Piper delirioi Sarnaglia & E. F. Guim., 2015

Sarnaglia Junior, Valderes B. & Guimarães, Elsie F., 2015, Piper delirioi (Piperaceae), a new species from southeastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 201 (4), pp. 296-300 : 296-299

Piper delirioi Sarnaglia & E. F. Guim. , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Piper delirioi is characterized by its shrubby habit, pilose-villous stems with hairs up to 2.5 mm long, densely grouped near internodes; ciliate blades and loosely long and scabrous leaf surface adaxially, blade with apex falcate-acuminate; spikes curved, floral bracts round-triangular, subpeltate, marginally fringed with a pilose pedicel; stamens 4; stigmas 3; fruit ca. 1 mm diam., oblong-obovate, the apex depressed and puberulent.

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Santa Maria de Jetibá, PCH Rio Bonito, 650–700m, 20º02’46”S, 40º38’56”W, 2 February 2013, E. J. de Lirio 137 (holotype RB!, isotypes MBML!, VEN!, NY!).

Shrub 1–2.5 m tall, internodes 3.7–5.6 cm, stems ca. 2 mm, terete, pilose-villous with the hairs up to 2.5 mm long, more densely near internodes. Prophylls 0.5–0.6 mm, caducous, villous, lanceolate, apex acute. Leaves alternate, petiole 0.4–0.7 cm long, pilose-villous, with a short basal sheath; blade 11.9–17.5 × 3.8–6.1 cm, ovate, lanceolate or elliptic; base inequilaterally acute or rounded, one side differing from the other by 1–5 mm; apex falcate-acuminate; membranaceous; ciliate; blade with adaxial side slightly scabrous to glabrescent, the abaxial side pilose, more densely along the veins, brown-glandulous; vein pattern eucamptodromous, with 4–5 secondary veins on each side, to about the middle. Spikes 9–12.1 × 0.2–0.3 cm, slightly or regularly curved, apiculate with 2–3 mm long, villous; peduncle 1.4–3.1 cm long, glandulous, villous; floral bracts round-triangular, subpeltate, marginally fringed with a pilose pedicel; flowers achlamydeous; stamens 4; stigmas 3, sessile, 0.2–0.3 mm long, caducous, filiform, recurved. Fruit ca. 1 mm diam., oblong-obovate, the apex depressed and puberulent.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Santa Maria de Jetibá, PCH Rio Bonito, 2 February 2013, Sarnaglia Junior 609, 613 ( RB!, MBML!). Santa Teresa, Serra do Gelo, 22 November 2012, Sarnaglia Junior 537 ( RB!). Santa Teresa, Country Club, mata em morro ao lado da cachoeira, trilha um pouco antes da entrada, em direção a cachoeira, 19°55’32”S, 40°38’07”W, 29 January 2002, Groppo Jr. 966 ( RB!, SPF). Santa Teresa, Estação Biológica de São Lourenço (Caixa d’Agua), mata de encosta, trilha ao longo do riacho, 13 February 1999, Mello-Silva et al. 1560 ( RB!, SPF, K). Santa Teresa, trilha subindo o morro ao lado do Country Club, 25 February 2006, Lombardi 1123 ( RB!, BHCB). Santa Teresa, Estação Biológica de Santa Lúcia, 31 January 1986, Boudet Fernandes 1821 ( RB!, MBML!).

Etymology:— Piper delirioi was named in honour of the collector of the type specimen, the biologist Elton John de Lirio (Rio de Janeiro, Escola Nacional de Botânica Tropical).

Distribution and conservation: —This species is known only from montane region of state of Espírito Santo, Brazil (collections marked by black dots in Fig. 2 ). It grows in montane rainforest and humid places, near to rivers, at elevations from 650 to 1000 meters. The distribution of P. delirioi within Espírito Santo extends to conservation priority areas ( Brazil 2007) and two of the five localities of occurrence are outside conservation units. The conservation status of this species would be Endangered (EN) under criteria B2ab (IUCN 2012), known at 5 localities and with an estimated area of occurrence of about 250 km ².

Comments:— Piper delirioi is characterized by its shrubby habit, pilose-villous stems with hairs up to 2.5 mm long, denser near internodes, ciliate blade and loosely long scabrous adaxial leaf surface. This new species is assigned to Piper sect. radula and is closely related to P. aduncum Linnaeus (1753:29) and P. gaudichaudianum Kunth (1840: 639) due to the scabrous adaxial leaf blade surface, the unequal base of the leaf blade, curved spikes, four stamens, three stigmas and oblong-obovate fruits; differing from both in having the hairs denser near to internodes, longer hairs and blade apex falcate-acuminate, among others (table 1).

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Plant in its natural habitat. B. Internodes. C. Prophylls. D. Hairs on stems of living plant. E. Adaxial side of leaf surface. F. Abaxial side of leaf surface. G. Upper Internodes. H. Leaf with ciliate margin. I. Leaf with scabrous hairs adaxially. J. Leaf with hairs abaxially. K. Brown glandular dots in abaxial surface of leaf. L. Peduncle. M. Detail of fruits of the spike and floral bracts. N. Apiculate apex of spike.

FIGURE 2. Distribution map of P. delirioi in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Priority Conservation areas according to Brazil (2007).