Chamaecrista brevicalyx (Bentham) Irwin & Barneby (1982: 660)

Souza, Alessandro Oliveira De, Cavalcante, Raphael Guarda & Silva, Marcos José Da, 2022, Taxonomic revision of Chamaecrista sect. Absus subsect. Absus (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) with adjustments in the new classification, Phytotaxa 565 (1), pp. 1-82 : 27

6. Chamaecrista brevicalyx (Bentham) Irwin & Barneby (1982: 660)

≡ Cassia brevicalyx Bentham (1870: 134) .

Type:— BRAZIL. Piauí: “ Habitat prope Oeiras , prov. Piauhy ”, s. dat., (fl.), Gardner 2122 (holotype K000056375!) . (Figs. 11 and 12)

= Chamaecrista brevicalyx var. elliptica (H.S. Irwin &Barneby) Irwin & Barneby (1982: 660) ≡ Cassia brevicalyx var. elliptica ( Irwin & Barneby 1978: 252). Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: frequently burnt and cut over caatinga-cerrado, Sa. do Curral Feio 8 km NW of Lagoinha on road to Minas do Mimoso, 41°17’W, 10°24’S, 850 m, 5 March 1974, (fl.), R. M . Harley 16785 (holotype NY00003739 !, isotypes K000056386!, K000056387!, P02436035!, U0003200!, US 00001404!) Syn. nov.

Subshrubs or shrubs perennial, 1–3 m tall, erect, densely branched or not. Root nodules absent. Branches light brown when mature or whitish when young, both sparsely setulose-viscous, including stipules, petiole and rachis; exfoliating bark in whitish plates. Stipules 1–2 × 0.4–0.5 mm, linear, persistent. Leaves alternate-spiral, regularly distributed along the stem, plagiotropic; petiole 3–6.5 cm long; rachis 0.6–1(–2) cm long; leaflets 2 pairs, 1.5–4.5(–6.5) × 0.8–2.6 cm, distal pair slightly larger, oboval, elliptical or largely elliptical, apex rounded, obtuse or emarginate, base rounded, papyraceous, concolorous, dark green and glossy on the adaxial surface, light green on the abaxial surface, glabrous; margin entire, flat, glabrous; secondary ribs 4–8 pairs, conspicuous and imprinted on both sides. Leafy appendix interpetiolule absent. Racemes or panicles 15–51 cm long, sessile or with peduncle 1–2 mm long, 20–70 flowers, both lax, terminal, erect with straight axis, setulose-viscous and villous, including pedicel, outer surface of bracts, bracteoles and sepals. Bracts 1–3 × 0.4–1 mm, oval, persistent. Bracteoles 2–5 × 0.5 mm, lanceolate, persistent. Buds 0.6–1 × 0.6–1 cm, ellipsoid or ovoid, apex obtuse. Flowers 1.8–2 × 1.5–3 cm; pedicel 1.5–3.3 cm long, straight even when fruited; sepals 0.7–1.1 × 2.8–4.5 mm, elliptical, apex obtuse, yellowish-green externally; 4 flat oboval or oboval-elliptical petals and 1 falcate-curled inner petal, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.6 cm, yellow; stamens 10.5– 7 mm long, anthers not barbulate; ovary 4–5 × 1.5 mm, villosule or glabrous; style 1.1–1.5 cm long, curved in upper third, glabrous. Legumes 3.7–5.5 × 0.5–0.7 cm, linear-oblong, setose-viscous and sparsely puberulent, dark brown. Seeds 5–8, 4.5–5.3 × 3.8–4 mm, obovoid, blackened.

Etymology: —in reference to the short or small calyx.

Geographical distribution and habitat:— Chamaecrista brevicalyx is a Brazilian species occurring in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte (Fig. 37D). It has been referred to the state of Mato Grosso (e.g. to Flora e Funga do Brasil 2022), however, we found that the specimens cited in this database correspond to Ch. viscosa . Chamaecrista brevicalyx inhabits areas of typical and rupestrian cerrado, caatinga, rupestrian fields, edge of cerradão and dry forests, on sandy-clay soils, between 300 and 1200 meters of altitude.

Flowering and fruiting:—It flowers and bears fruit throughout the year, being more intense between January and May.

Conservation status: —The species is of Least Concern (LC) due to its Occurrence extension covering about 500,000 km 2, forming populations with more than 30 adults and frequent in environments where it occurs..

Taxonomic history and adjustments:— Cassia brevicalyx was described in 1870 by Bentham in Flora Brasiliensis from the collection Gardner 2122 from the state of Piauí. Irwin & Barneby (1978) assigned it the variety C. brevicalyx var. elliptica based on the morphology of its smaller, narrow and elliptical leaflets. However, we found from the analysis of collections from the area covered by this species that the morphology of its leaflets is extremely variable in the same population. Thus, here we do not admit infracategories for Ch. brevicalyx .

Characterization and morphological relationships: —Species diagnosed by the shrubby habit with stem and/or young branches whitish or pale yellow with exfoliating bark when mature; leaves with long petioles (3–6.5 cm long) and concolorous leaflets with a flat margin, and long (15–51 cm long) and lax racemes. It resembles Ch. barbata as previously discussed in the latter’s comments.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Abaíra, estrada para mata do Criminoso , 4 k do entroncamento da estrada principal entre Catolés e Ouro Verde, 23 March 1999, (fl., fr.), R. M . Harley et al. 53645 ( CEN, HUEFS, VIC); ib., 15km de Catolés, 22 October 1999, (fl.), A. S . Conceição et al. 415 ( FLOR, HUEFS); ib., estrada para Catolés , ca. 8, 6 km da rodovia, 13°17’35’’S, 41°44’53’’W, 840m, 03 February 2005, (fl.), J . Paula-Souza et al. 5365 ( ESA); ib., estrada Ouro Verde – Catolés, próximo ao povoado de Engenho, 13°17’55.2’’S, 41°48’34.6’’W, 03 July 2011, (fl.), I. A. C . Coutinho et al. s. n. ( VIC 35663); ib., estrada de Abaíra para Mucugê pela Vila Malhada, 13°18’32.8”S, 41°36’17.8”W, 558m, 11 May 2017, (fl., fr.), A. O . Souza et al. 2061 ( UB, UFG); ib., estrada para Catolés , 13°17’22.7”S, 41°44’42.7”W, 878m, 17 December 2017, (fl., fr.), A. O . Souza et al. 2226b ( UB); Boninal, BA 148 km 50 em direção a Cabrália, 21 January 2002, (fl.), A. S . Flores et al. 774 ( UEC); Brotas de Macaúbas, km 5-10 da rodovia para o trevo com a Rod. BR-242, 12 March 1998, (fl.), G . Hatschbach et al. 67663 ( FUEL, INPA, NY); Gentio do Ouro , 12 km E . of Gentio do Ouro on road to Boa Vista ans Itipeba, 11°24’00”S, 47°24’00”W, 600m, 22 February 1977, (fl.), R. M . Harley 18902 ( L / U, NY); Ibitiara, BR-242 ca. 10km antes do trevo de Lago do Dionísio , 12°26’13.6”S, 42°07’34.6”W, 1098m, 12 May 2017, (fl., fr.), A. O . Souza et al. 2081 ( UB); Mucugê, estrada vicinal de Mucugê-Cascavél, Barragem do Apertado , 13°04’31”S, 41°26’28”W, 27 February 1999, est., A. T . Rodarte 06 ( IBGE); Ibotirama , BR-242, 01 February1978, (fl., fr.), A . Fernandes & Matos s. n.( EAC3718 ); Jeremoaba, Estação Ecológica do Raso da Catarina , 22 September 1986, (fl.), L. P . Queiroz 456 ( NY, HUEFS); Mucugê, estrada para Abaíra , 13°18’16’’S, 41°33’10’’W, 27 December 2005, (fl.), T. S . Nunes et al. 1440 ( HUEFS); Paulo Afonso, Estação Ecológica do Raso da Catarina, próximo à Mata das Pororocas , 08 December 1982, (fl.), L. P . Queiroz 456 ( NY); Rio de Contas, 27 km N of Seabra road to Água de Rega , 1000m, 25 February 1971, (fl.), H. S . Irwin et al. 31000 ( F, L / U, NY); ib., S . of Rio de Contas ons ide road to W . of the road to Livramento de Brumado , 13°35’00’’S, 41°49’00’’W, 15 January 1974, (fl., fr.), R. M . Harley 15063 ( L / U, NY); ib., 2 km N of the town of Rio de Contas , 23 January 1974, (fl., fr.), R. M . Harley 15624 ( L / U, NY); ib., estrada para Mato Grosso, 20 January 1984, (fl.), G . Hatschbach 47387 ( EAC, F); ib.; estrada Real, logo após a Pousada Rapouso , 26 January 1998, (fl., fr.), L. P . Queiroz 4947 ( CEN, HUEFS); ib., ca. 1 km ao sul de Rio de Contas na rodovia para Livramento de Nossa Senhora , 13°35’34.2”S, 41°49’7.5”W, 991m, 11 May 2017, (fl., fr.), A. O . Souza et al. 2056, 2057, 2058 ( UB, UFG); Seabra , ca. 27 km N . of Seabra , 1000m, 25 February 1971, (fl.), H. S . Irwin et al. 31000 ( CEN, INPA); ib., ca. 10 km N . of Seabra, road to Água de Rega , 1000m, 27 February 1971, (fl., fr.), H. S . Irwin et al. 31207 ( F, NY); ib., BR-242, ca. 6 km a W de Seabra em direção a Ibotirabama , 12°26’1.1”S, 41°49’6.3”W, 1032m, 12 May 2017, (fl., fr.), A. O . Souza et al. 2078, 2079, 2080 ( UB, UFG); Tanque Novo, Caldeiras , 20 January 1997, (fl.), G . Hatschbach et al. 66016 ( NY); Tucano, Sítio do Mandacaru , 10°52’29’’S, 38°46’19’’W, 411m, 15 April 2006, (fl., fr.), D. Cardoso & M . Guerreiro 1189 ( HUEFS); Umburanas, Serra do Curral Feio , cerca de 20 km S de Defino na estrada para Umburanas, 10°22’00’’S, 41°19’00’’W, 1000m, 10 April 1999, (fl.), L. P . Queiroz et al. 5283 ( NY) . Minas Gerais: Cristália, Bem Querer, 10 February 1991, (fl.), G. & M . Hatschbach 55031 ( NY); Grão Mogol, Rio Hacambiruçu and adjacente rocky cerrado ca. 10 km West of Grão Mogol, road to Cristália, 900m, 19 February 1969, (fl., fr.), H. S . Irwin et al. 23578 ( F, NY); ib., 22 April 1978, (fl.), G . Hatschbach 41402 ( NY); ib., Assentamento Americana , 19 November 2014, (fl.), A. B . Giroldo 327 ( CEN) . Piauí: Caracol, Serra das Confusões, 05 February 2002, (fl., fr.), A . Fernandes s. n. ( EAC 31344); São Raimundo Nonato, Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara , Baixão das Andorinhas, 31 January 2002, (fl.), T. B . Guimarães 159 ( EAC) . Rio Grande do Norte: Mossoró , Rod. RN-013, entrada ca. 9 km N de Mossoró, 05°04’56’’S, 37°21’15’’W, 50 m, 22 July 2013, (fl., fr.), J . Jardim & T . Almeida 6490 ( UFRN) .