Hornschuchia leptandra D.M.Johnson

Fig. 3

Brittonia 47 (3): 310, figs 25C–D, 27 (Johnson & Murray 1995).

Type: BRAZIL – Bahia • “ Ilhéus, área do CEPEC (Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau), km 22 da rodovia Ilhéus/Itabuna (BR-415) ”; 13 Oct. 1981; J.L. Hage 1447; holotype: CEPEC [CEPEC00025025]!; isotype: U [U0000332] !.

Material examined

BRAZIL – Bahia • “ Ilhéus, Área do CEPEC, km 22 da Rodovia Ilhéus/Itabuna (BR-415) ”; [14°46′23″ S, 39°13′22″ W]; alt. 50 m; 18 Feb. 1992; S.C. SantʼAna 201; CEPEC [CEPEC00054434] ! • ibid.; 24 Jul. 1991; T.S. Santos 4576; CEPEC [CEPEC00050662] ! • ibid.; D.M. Johnson et al. 1840A; OWU n.v . • “ Itabuna, Reserva Florestal da CEPLAC, Quadra D, km 22 da Rodovia Ilhéus/Itabuna ”; 9 Oct. 1992; A.M. Amorim 858; CEPEC [CEPEC00056574]!, NY [NY00395808]!, NY [NY00395809]!, US [US01346585] ! • “ Santo Antônio de Jesus: Rodovia para São Miguel das Matas e Amargosa, a 7 Km do trevo com a BR 101 ”; 13º00′ S, 39º20′ W [12°58′40″ S, 39°19′52″ W]; 30 Jan. 1993; J.R. