Staurogyne itatiaiae (Wawra) Leonard (1937: 402)

Braz, Denise Monte & Monteiro, Reinaldo, 2017, Taxonomic Revision of Staurogyne (Nelsonioideae, Acanthaceae) in the Neotropics, Phytotaxa 296 (1), pp. 1-40 : 20-21

13. Staurogyne itatiaiae (Wawra) Leonard (1937: 402) . Ebermaiera itatiaiaie Wawra (1883: 93) . Type: — BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia, 1879, V.F.H.Wawra 434 (holotype: W!). (Figure in Wawra 1883: t.11) ( Fig. 2E , 13 )

Subshrubto shrub 1 − 1.5 m tall, sparsely branched, sparsely pilose with simple trichomes, glabrescent toward the base. Petiole 6 − 17 mm long; blade subobovate to elliptic, 3 − 5.4 × 7.5 − 14 cm, apex acute to slightly acuminate, base attenuate, adaxially glabrous, abaxially with sparse simple trichomes restricted to the veins. Inflorescence in dense, terminal and axillary, bracteate panicules, sometimes spikes, 3.5 − 10.5 cm long, peduncle 0.3 − 1.3 cm; flowers opposite; rachis pilose with dense glandular and simple trichomes; bracts and bracteoles purplulish-red, sparsely glandular pilose, bract elliptic to lanceolate, 9 − 12.2 × 2.5 − 4.5 mm, 3 acrodromous veins; bracteoles lanceolate to slightly obovate, 7 − 10.8 × 1 − 2 mm. Flowers sessile to subsessile; calyx red to purple, sparsely pilose with glandular trichomes, non-ciliate, posterior segment 12 − 17 × 3 − 5 cm, 3 − 5-nerved, lateral pair of segments 12 − 16 × 0.5 − 0.8 mm, anterior pair of segments 14 − 17 × 0.5 − 2.7 mm; corolla red, 1.6 − 2 cm long, basal tube 5 − 8 mm long, anterior lobe 1.9 − 2 mm long, externally with sparse glandular trichomes, internally glabrous; posterior stamens 5.5 − 8 mm long, anterior stamens 7.5 − 9 mm long, staminode 1.7 − 3.5 mm long; ovules 20 − 22 per locule, posterior lobe of the stigma slighltly divided to subtruncate. Capsule 8 − 13 × 3.5 mm, sparsely glandular pilose.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia, 18 June 1930, Brade 10076 (R), 18 June 1902, Dúsen 758 (R), June 1945, Viana s.n. (RBR-1479), 18 April 1927, Zenny s.n. (W-10106), 20 April 1959, Flaster 21 (R), Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Mar 1958, Monteiro s.n. (RBR-1482), 22 July 1958, Monteiro s.n. (RBR-1459), July 1958, Monteiro s.n. (RBR-1798), 23 July 1966, Hunt 6391 (K, R, SP), 24 July 1966, Eiten & Eiten 7330 (SP), 29 May 1969, Plowman & Sucre 5177 (K), 4 March 1962, Pereira 6985 (HB), 15 June 1963, Pereira 7636 (HB), 17 October 1945, Altamiro & Walter 1 (R), July 1953, Pereira et al. 99 (R), 21 May 1935, Brade 14544 (R), 29 April 1980, Santos 7 (R), 30 May 1969, Sucre & Plowman 2877 (R), 30 April 1985, Martinelli et al. 10741 (R), 29 July 1901, Hermendoff 656 (R). São Paulo: Bananal, Serra da Bocaina, Estação Ecológica Bananal , 27 November 1994, Catharino et al. 2024 (SPF, UEC), 10 May 1995, Proença et al. 48 (SPF), 3 December 1957, Peviani 68 (FI).

Distribution and habitat:— Staurogyne itatiaiae occurs in the Mantiqueira Range, in Itatiaia, State of Rio de Janeiro, and to the south in the Bocaina Range, State of São Paulo ( Braz & Monteiro 2005). It is found in humid forests, in shady habitats on borders of trails and roads and inside the forest, generally above 1000 m elevation.

Phenology:— It was collected with flowers and fruits during March to September, but flowering especially in July.

Taxonomic notes:— Representatives of Staurogyne itatiaiae are easily recognized by the showy inflorescence, with purple to red petal-like bracts, bracteoles and calyx, beside the red corolla. Based on flower color, it is next to S. rubescens Braz & Monteiro (2005: 55) , from which it differs mainly by the bracts and bracteoles petal-like (not green and leaf-like) and the sessile flower (not pedicelate). The many studied collections show that S. itatiaiae was abundantly found until the 1960s, but there are few recent records from the species, which can be directly associated with the devastation of native vegetation in the region. It was well illustrated in the publication by Wawra (1883), in which he described the basionym of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Staurogyne with tubular corolla. A–B. S. anigozanthus. C. S. vauthieriana. D. S. itatiaiae.E. S. rubescens. (photoed by the authors)

FIGURE 13. Staurogyne itatiaiae. A.Flowering branch. B. Flower, bract and bracteole. C. Bract. D. Bracteole. E. Calyx. F. Anther in frontal view. G. Anther in dorsal view. H. Staminode. I. Stigma in lateral view. J. Corolla lobes (A–B, F–J from Hunt 6391; C–E from Brade 14544).