindrical, conical at the apex, 4-4.2 cm long, stigma punctate, pistil the same length as the stamens.
Capsules
subglobose to globose, 2.7-3.2
x
2.2-2.8 mm, light to medium brown when mature, smooth, glabrous, loculicidal, 3-valved, sometimes apiculate due to persistent style base.
Seeds
exarillate, 1-2 per locule, 1.1-1.5
x
1.0-1.4 mm, ellipsoid to narrowly trigonal, not cleft towards the embryotega, ventrally flattened, testa grey to greyish brown, farinose, costate arranged in ridges radiating from the embryotega; embryotega dorsal, relatively inconspicuous, generally covered by a cream farina, without a prominent apicule; hilum linear,
1/2
the length of the seed.
Specimens seen
(paratypes). BRAZIL.
Parana
: Campo Largo, Caverna do Pinheirinho, fl., fr., 13 Oct 1996, G. Tiepolo & A.C. Svolenski 716 (EFC, MBM).
Rio de Janeiro
: Itatiaia, Serra do Itatiaia, Maromba, fl., 23 Oct 1931, C. Porto 2101 (RB).
Santa Catarina
: Rio do Sul, estrada Rio do Sul-Lontras, fl., 3 Dec 2013, A.L. Gasper et al. 3270 (FURB). Rodeio, borda da floresta, fl., fr., 10 Oct 2015, L.A. Funez 4549 (FURB). Urubici, Salto do rio Avencal, fl., fr., 16 Oct 2004, G. Hatschbach et al. 78097 (MBM).
Sao
Miguel
D'Oeste
, forest above rio
Reperi-guacu
, Peperi, fl., fr., 21 Oct 1964, L.B. Smith & R. Reitz 12775 (FLOR, HBR, NY, US).
Sao
Paulo
:
Jundiai
, mata de planalto na Serra do Japi, fl., 11 Aug 1976, H.F.
Leitao-Filho
& G.J. Shepherd 2536 (MBM, NY, UEC); loc. cit., ca. 10 km SW de
Jundiai
, fl., fr., 8 Oct 1976, H.F.
Leitao-Filho
et al. 3175 (E, MBM, NY, UEC, UFG, US).
Salesopolis
,
Estacao
Biologica
de
Boraceia
, estrada para a barragem da SABESP no Rio Guaratuba, fl., 5 Sep 1994, R.
Simao-Bianchini
et al. 505 (RB, SP, UEC).
Etymology.
The epithet "
chrysophylla
" means golden leaves and is given after the golden hairs that cover the whole plant, but especially the leaves.
Distribution and habitat.
Tradescantia chrysophylla
is endemic to Brazil, more precisely to the states of Rio de Janeiro,
Sao
Paulo,
Parana
and Santa Catarina (Fig.
8
). It can be found growing as a terrestrial, rupicolous or as an epiphyte, understory in shaded and moist forests.
Phenology.
It was found in bloom and fruit from August to December, but peaking during October.
Conservation status.
Tradescantia chrysophylla
possesses a wide EOO (ca. 173,649.709 km22), but a considerably narrow AOO (ca. 36.000 km2). Since it is known from very few and fragmented collections, following the
IUCN (2001)
recommendations,
T. chrysophylla
should be considered Endangered [EN, A2cde+ B2ab(ii, iii, iv)+D2].
Discussion.
Tradescantia chrysophylla
is morphologically similar to
T. cymbispatha
C.B.Clarke,
T. fluminensis
Vell. and
T. mundula
Kunth due to their indefinite base,
creeping
stems with ascending apex, saccate cincinni bracts, petals always white, pistil as long as the stamens, seeds with uncleft testa towards the embryotega, and hilum
1/2
the length of the seed. However, it can be easily differentiated from
T. fluminensis
and
T. mundula
by its sessile succulent leaves, blades homogeneously covered by indumentum, and inconspicuous secondary veins (
vs.
leaves membranous, blades glabrous or unevenly covered by indumentum, and impressed secondary veins), floral buds broadly ovoid (
vs.
ovoid to narrowly ovoid), and sepals without keels (
vs.
keeled sepals).
Tradescantia chrysophylla
is considerably more similar to
T. cymbispatha
due to their sessile, succulent leaves homogeneously covered by indumenta, inconspicuous secondary veins, and sepals without keels. Nonetheless, in
T. chrysophylla
the indumentum is velutine to hispid and golden to light brown (
vs.
strigose and hyaline in
T. cymbispatha
), the cincinni bracts are strongly unequal (
vs.
equal), and the pedicels and sepals are glandular-pubescent with golden to light brown hairs or covered by with a mixture of glandular and eglandular hairs (
vs.
velutine, covered by eglandular hyaline hairs). Furthermore,
T. chrysophylla
can be differentiated from almost all the species of
T. sect. Austrotradescantia
by its golden to light brown indumentum covering almost the entire plant. The only other species known to possess a similarly colored indumentum is
T. cerinthoides
(
Pellegrini 2015
,
2016
).
Tradescantia chrysophylla
can be easily differentiated by its indefinite habit base (
vs.
definite in
T. cerinthoides
), prostrate stems (
vs.
ascending to erect), saccate cincinni bracts (
vs.
non-saccate), pistil the same length as the stamens (
vs.
longer than the stamens), petals always white (
vs.
ranging from white to pink to lilac), seed not cleft towards the embryotega (
vs.
cleft), and hilum
1/2
the length of the seed (
vs.
longer than
1/2
the length).