Magnolia brasiliensis C. O. Azevedo, A. F. P. Machado & A. Vazquez , Brittonia 70(3): 307. 2018.

Barbosa, Juliana Cruz Jardim, Caruzo, Maria Beatriz Rossi, Simoes, Ana Rita G. & Samain, Marie-Stephanie, 2024, Taxonomic revision of the native Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) species of Brazil, PhytoKeys 238, pp. 33-64 : 33

Magnolia brasiliensis C. O. Azevedo, A. F. P. Machado & A. Vazquez, Brittonia 70(3): 307. 2018.

Figs 6 , 7

Talauma brasiliensis ≡ Talauma brasiliensis (C.O.Azevedo, A.F.P.Machado & A. Vázquez) Sima & Hong Yu, J. W. China Forest. Sci 49(4): 34 2020.

Type.

Brasil. Bahia: Vitória da Conquista, Poco Escuro , 14°52'S, 41°0'W, 900-1300 m, fl., 10 November 2008, C. O. Azevedo et al. 354 (holotype: HUEFS! [HUEFS000037437]) .

Description.

Trees 10-20 m tall; branches cylindrical, blackish when dried, with sparse lenticels, glabrous. Stipules adnate to petiole, 4-5 mm long, green, oblong to conical, apex obtuse, base truncate, deciduous, glabrous. Petioles 1.8-3.8 cm long, stipular scar along their entire length (100%), glabrous. Leaf blades 7.5-15.2 cm × 3.5-7.1 cm, elliptic to oval, base acute, apex acute to obtuse, margin entire, strongly coriaceous when dried, venation pinnate, brochidodromous, 8-12 pairs of secondary veins, glabrous, prominent on both faces. Peduncle cylindrical, glabrous, annular scars present. Flowers terminal, solitary, flower bud ellipsoid, 3-4 × 2-2.5 cm; protected by perula enveloping and protecting the flower bud, perula concave, green to yellowish when mature, brownish when dried; outer sepaloid tepals 3, 3-3.2 cm × 2.4-3.2 cm, navicular, obovate, base truncate, apex rounded, greenish; inner petaloid tepals 6 (7), 3-3.5 cm × 1.3-1.7 cm, navicular, spathulate, apex obtuse, base attenuate to truncate, cream-colored; stamens 75-93, 8-9 mm, laminar, slightly falcate, arranged spirally in 4-5 series, apex obtuse, whitish to yellowish, thecae 2, anthers introrse, dehiscence longitudinal; gynoecium 1.8-2 cm × 1-1.3 cm, conical to ellipsoid, cream-colored, slightly suberous, carpels 40-57. Immature fruits 4.4-6.7 cm long, 5 cm in diameter, obovoid to broadly ovoid, occasionally subspherical, cream-green basally, dark green distally, lenticellate, with short yellowish strigose trichomes; mature fruits 7-8 cm × 6-7 cm subspherical, dehiscence circumscissile, in irregular, blackish syncarpous masses; carpels slightly prominent, blackish on dorsal wall; seeds 1-2 per carpel, angular, obovoid, 8-12 mm long, 5 mm thick (broadest side), sarcotesta dark red, scented.

Distribution and habitat.

Magnolia brasiliensis is an endemic species that has been found in the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, typically at 900-1300 m elevation ( de Azevedo et al. 2018). In Bahia, it occurs in Mata de Cipó, in semi-deciduous seasonal forest, in the transition between Caatinga and Atlantic Forest. In Serra do Espinhaço, in Minas Gerais, M. brasiliensis is always associated with watercourses and riparian forests ( de Azevedo et al. 2018).

Phenology.

The species was observed flowering between October and December and fruiting between January and March.

Preliminary conservation status.

This species has been assessed as Endangered (EN) (Lamarche and de Azevedo, 2021), which is confirmed in this analysis, despite a few additional records. The area of occupancy (AOO) is about 24.000 km2 and it is thus considered to be Endangered (EN) B2b (i,ii) ( IUCN 2022), mainly taking into account its low occurrence number in current localities, and the possible risk of degradation of its natural habitat in the state of Bahia.

