Wissadula caribaea (DC.) Bovini (2010: 439)

Bovini, Massimo G. & Baumgratz, José Fernando A., 2016, Taxonomic revision of Wissadula (Malvoideae, Malvaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 243 (3), pp. 201-234 : 214-215

4. Wissadula caribaea (DC.) Bovini (2010: 439) .

Sida periplocifolia var. caribaea DC. (1824: 468) . Type:— JAMAICA. Without locality and date, Sloane, Hist. 1: t.139. f. 3.1707 (lectotype designated by Fryxell 2002).

Wissadula periplocifolia (L.) C.Presl. var. antillarum R. E. Fr. f. macrophylla R. E. Fr. (1908: 35) . Type :— PORTO RICO [Puerto Rico]. Cabo-Rojo circa hacienda Carmelita, 13 January 1885, fl., Sintenis 803 (lectotype: US, designated here, digital image!). Chosen from syntypes: Underwood & Griggs 625 ( NY) ; Sintenis 803 ( US, digital image!); Sintenis 2243b ( US, digital image!).

Wissadula periplocifolia (L) C.Presl. var. antillarum R. E. Fr. f. microphylla R. E. Fr. (1908: 35) . Type:— CUBA. Without locality, 1865, fl. fr., Wright 2050 p.p. (lectotype: US! designated by Areces & Fryxell 2007, digital image; isolectotype: NY!) .

Subshrubs or shrubs 1–1.5 m tall, erects. Branches puberullous, trichomes hyaline, fasciculate and fasciculate-stipitate, caducous or not. Stipule ca. 0.5 cm long, linear to lanceolate, free, caducous, darker than foliar lamina (when dry), both surface tomentose, trichomes fasciculate. Leaves with petioles 2–5.5 cm long, indumentum and trichomes equal to the branches; lamina 2.5–11 × 2–7.5 cm, membranaceous, sometimes translucent (when dry), green discolour, large-cordiform to cordiform, base cordate to subcordate, apex acute to acuminate, margin entire, ciliate; adaxial surface puberulous, trichomes simple, glandular and fasciculate, abaxial surface velutinous, trichomes multiradiate. Synflorescence of flowers solitary; anthopodium 1–1.3 cm long, puberulous, trichomes frequently at the apex, simple, glandular and fasciculate. Flowers with pedicel 8–10 mm long, pubescent, trichomes like the anthopodium, ca. 1.3 cm long; calyx 3.8–4 mm long, sepals free to the middle below to medium portion, not accrescent in fruit, adaxial surface tomentose, trichomes fasciculate, abaxial surface velutinous, trichomes simple, long; corolla 0.6–0.7 cm diam., beige or rose, without dark center; staminal column with few trichomes hyaline, simple and fasciculate-stipitate, free portion of filaments 1–2 mm long, few trichomes hyaline, simple; ovary 4–5–celled, 3 ovules per cell; style ca. 4 mm long. Schizocarp 1–1.2 cm diam; 4(5) mericarps, 8–9 × 4–5 mm, spines ca. 2 mm long, constriction conspicuous, puberulous, trichomes fasciculate, few simple; seeds 3, ca. 3 mm long, tomentose, trichomes simple, hilum lanose, trichomes simple. ( Figs. 5g –i )

Representative Specimens Examined — BRAZIL. Piauí: 27 km W de Oeiras , BR-320, 8 April 1983, fl., fr., Krapovickas 38771 ( CTES) ; Ceará: without locality, 27 August 1935, fl., Drouet 2380 (R) ; Aurora , 26 April 1941, fl., Bezerra s.n. ( CTES 50851 ) ; Maracanaú, Santo Antonio , January 1937, fl., fr., Barroso 01 ( RB, RBR) ; Maranguape , 9 October 1935, fr., Drouet 2584 (R) . Pernambuco: Fernando de Noronha, May 1986, fl., fr., Melo Filho 5176 (R) ; 9 March 1993, fl., fr., Félix et al. 5677 ( CTES, HST) ; 20 December 2002, fl., fr., Miranda 3252 ( CTES, HST) . Bahia: Governador Mangabeira , May 1980, fl., fr., “Pedra do Cavalo” 43 ( RB) ; 14 January 1997,fl., fr., Arbo 7215 ( CTES) ; Uauá , 29 March 2000, fl., fr., Saar 04 ( ALCB, RB) .

Etymology— The epithet caribaea is an allusion to the Caribbean, since the type material was collected in Jamaica.

Distribution— The species occurs in the West Indies and Brazil. In Brazil, it occurs in the States of Piauí, Ceará, Pernambuco and Bahia

Note— Wissadula caribaea is characterized by leaves that are membranous, large-cordiform to cordiform, and cordate at the base; axillary inflorescences, which are reduced to solitary flowers; and four schizocarps (rarely five). This species is similar to W. periplocifolia , but its more chartaceous leaves and the presence of five mericarps distinguish this species. This species is also similar to W. fadyenii , a species that does not occur in Brazil and that has only one seed per mericarp.

Bovini (2010) mistakenly designated Wissadula caribaea a lectotype in examined herbarium material, and when analyzing the species again, we realized that Fryxell (2002) had already designated a lectotypification species.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Wissadula amplissima (L.) R.E.Fr. a. fertile branch. b. detail of branch. c. fruit. W. boliviana R.E.Fr. d. fertile branch. e. detail of branch. f. fruit. W. caribaea (DC.) Bovini. g. fertile branch. h. detail of branch. i. fruit. W. contracta (Link) R.E.Fr. j. fertile branch. k. detail of branch. l. fruit. (a–c: Grecco 78, SP; d–f: Bovini 2679, RB; g–I: Miranda 3252, CTES; j–l: Bovini 2566, RB). Scale bars: a, d, g, j =5 cm; b, c, e, f, i, k, l = 2 mm; k = 1 mm.