Wissadula periplocifolia (Linnaeus, 1753) C. Presl. ex Thwaites, 1858

Bovini, Massimo G. & Baumgratz, José Fernando A., 2016, Taxonomic revision of Wissadula (Malvoideae, Malvaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 243 (3), pp. 201-234 : 229-231

17. Wissadula periplocifolia (L.) C. Presl. ex Thwaites (1858: 27). Sida periplocifolia L. (1753: 684). Abutilon periplocifolium (L.) Sweet (1826: 53). Type:— CEYLON. Herb. Hermann v. 3, fol. 11, Hermann s. n. (lectotype: BM, photo!, designated by Waalkes 1966).

Sida periplocifolia var. zeylanica DC. (1824: 467) . Abutilon periplocifolium var. zeylanicum G. Don (1831: 500) . Type:—Dillenius, Hort. Eltham. t.3, fol.3. 1732. (lectotype, designated by Fryxell 2012).

Wissadula zeylanica Medic. (1787: 25) , nom. illeg.

Sida paniculata var. oblonga Salzm. ex Triana & Planchon (1862: 186) . pro. syn.

Wissadula periplocifolia (L.) C.Presl. var. gracillima R.E.Fr. (1908: 34) . Syn. nov. Type :— BRAZIL. Without locality and date, Glocker 92 (lectotype: BM!, designated here, RB, photo!) ; chosen from syntypes: Blanchet 174 (BM!, RB, photo!) ; Gardner s.n. (BM 000888614!, RB, photo!) ; 5971/2 (BM!, RB, photo!); Glocker 92 (BM!); A. Glaziou 10283 (K!); 13546 (CTES!, R!, RB, photo!); 13546 (K!); G. O. Malme 1544 (R!; S, RB, photo!) .

Subshrubs to shrubs 1–1.5 m tall, erect. Branches pubescent, trichomes ferrugineous, fasciculate and fasciculate-stipitate, sometimes glabrate when young. Stipules 0.2–0.3 cm long., lanceolate to linear, free, caducous, puberulous, trichomes fasciculate. Leaves with petiole 2–2.5 cm long, tomentose, trichomes ferrugineous, fasciculate-stipitate, sometimes subssesile; lamina 3.5–9 × 2–4.5 cm, membranaceous to chartaceous, slightly green discolor, cordiform or deltoid, base cordate or truncate, apex acute to acuminate, sometimes apiculate, margin entire, frequently nearly straight; adaxial surface puberulous, trichomes hyaline, simple, glandular, and fasciculate; abaxial surface velutinous, trichomes rarely ferrugineous, multiradiate. Synflorescence frondose-bracteate, pyramidal, lax; coflorescence double-racemes, 24–30 cm long; accessory axis reduced, 2(–3) flowers; anthopodium 3–3.5 cm long, puberulous, trichomes fasciculate and glandular, minute. Flowers with pedicel 10–12 mm long, tomentose, trichomes fasciculate and glandular minute; calyx 5–5.2 mm long, sepals free to the middle below to medium portion, not accrescent in fruit, adaxial surface indumentum and trichomes similar to pedicel, abaxial surface lanose, trichomes simple, long; corolla 0.6–0.8 mm diam, white or beige, without dark center; staminal column with few trichomes hyaline, simple, and fasciculate-stipitate, free portion of filaments ca. 1 mm long, few trichomes hyaline, simple; ovary 5 celled, 3 ovules per cell; style ca. 3 mm long. Schizocarp 1.1–1.3 cm diam, 5 mericarps, 8–9 × 4–5 mm, spines ca. 2 mm long, constriction conspicuous, puberulous, trichomes fasciculate, few simple, minute; seeds 3, ca. 3 mm long, hilum velutinous, trichomes simple ( Figs. 8d–f ).

