Lavoisiera harleyi Wurdack (1981: 147–148)

Martins, Angela B. & Almeda, Frank, 2017, A Monograph of the Brazilian endemic genus Lavoisiera (Melastomataceae: Microlicieae), Phytotaxa 315 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

19. Lavoisiera harleyi Wurdack (1981: 147–148) . Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Northeast face of summit ridge, Pico das Almas ca. 25 km WNW of the Vila do Rio de Contas , elev. 1600–2020 m, 19 March 1977, R. M. Harley 19690, S. J. Mayo, R. M. Storr, T. S. Santos & R. S. Pinheiro (holotype: CEPEC!; isotypes: E, IPA, K!, MBM, MO!, NY!, P!, UEC, US!) .

Compact dichotomously branched shrubs to much-branched small trees 1.3–2 m tall. Branches and branchlets quadrangular, furrowed longitudinally on opposite faces, glabrous or sparsely glandular-setose, trichomes 1–2 mm long, defoliating, decorticating and becoming subrounded and glabrescent at the base with age, old branches with a caducuous cork-like bark; internodes 4–8 mm long with knobby thickenings that persist where a leaf has fallen away, nodes with vinaceous glandular trichomes. Leaves sessile, subimbricate to imbricate, crowded in pseudowhorls at the ends of branchlets; blade 18–50 × 9–22 mm, semi-amplexicaul, coriaceous, elliptic-oblong, base attenuate, apex obtuse to rounded and shortly apiculate but sometimes appearing slightly emarginate because the apex curves downward toward the abaxial surface, margin entire or obscurely subserrulate, reddish, callose and glandular-ciliate, bright green and somewhat viscid, moderately to sparsely covered with spreading gland-tipped trichomes on both surfaces or rarely completely glabrous, the trichomes ca. 1 mm long, yellowish, eglandular or commonly tipped with caducous glands, beset with inconspicuous sessile glands at trichome base, flat, 3-nerved. Flowers 6-merous, solitary, terminal but becoming central with the elongation of lateral branches, sessile, subtended by 4 subsessile somewhat semi-amplexicaul bracts. Bracts 10–25 × 15–20 mm, oblong to suborbicular, sessile, 3(–5)-nerved, similar to but shorter and broader than the principal leaves, with scattered glandular trichomes that are usually reddish at the margins of young bracts and leaves. Hypanthium (at anthesis) 10–12 × 5–7

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MARTINS & ALMEDA

mm, subcylindric, densely glandular-setose with trichomes ca. 1.5 mm long but glabrous distally, green. Calyx tube 1–1.5 mm long; calyx lobes (at anthesis) 3–4 × 1–1.5 mm, chartaceous to membranaceous, triangular, long-acuminate at the apex, margins glandular-ciliate, sparsely glandular-setose abaxially, glabrous to glandular-punctate adaxially, tardily caducous in post-anthesis. Petals 35–40 × 16–23 mm, dark pink to magenta-pink with a yellow base, oblong-obovate to subspatulate, apex rounded-emarginate at the apex, base attenuate, margin minutely glandular-ciliolate, glabrous or sometimes very sparsely glandular-pilose abaxially toward the base. Stamens 12, dimorphic: large (antesepalous) stamens 6, filaments 13–14 mm long, anther thecae 6.5 mm long, yellow, oblong, rostrum ca. 1 mm long, pedoconnective 10 mm long, appendage ca. 3 mm long, emarginate to bilobed, yellow; small (antepetalous) stamens 6, filaments 11–12 mm long, anther thecae 6 mm long, oblong, yellow, often becoming brownish following pollination, rostrum ca. 1 mm long, pedoconnective 3 mm long, appendage ca. 2 mm long, rounded to obscurely lobed, yellow. Ovary 6–locular, 4/5 inferior, style 12–13 mm long, glabrous, slightly curved, yellow, stigma punctiform. Fruiting hypanthium (including calyx lobes) 20 × 10 mm, elliptic-oblong, yellow-brown, constricted above the ovary. Capsule (at maturity) 15–20 × 10–12 mm, enveloped by the persistent hypanthium, dehiscing from the base to the apex, yellowish, a few vascular strands occasionally persisting long after capsule walls have fallen away. Seeds 0.89–1.46 × 0.51–0.57 mm, oblong to reniform, often rounded to angulate on the antiraphal surface, brownish or orangish-red, periclinal cell walls of the testa somewhat convex and low domed, raphal zone about 50–70% the length of the seed. Chromosome number unknown.

Illustration:— Figure 41 .

Photographic images:— Figures 3D ; 9A, B .

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting intermittently from February through October.

Distribution and habitat:—Endemic to Bahia where it is known from the municípios of Abaíra and Rio de Contas on the Chapada Diamantina in campo rupestre in damp seepage areas at the base of rocks and in damp grassy areas at 1600–2020 m elev. Figure 22 .