Specimens examined.

Brasil. Bahia: Morro do Chapéu, Rio Ferro Doido, 22 km L de Morro do Chapeu , 01 May 1999, F. França 2780 (HUEFS37437); Vitoria da Conquista , Chapada dos Cactos, Poço Escuro, 10 Nov 2008, C. Acevedo 354 (HUEFS145909) ; Minas Gerais: Conceição do Mato Dentro, Serra do Cipó, 13 Nov 2004, A.E.H. Salles 3322 (HEPH12162); Ca. 7 km N. E of Diamantina, road to Mendanha , 29 Jan 1969, H.S. Irwin 22808 (V0218886F); Morro do Coco , próximo ao trevo para Diamantina , ca. 1300 m, 18°26'S, 43°41'W, 21 Mar 1989, R. Mello Silva 49 (MBM138963, V0218885F); Diamantina , km 685 da BR 367 na direção de Couto de Magalhaes , lado esquerdo da rodovia, 18°13'04"S, 43°35'36"W, afloramentos rochosos, campo rupestre e brejo estaciona, 6 Jan 2009, L.M. Borges 393 (CEN92706, HUEFS224097, RB664467); Mun. de Jaboticatubas , km 140 ao longo da rodovia Lagoa Santa-Conceicao do Mato Dentro , 29 Feb 1980, J.R. Pirani 5949 (SP168043); Santana do Riacho , Serra do Cipo , córrego 2 pontinhas, 24 March 1989, R. Mello Silva 15953 (US 1483304); Serra do Cipo , córrego 2 pontinhas, ca. 1220 m, 19°85'S, 43°34'W, 24 Mar 1989, R. Mello Silva 50 (MBM138964, RB409806, V0218888F); Serra do Espinhaco . Serra do Cipo , 18 Feb 1972 W.R. Anderson 8935 (US1996644); Serra do Cipo , Mun. Santana do Riacho , rodovia Belo Horizonte, Conceicao do Mato Dentro km 112, córrego 2 pontinhas, 1250 m, A.A. Grillo & M. Sztutman>s.n. (SP13861) .

Notes.

Magnolia brasiliensis is easily distinguished from other species of the genus occurring in Brazil due to its vegetative characteristics (Table 1 ). The species has elliptic leaves with entire margins, glabrous, coriaceous and smaller (7.5-15.2 cm × 3.5-7.1 cm) (vs. differently shaped, undented, membranous and larger leaves) when compared to other Magnolia species from Brazil. Another interesting character is the short strigose pubescence on its fruit, with linear distribution along its furrows, different from other species where the pubescence is broader and denser (e.g. in M. amazonica ) (Figs 7 , 11 ). Moreover, M. brasiliensis is the only representative of the genus known from Bahia.

The region where M. brasiliensis occurs is drier than that from the other species, in a transition area between Caatinga and Atlantic Forest of Brazil, a region that despite being humid, has a lower intensity of rainfall than other areas of the same domain, which may be a determining factor for the size and texture of the leaves and also for petiole size ( Gutiérrez-Lozano et al. 2021).

Figures

Figure 6. Geographical distribution of Magnolia species in Brazil.

Figure 7. Magnolia brasiliensis A habit B immature gynoecium C immature fruit D bracts (perule) and gynoecium E details of trichomes on the fruit F specimen deposited in the RB herbarium showing coriaceous leaves. Photos: A-D: C. O. Azevedo; E: R. Mello-Silva 50 (RB 409806); F: L. M. Borges 393 (RB 664467).

Figure 11. A leaf blade Magnolia amazonica B trichomes from the petiole of M. amazonica C Magnolia brasiliensis D fruit with trichomes in M. brasiliensis E leaf blade M. brasiliensis F Magnolia ovata showing perule G floral bud of M. ovata H leaf blade of M. ovata I M. ovata mature fruit. (A-B: A. M Barreto 30; C-E: A. A. Grillo & M. Sztutman> s. n.; F-G: E. P. Heringer, 8726; H: R. R. Rodrigues et al. 161; I: based on photographs of J. C. J Barbosa.) Drawing prepared by Klei Souza.