Cuphea pulchra var. corollata Cavalcanti & Graham (2005: 64)

Facco, Marlon Garlet & Cavalcanti, Taciana Barbosa, 2023, Taxonomic Revision of Cuphea sect. Trispermum s. l. (Lythraceae), Phytotaxa 588 (1), pp. 1921-1935 : 1921-1935

18.2. Cuphea pulchra var. corollata Cavalcanti & Graham (2005: 64) .

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Piat ã, estrada Piat ã - Boninal , Tiguco , 13°07’17”S, 41°46’26”W, 1180 m, 12 November 1996, Bautista & Hind (PCD) 4226 (holotype HUEFS [28924]!, isotypes ALCB!, CEN!, HRB!, K image!, MO image!, RB!, SPF!) . Figs. 15A–G , 24 .

Subshrubs to shrubs 50–120 cm tall; stem with pubescent indumentum, mixed with glandular trichomes. Floral tubes 18–20 mm long; spur saccate, deflexed; petals 6, red-orange, subequal, two dorsal 3.5–4.2 × 3–4 mm, broadobovate, four ventral 3–4.8 × 2.2–3 mm, broad-obovate to broad-elliptic; pistil ca. 21 mm long; ovary glabrous; style slightly pilose; ovules 3–6. Seeds obovate to suborbicular, apex obtuse to truncate, rarely slightly retuse, base obtuse to truncate.

Phenology: —Collected with flowers from January to December, and with fruits in April, July, August, September, and November.

Distribution and habitat: — Brazil, in the Bahia state ( Fig. 24 ); openings in hillside forests and gallery forests, waterfall edges, and “campos rupestres”; 600–1200 m elev.

Conservation status: — Cuphea pulchra var. corollata was categorized as Vulnerable (VU) B1ab(i,ii,iii), with EOO of 6,884 km ² and AOO of 56 km ². The small populations of this taxon are susceptible to impacts caused by deforestation and planting in permanent preservation areas, as well as the threat of mineral exploitation ( INEMA 2008).

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Jacobina, Serra da Jaboticaba, 11º16’11”S, 40º31’30”W, 21 August 1980, Orlandi 216 ( HRB!, RB!); Jacobina, Cachoeira de Itaitu, 30 March 1996, Guedes et al. PCD 2648 ( ALCB!); Jacobina, Serra de Jacobina, Pico do Jaraguá, 11º10’21”S, 40º29’40”W, 03April 1996, Harley et al. PCD 2795 ( ALCB!, HUEFS!); Jacobina, Serra da Maricota, perto da Serra do Vento, 11º14’43”S, 40º30’50”W, 03 July 1996, Giulietti et al. PCD 3363 ( ALCB!, CEN!, HRB!, HUEFS!); Jacobina, Itaitu, Fazenda Timbó, 11º15’57”S, 40º28’00”W, 06 September 1999, Melo et al. 3013 ( CEN!, HUEFS!); Jacobina, Serra do Sincorá, Cachoeira Véu de Noiva, 11º19’56”S, 40º30’10”W, 26 January 2010, Fontana et al. 6357 ( CEN!); Miguel Calmon, Serra da Jaqueira, na subida da Fazenda do Japonês, 11º21’14”S, 40º30’47”W, 02 April 1999, Harley & Giulietti 53695 ( ALCB!, CEN!, HUEFS!); Miguel Calmon, Serra das Sete Passagens, Parque Estadual das Sete Passagens, próximo à sede do Parque, 11º23’18”S, 40º32’08”W, 04 April 2001, Jesus et al. 1256 ( ALCB!, CEPEC!, HRB!, HUEFS!); Miguel Calmon, Parque de Sete Passagens, trilha cachoeira do Coraç ã o, 11º22’01”S, 40º32’02”W, 11 March 2006, Santos et al. 460 ( HUEFS!); Miguel Calmon, próximo à Sete Passagens, 11º23’53”S, 40º32’38”W, 09 September 2007, Queiroz & Queiroz 2386 ( HRB!); Miguel Calmon, Serra da Jaqueira, fazenda do Japonês, na trilha da mata, 11º21’07”S, 40º30’10”W, 08 August 2016, Brauner et al. 87 ( CEN!); idem, 08 August 2016, Facco et al. 488 ( CEN!, UB!); Palmeiras, Chapada Diamantina, 12°35’58”S, 41º36’11”W, 05 November 2011, Conceição et al. 4082 ( HUEFS!); Palmeiras, próximo ao Mat ã o, 12º31’19”S, 41º36’06”W, July 2012, Gonçalves 3005 ( HUEFS!); Piat ã, estrada para povoado do Rio de Contas, 13º07’27”S, 41º45’55”W, 19 April 2014, Melo 12702 ( HUEFS!); Piat ã, Povoado Veredas, 29 December 2014, Sousa 89 ( HUEFS!); Seabra, 04 December 1980, Meneses et al. CFCR 380 ( UEC image!).

The presence of six red-orange petals ( Fig. 15C ) in C. pulchra var. corollata separates it from apetalous C. pulchra var. pulchra . The presence and absence of petals within a species has been observed in other species of Cuphea and in other genera of the family ( Cavalcanti & Graham 2005). Cavalcanti & Graham (2005) included other characters to separate the varieties, such as the indumentum on the inner surface of the floral tube and the number of flowers in the inflorescence, which proved to be highly variable.

Cuphea pulchra var. corollata is endemic to the state of Bahia, Brazil, occurring within the distribution of C. pulchra var. pulchra , and generally growing in openings in hillside forests and gallery forests, rarely in open areas. Cuphea pulchra var. pulchra generally grows in open areas of “cerrado” and “caatinga”, in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco and Sergipe.

Figures

FIGURE 15. A–G. Cuphea pulchra var. corollata. A. Detail of a branch; B. Contracted raceme at the apex of the branch; C. Flower in frontal view; D. Floral tube in lateral view, without the petals; E. Floral tube in longitudinal-dorsal section, without the petals; F. Pistil; G. Seed. H–M. Cuphea rionegrensis. H. Branches with flowers; I. Detail of an immature fruit; J. Floral tube in lateral view, without petals; K. Floral tube in longitudinal-dorsal section, without petals; L. Pistil; M. Seed. A–G: Facco et al. 488; H, J–L: Poole 1790; I: Kubitzki et al. 126; M: Maia et al. 256. Scale bar. D–F: 6 mm; G, J–L: 2 mm; H: 5 cm; M: 1 mm.

FIGURE 24. Geographical distribution of Cuphea pulchra var. pulchra and Cuphea pulchra var. corollata.