Conservation status:—This species is known from fewer than 10 collections representing about five populations. None of these occurs in a protected area. The EOO is 608 km ² and the AOO is 28 km ². The rocky areas where this species grows in Bahia are not threatened by urbanization or severe habitat degradation but periodic fires are an ongoing threat. We recommend a classification of Endangered (EN): B1ab(iii).

Discussion:— Lavoisiera harleyi is a showy species with a densely branched compact habit and dark pink to magenta-pink petals that are bright yellow at the base ( Figure 3D ). In addition to the above features it is readily distinguished from other species in Bahia and elsewhere by the combination of 6-merous flowers, 6-locular ovary, elliptic-oblong leaf blades that are moderately to sparsely covered on both surfaces with spreading mostly gland-tipped trichomes that have a few inconspicuous sessile glands at their base, and glandular-pubescent hypanthia and calyx lobes ( Figures 41B, D, E ).

Plants from Município Abaíra in Bahia can be totally glabrous or with the typical foliar trichomes. We are unable to determine whether populations are homogeneous with respect to this variation in indumentum since we have not had the opportunity to study this species in the field.

The undoubted sister species of Lavoisiera harleyi is the allopatric L. glandulifera of Minas Gerais. These two species have leaves that are similar in size and shape and they also share a similar indumentum on leaves, hypanthia, and calyx lobes. The latter is readily separated by its 5-merous flowers, 5-locular ovary, longer calyx lobes (7–11 vs. 3–4 mm), and smaller anther thecae (3.5 vs. 6–6.5 mm) in both the antesepalous and antepetalous whorls.

Additional specimens examined:— BAHIA: Mpio. Abaíra, Catolés, caminho Guarda Mor-Cristais , Serra das Brenhas , 13°18'S, 41°53'W, Ganev 47 ( HUEFS!, NY-2!) ; Mpio. Abaíra , Serra das Brenhas , 13°19'S, 41°53'W, Ganev 1283 ( HUEFS!, NY!) ; Mpio. Abaíra , 13°54'S, 42°19'W, Ganev 1834 ( CAS!, NY!) ; Mpio. Abaíra, Serra do Rei. Subida da forquilha da serra, 13°18'S, 41°56'W, Ganev 2928 ( HUEFS!, NY!) ; Pico das Almas, crista próximo ao Pico, Harley et al. 24484 ( UEC!) ; Mpio. Rio de Contas, Serra das Almas, Luetzelburg 169 (M-2!); Mpio. Rio de Contas , Pico das Almas, a 18 km ao SNW de Rio de Contas, 13°33'S, 41°57'W, Mori et al. 12455 ( NY!, RB) ; Mpio. Abaíra, Bem Querer , 13°16'S, 41°53'W, Sano & Lughadha H50876 ( CAS!, K!, NY!, SP!, SPF!) ; Mpio. Abaíra, Catolés, Serra do Barbado , 13°17'S, 41°54'W, Sano et al. CFCR 14578 ( CAS!, ESA!, NY!) .

LAVOISIERA ( MELASTOMATACEAE )

Figures

FIGURE 3. Images of Lavoisiera species. A. L. grandiflora (unvouchered image). B−C. L. grandiflora (Almeda et al. 9459). D. L. harleyi (unvouchered image). E−F. L. humilis (Almeda et al. 8497). G. L. imbricata (Almeda et al. 8497). H. L. imbricata (Almeda et al. 9032). I−K. L. itambana (Almeda et al. 9663). L. L. macrocarpa (Almeda et al. 8545). Image credits: A. Pinterest at www.pictopin.com; B, C, E−L. Frank Almeda; D. Fernando B. Matos.

FIGURE 9. SEM images of seeds for representative Lavoisiera species showing lateral symmetrical plane (left) and detail of testa cells and cell wall microrelief (right). A–B. L. harleyi (Mori et al. 12455). C–F. L. imbricata (Irwin & Soderstrom 5769). Scale bars: A & C=380 µm; B, E & F=38 µm; D=30 µm.

FIGURE 22. Distributions of Lavoisiera arachnoidea, L. confertiflora, L. daviesiana, L. harleyi, L. mellobarretoi, L. nervulosa, and L. rundeliana.

FIGURE 41. Lavoisiera harleyi. A. Habit. B. Abaxial leaf with enlarged surface detail (right). C. Adaxial bract surface. D. Hypanthium and calyx lobes. E. Ovary cross-section. F. Petal and margin detail (lower right). G. Ventral view of antesepalous stamen. H. Ventral view of antepetalous stamen. I. Seed. (Based on: A–I, Harley et al. 24484, UEC.)