Representative Specimens Examined — BRAZIL. Roraima (= ancient territory of the Rio Branco): Boa Vista , June 1913, fl., fr., J. G. Kuhlmann 702 ( RB, RBR) ; 30 August 1943, fl., A. Ducke s.n. ( IAN 43421 ) . Pará: Montealegre , 08 March 1923, fl., fr., A. Ducke s.n. ( RB 18647 ) . Maranhão: Arari, Engenho , 30 June 1978, fl. N. A. Rosa 2475 ( IAN, MG, NY) ; Loreto, região do rio Parnaíba , 29 May 1962, fl., G. Eiten & L. T. Eiten 4769 ( SP) ; São Luiz, Perizes , 06 July 1954, fl., fr., G. A. Black et al. 54-16580 ( IAN) . Ceará: Aracati, Majorlândia , 11 July 1964, fl., fr., N. B. Amais & F. G. A. Matos 243 ( RB) ; Canindé , CE-044, 15 June 1979, fl., fr., L. Coradin et al. 1975 (CENARGEN, CTES) ; Cedro , June 1912, fl., fr., J. A. Loefgren 1151 (R) ; without locality, 27 August 1935, fl., F. Drouet 2380 ( MO, R) . Pernambuco: “ Alagoas de baixo”?, without date, fr., H. Monteiro 357 ( RBR) ; Carpina , barragem de Carpina, 26 July 1978, fl., fr., C. R. Câmpelo & A. Câmpelo 641 ( RB, RBR) ; São Lourenço da Mata, estação ecológica Tapacurá , 27 July 1992, fl., fr., A. M. Miranda 521 ( INPA) . Bahia: 27 km SE of the town of Morro do Chapéu , 04 March 1977, fr., R. M. Harley 19409 ( CTES, UEC) ; Contendas do Sincorá , 28 February 2000, fl., fr., M. M. da Silva et al. 344 ( HUEFS, SP) ; Cruz das Almas , 1956, fl., fr., H. Monteiro s.n. ( RBR 21538 ) ; perto de Jequié , 11 July 1964, fl., A. Castellanos 25066 ( CTES, GUA, HB) ; Salvador, Est. Embasa , 05 June 1980, fl., “Pedra do Cavalo” s.n. ( RB 333115 ) . Mato Grosso: “viveiros, org.”, 19 March 1945, fl., fr., F. Guerra s.n. ( RB 55435 ) . Minas Gerais: Itaobim , 01 April 1959, fl., fr., M. Magalhães 14952 ( IAN, RB) .

Etymology— The epithet periplocifolia refers to peri (around, surrounding) and ploca (to roll up, to entangle). Perhaps Linnaeus (1753) made an allusion to the young, subsessile, radiating leaves, enclosing around the branch.

Distribution— It occurs from Mexico to Brazil. In Brazil, it occurs in the States of Roraima, Pará, Maranhão, Ceará, Pernambuco, Bahia, Mato Grosso, and Minas Gerais. The species is the most polymorphic of the genus in Brazil and presents a disjunct distribution.

Note— This species shares common characteristics with W. caribaea , including their general vegetative aspect and leaf shape. Wissadula periplocifolia also resembles W. paraguariensis , but the latter has spaced internodes, leaves with a truncated to slightly cordate base and almost straight margins, and, frequently, schizocarps with five awned mericarps. This species may be closely related to W. diffusa R.E.Fr. (1908: 37) , a species endemic to Ecuador, but the mericarps of this species have long spines.

Fries (1908) analyzed several specimens, observing morphological variations and their geographic distribution and established three varieties for W. periplocifolia : the typical variety, which was described by the Sri Lanka collection with terminal inflorescence and few flowers; var. gracillima , which comprises specimens from Northern and Northeastern South America with wide, terminal inflorescence with few flowers; and var. antillarum , which comprises specimens restricted to the Antilles with axillary solitary flowers, which are rarely terminal, separated into two forms based on leaf sizes: f. macrophylla and f. microphylla .

After analyzing the type material of these taxa and herbarium collections, we noticed an overlap in the abovementioned characteristics for many individuals. For example, the inflorescence in the two varieties (typical and gracillima) may be lax, terminal or congested, whereas the leaves are identical in shape, size and indumentum type. When Schumann (1891) described W. periplocifolia , he characterized only one type of inflorescence, corroborating the statement that the characteristics discussed above may indeed overlap. Hence, in this study, we propose W. periplocifolia var. gracillima as asynonym of W. periplocifolia .

Fries (1908) categorized as W. periplocifolia the material collected by Hermann in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the mid-1670s, which was also examined by Medicus (1787) for description of the Wissadula genus establishing W. zeylanica and subsequently deposited in the British Museum (BM). Therefore, Linnaeus (1747) was already familiar with this material when he drafted Flora Zeylanica, and he identified it as Sida periplocifolia . Thus, W. zeylanica Medicus refers to the same Sida periplocifolia material analyzed by Linnaeus; therefore, its name is illegitimate.

Waalkes (1966) notes that Presl (1835) recognized S. periplocifolia as Wissadula , but subordinated to W. zeylanica . Later, Thwaites (1858) proposed the currently accepted combination.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Wissadula parviflora (A.St.-Hil.) R.E.Fr. a. fertile branch. b. detail of branch. c. fruit. W. periplocifolia (L.) C. Presl. ex Thwaites. d. fertile branch. e. detail of branch. f. fruit. W. setifera Krapov. g. fertile branch. h. detail of branch. i. fruit. W. wissadifolia (Griseb.) Krapov. j. fertile branch. k. detail of branch. l. fruit. (a–c: Assis 826, CESJ, RB; d–f: Campelo 641, RB, RBR; g–i: Hatschbach 74665, CTES, MBM; j–k: Bovini 2675, RB; l: Nee 45932, CTES). Scale bars: a, d, g, j = 5 cm; b, h = 1 mm; c, e, f, I, k, l = 2 mm.