Croton salutaris Casaretto (1845: 89)

Caruzo, Maria Beatriz Rossi & Cordeiro, Inês, 2013, Taxonomic revision of Croton section Cleodora (Euphorbiaceae), Phytotaxa 121 (1), pp. 1-41 : 16

7. Croton salutaris Casaretto (1845: 89) ( Fig. 7A–F ). Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: Serra dos Orgãos ,

s.dat., G. Casaretto 856 (holotype TO?, isotype G-DC!) .

Croton urceolatus Baillon (1864: 299) . Type:— BRAZIL. without locality, s.dat., F. Sellow s.n. (holotype B†, lectotype P [00634684]!, here designated, isolectotypes GH!, P 00634685); Brasil, Minas Gerais, bords du Persicaba à Itajá, cat. B 1, n. 601, s.dat., A. St. - Hilaire (not located); Brasil, Minas Gerais, bords du Persicaba à Itajá, cat. B 1, n. 691, s.dat., A. St. - Hilaire (not located).

Trees 3–15 m tall; latex reddish; indument silvery, lepidote subentire trichomes; branchlets strongly angled, striate, with sharp crests in older parts, lepidote. Leaves strongly discolorous, with a pair of stalked saucershaped acropetiolar glands, rarely shortly stalked; lamina 4–20 × 2–13 cm, ovate, rarely cordate, apex acuminate, base truncate to rounded, rarely cordate; margin entire; upper surface sparsely lepidote, lepidote subentire porrect trichomes, rufous-silvery, lower surface densely lepidote, lepidote subentire trichomes, rufous-silvery; venation pinnate, brochidodromous; petiole 0.5–15 cm long; stipules 4–8 mm long, linearlanceolate. Inflorescences 7–19 cm long, terminal, lax, erect; inflorescence axis flattened, striate, lepidote; proximal cymules bisexual, with 1 pistillate flower and ca. 2 staminate flowers, distal cymules with ca. 4 staminate flowers; bracts ca. 1 mm long, entire, subulate, prophylls inconspicuous, covered by lepidote trichomes. Staminate flowers ca. 4 mm long, campanulate, pedicellate; pedicels ca. 2 mm long; calyx ca. 2 mm long, lepidote externally, silvery, lepidote subentire trichomes, glabrate internally; calyx lobes 5, united half of their length, then free for the terminal ca. 1 mm, entire, equal, valvate, ovate, apex acute; petals ca. 2 mm long, lanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded, margin villose; disk 5-segmented; stamens ca. 15, filaments subulate, glabrescent, anthers ellipsoid; receptacle villose with simple trichomes. Pistillate flowers ca. 8 mm long, flask-shaped, pedicellate; pedicels ca. 3 mm long; calyx ca. 5 mm long, lepidote externally, rufoussilvery, glabrate internally; calyx lobes 5, inconspicuously united at the base, then free for ca. 5 mm, fleshy at the base, entire, equal, quincuncial, ovate, apex acute; petals reduced to ovoid glands; disk 5-segmented; ovary subglobose, lepidote; styles 3, 4-fid, united into a short column at the base, then branching into ca. 12 terminal arms, covered by brownish lepidote subentire trichomes, exserted from calyx. Fruit ca. 1 cm long, ellipsoid, smooth, lepidote, brownish and silvery lepidote subentire trichomes; calyx lobes inconspicuously accrescent; seeds ca. 7 mm long, ellipsoid, smooth.

Common names: —cambraia, sangue-de-drago.

Distribution and habitat: —This species is endemic to Brazil, occurring in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná, in montane rain forests, at 700–950 m elevation.

Phenology:— Flowering in January, March, April, July, August, November, and December; fruiting in January, March, April, July, August, and November.

Taxonomic notes: — Croton salutaris is most similar to C. campanulatus , but it is differentiated due to its copious reddish latex and branchlets strongly angled, forming sharp crests in older parts (see table 1).

Another similar species to Croton salutaris is C. rufolepidotus , endemic to Colombia, which differs from it by the morphology of branchlets and stipules, besides several floral morphological features (see table 1).

Selected specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Serra do Espinhaço, Slender tree 4 m tall, leaning on other trees, flowers white, near river, south-eastern drainage of Pico Itambé , about 5 km directly west and north of Santo Antônio de Itambé , elev. 950 m, hillsides with second growth Forest and brackencovered campo, sloping down to river with blocky sandstone and sandy soil, fl., fr., 9 February 1972, W .R. Anderson et al. 35686 (R, NY, MBM, UB, US, VEN) .

Figures

FIGURE 7. A–F. Croton salutaris. A. Flowering branch (Pifano & Castro, 327). B. Pistillate flower, detail of calyx indument (Pifano & Castro 327). C. Gynoecium (Pifano & Castro 327). D. Reduced pistillate petal (Pifano & Castro 327). E. Stamen, dorsal and ventral views (Pifano & Castro 327). F. Fruit (Caruzo et al. 81). G–M. Croton spruceanus. G. Flowering branch (Caruzo & Riina 101). H. Bract (Caruzo & Riina 101). I. Pistillate flower (Caruzo & Riina 101). J. Gynoecium (Caruzo & Riina 101). K. Staminate flower (Caruzo & Riina 101). L. Fruit covered by inflated calyx lobes (Caruzo & Riina 101). M. Fruit (Caruzo & Riina 101).