Aspidosperma brasiliense A.S.S.Pereira & A.C.D.Castello, 2017

Pereira, Andreza Stephanie De Souza, Castello, Ana Carolina Devides, Scudeler, Ana Laura, Simões, André Olmos & Koch, Ingrid, 2017, Aspidosperma brasiliense (Apocynaceae), a new and widely distributed species, Phytotaxa 326 (4), pp. 235-244 : 236-240

Aspidosperma brasiliense A.S.S.Pereira & A.C.D.Castello , sp. nov. ( Figures 1–2 )

Aspidosperma brasiliense is characterized by the discolorous leaves organized along the branches, usually with olive green adaxial surface and light green abaxial surface, brochidodromous venation with marginal veins 0.4–1 mm from the margin, base frequently flat, corolla lobes smaller than the tube (2×), equal calyx lobes and tomentose ovary.

Type: — BRAZIL. Distrito Federal: Gama, núcleo rural ponte alta, Chácara Tamboril , 16°00’23”S, 48°05’34”W, 18 November 2015, A. C. D Castello & N. G. Bordon 166 (holotype: UEC!; isotypes: MG!, RB!, UB!) .

Description: —Trees 1.8–30 m high; trunk sulcate, grayish. Branches cylindrical, not suberous, densely lenticellate, pubescent to glabrescent, without cataphylls, brownish or blackish; latex white. Leaves simple, alternate, organized along the branches; petioles (0.4–) 1–2 cm long, flattened or caniculate, pubescent; blade (5–)7–13.5 × 3–6 cm, chartaceous to coriaceous, flat, ovate or elliptic, rarely oblong or lanceolate, apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate or oblique, base and margin frequently flat, discolorous, venation brochidodromous, with marginal veins 0.4–1(–1.4) mm long from the margin, adaxial surface lustrous, olive green, glabrescent to glabrous, primary vein immersed, secondary veins prominulous, tertiary veins inconspicuous, abaxial surface dull, light green, pubescent, primary vein prominent, secondary veins flat, 15–22(–30) pairs, tertiary veins inconspicuous. Inflorescences (2.5–) 3.2–6 cm long, terminal or leaf-opposed, corymbiform dichasial, tomentose. Flower buds with corolla lobes not twisted. Flowers 9–11.4 mm long; pedicellate, pedicel 1.7–3.3 × 0.8–1 mm, tomentose. Calyx 1.7–2.5 × 2–2.5 mm, campanulate, green, without colleters, tomentose externally, pubescent to glabrous internally; lobes 5, 1–1.5 × 1–2 mm, equal, ovate, apex acute or obtuse. Corolla 4.5–7.5 × 2–2.5 mm, tubular, white; tube 3–5 mm long, tomentose externally, pubescent below the stamens insertion internally, with the wall thickened at the mouth; lobes 1.5–2.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm, patent, ovate, apex acute. Stamens 5, 1.2–1.6 mm long, included; filaments adnate to the corolla tube, 0.3–0.5 mm long, pubescent; anthers 1 mm long, free from each other and from the style-head, positioned above the style-head, ovate, apex acute, base cordate. Carpels 2, 1.3–2.8 mm long; ovary 0.7–1 × 1–1.2 mm, superior, hemisyncarpous, globoid, tomentose; style 0.9–1.5 mm long, cylindrical; style-head 0.3 mm long, main body oblong, with 2 oblong apical appendages, ca. 0.1 mm long. Follicles 4–4.7 × 3.1–3.9 cm, 2 or 1 by abortion, flat, dolabriform or suborbicular, verrucose, stipitate, not mucronate, conspicuous midrib, lenticels inconspicuous, brown, pubescent. Seeds 12–18, 3–4 cm diam., winged, orbicular, yellow, glabrous; seminal nucleus central, without radial lines, nucleus 1.2 cm diam.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the wide distribution of Aspidosperma brasiliense in Brazil. The name also relates to the city of Brasília, federal capital of Brazil, where the type was collected.

Distribution and Habitat: — BRAZIL: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo and Tocantins states, and Distrito Federal ( Figure 3 ). The species occurs mostly in riparian forest (mata ciliar and mata de galeria), but can also be found in savanna woodland (cerradão), ferruginous rocky field (canga) and carrasco vegetation, in elevations between 80 − 722 m.

Phenology: —Collected with flowers from September to November and fruits in June.

Conservation status: —Due to its broad distribution in Brazil, Aspidosperma brasiliense is evaluated as “least concern”. The AOO = 80,000 km 2 and EOO = 2,962,988.226 km 2.

