Hornschuchia cauliflora Maas & Setten

Fig. 3

Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Series C: Biological and Medical Sciences 91 (3): 259, figs 16–17 (Maas et al. 1988).

Type: BRAZIL – Bahia • (Aurelino Leal *) “ Km 5 a 15 da BR-101, ao sul de Ubaitaba ”; [14°20′26.8″ S, 39°19′07.2″ W]; 18 Nov. 1971; T.S. Santos 2193; holotype: CEPEC [CEPEC00008090]!; isotype: NY [NY00008359] !.

Material examined

BRAZIL – Bahia • “ Camamu, Fazenda Exílio, entrada no km 10.7 da BA 650 Camamú-Travessão, ca 2 km L da sede da fazenda ”; 14°0′7″ S, 39°10′7″ W; 21 Feb. 2000; J.G. Jardim 2716; ALCB [ALCB004361]!, CEPEC [CEPEC00088387]!, HUEFS [HUEFS062877]!, SPF ! • “ Dom Macedo Costa, Fazenda Limeira ”; 12°54′35″ S, 39°9′10″ W; 18 Oct. 2015; G. Costa 1515; ALCB [ALCB030994] ! • “ Itacaré, Entre Taboquinhas e Itacaré. BA-654. Interior de mata à beira da estrada ”; [14°16′55.2″ S, 38°59′47.3″ W]; 1 Jan. 1988; M. Sobral 5749; CEPEC [CEPEC00044273]!, ECT [ECT0003694]!, ICN [ICN00027827]!, NY [NY00395774]!, SPF ! • “ Ubaitaba, Trecho da BR 101 Ubaitaba ao Porto Santo Antonio ao Sul ”; 22 Jun. 1972; T.S. dos Santos 2336; CEPEC [CEPEC00008836]!; NY [NY00395775] ! • “ Uruçuca, Rodovia Uruçuca- Ubaitaba ”; [14°34′46.5″ S, 39°17′59.0″ W]; 20 Apr. 1970; T.S. dos Santos 752; CEPEC [CEPEC00005734]!, NY [NY00395776] !.

Description

Shrubs or trees, 3–8 m tall. Leaves subcoriaceous, petiole 3–9 mm long, lamina 14.9–32 × 3.5–15 cm, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, narrowly oblong to oblanceolate or lorate, both surfaces glabrous, base asymmetric, decurrent, acute to obtuse, apex acuminate to acute, attenuate to obtuse or rarely emarginate, primary vein impressed adaxially and raised abaxially, 13–22 pairs of secondary veins, angles between primary and secondary veins 50–60°. Inflorescence 2–22-flowered, trunciflorous, bracts absent. Flowers with pedicel 2–7 mm long, flower buds 3–7 × 1–2 mm, conical, densely covered in trichomes at the base and glabrescent towards the apex. Sepals completely connate, calyx cupuliform, apex truncate, 1–2 × 1–3 mm, glabrescent. Petals linear, white, 7–10 mm long, covered in trichomes, stamens (3–)6, 1.5–3.0 × 0.5 mm, carpels 3, 2–5 × 0.5 mm. Monocarps 1–3, fusiform, 1–6.3 × 0.3–0.6 cm, glabrous, green in vivo, stipe 2–5 mm long, calyx persistent. Seeds 4–6, ellipsoid, 13–19 × 4–7 mm, brownish, rugose, with aril.

Distribution and habitat

Hornschuchia cauliflora is endemic to Bahia, occurring in a small area from the municipalities of Uruçuca southward to Camamu, a distance of only 100 km. Hornschuchia cauliflora inhabits lowland tropical moist forest, but it is also found along the border with seasonal semideciduous forest (Gouvêa et al. 1976; Thomas & Barbosa 2008; Fig. 3).

Phenology

Flowering from October to January and fruiting from February to June.

Preliminary conservation status

Endangered, EN B1ab(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,iii) (Amorim et al. 2020a). There are only six preserved specimens of H. cauliflora . Since the last revision, 27 years ago (Johnson & Murray 1995), the species has been collected only twice, with a hiatus of 15 years between each collection, and has not been recollected in the last seven years.

Notes

The updated description includes more information about plant size and leaf morphology and dimensions (Johnson & Murray 1995). Hornschuchia cauliflora presents trunciflory, which is also found in some individuals of H. bryotrophe . However, H. bryotrophe is the only species in the genus with an evident commissural vein.