Paratypes: — BRAZIL. Alagoas: Junqueiro, Olho D’água-Pioneira, 9°54.14’S, 36°25.30’W, 23 April 2006, A.L.S. Santos 234 (ASE-image!). Bahia: Jequié, Fazenda Brejo Novo, a 10, 5 km da Av. Otávio Mangabeira pela Exupério Miranda no Bairro do Mandacaru, 13°56’4”S, 40°06’38.9”W, 22 May 2005, G.E.L. Macedo 2038 (UEC!). Ceará: Novo Oriente, Baixa Fria, Pl. Ibiapaba, 8 November 1990, F.S. Araújo 192 (EAC-image!). Distrito Federal: Gama, núcleo rural ponte alta, Chácara Tamboril, 16°00’23”S, 48°05’34”W, 18 November 2015, A.C.D Castello & N.G. Bordon 165 (UEC!). Goiás: Goiânia, UFG Campus Samambaia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas III (ICB), 17 November 2015, A.L. Scudeler et al. 199 (UEC!). Maranhão: Santa Quitéria, Fazenda Marflora, 80 m, 7 September 1993, B.A.S. Pereira 2519 (IBGE!). Mato Grosso: Barra do Garças, Serra do Taquaral, mata em grotão, 15°41’S, 52°20’W, 24 November 1997, L.C. Bernacci & G.F. Árbocz 2593 (IAC!, RB!, UEC!). Minas Gerais: Patrocínio, Fazendas DATERRA, 20 August 1999, F.T. Farah & C.A. Freitas 1086 (UEC!). Pará: Canaã dos Carajás, área da Mina do Sossego, altitude média de 710, 6°27’32”S, 50°04’25”W, 25 November 2009, R.D. Ribeiro et al. 1387 (HCJS!, MG!, RB!). Rio Grande do Norte: Baía Formosa, Reserva do Patrimônio Natural Mata Estrela, trilha para a lagoa Araraquara, acesso pelo portão de entrada na beira da RN-062, coleta na beira da trilha, 6°22’32”S, 35°01’18”W, 7 December 2014, J.C. Sousa Jr. et al. 63 (UFRN-image!). Rio de Janeiro: Silva Jardim, Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas, fragmento A, próximo a Represa Juturnaíba, as margens do Rio São João, 6 December 1999, S.V.A. Pessoa & A. Pintor 1013 (RB!). São Paulo: Rio Claro, arredores do Campus do Instituto de Biociências-UNESP, 7 October 1991, F.C.P. Garcia 642 (HRCB!, MBM!, UEC!). Tocantins: São Salvador do Tocantins, UHE São Salvador, 13 November 2003, F. Bucci & C. Verano 1584 (UB!, UEC!).

Discussion: —Following the classification proposed by Marcondes-Ferreira & Kinoshita (1996), we place Aspidosperma brasiliense in Aspidosperma subgenus Aspidosperma (1996: 206) section Excelsa Marcondes-Ferreira (1996: 212) . Aspidosperma brasiliense shares the following features with section Excelsa : sulcate trunk, branches without cataphylls, brochidodromous venation, pilose flowers and verrucose follicles. Aspidosperma brasiliense resembles A. discolor especially regarding the follicles, but differs by the greenish leaves with a cuneate or oblique flat base, and the equal calyx lobes. Aspidosperma brasiliense also shares morphological features with A. oblongum and A. salgadense , mainly in floral traits, but can be distinguished from A. oblongum by the elliptic or ovate leaf blades with a cuneate or oblique flat base, and conspicuous fruit midrib, and from A. salgadense by the cylindrical branches, alternate leaves and tomentose ovary ( Figure 4 ). In addition, Aspidosperma brasiliense has a distinct geographic distribution in relation to these species. Aspidosperma brasiliense occurs in a large section of Brazil, while A. discolor is mainly found in the Caatinga at Northeastern Brazil, A. oblongum in the Amazon (reaching other countries) and A. salgadense is restricted to the Pará state ( Brazil). A comparison between these taxa is presented in Table 1 and in the identification key below.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aspidosperma brasiliense.A. Flowering branch.B. Leaf base. C. Inflorescence.D. Flower. E. Corolla with the wall thickened at the mouth and lobes. F. Corolla inside showing stamens and trichomes. G. Dorsal view of the stamen. H. Calyx and gynoecium. I. Follicles closed (left) and open (right) showing midrib, stipe and the muricate surface. J. Concentrical seeds with part of the funiculus in evidence. A–C. A.D.C. Castello & Bordon 166. D–H. A.L. Scudeler et al. 199. I. A.A. Santos et al. 121 (left) and A.C.D. Castello & Bordon 166 (right). J. L.G. Violatti et al. 13. Drawn by Klei Sousa.

FIGURE 2. Aspidosperma brasiliense. A. Habit.B. Trunk. C. Follicles.D. Inflorescence. E. Seed. F–G. Flower.A–D, F–G. A.L.Scudeler et al. 199. E. L.G. Violatti et al. 13.

FIGURE 3. Geographic distribution of Aspidosperma brasiliense in the Brazilian biomes.

FIGURE 4. Comparison among Aspidosperma brasiliense and three related species (A. discolor, A. oblongum and A. salgadense). A– D. A. brasiliense: A. Flower. B. Calyx and gynoecium. C. Corolla inside showing stamens and trichomes. D. Corolla outside. E–I. A. discolor: E. Flower bud. F. Gynoecium. G. Calyx. H. Corolla inside showing stamens and trichomes. I. Corolla outside. J–N. A. oblongum: J. Flower. K. Corolla outside. L. Corolla lobes. M. Calyx and gynoecium. N. Corolla inside showing stamens and trichomes. O. A. salgadense: Flower. A–D. A.C.D Castello & N.G. Bordon 166. E–I. H.P. Bautista & N. Hind PCD4228. J–N. A.S. de S. Pereira et al. 96. O. E. Takanohashi PSACF 919.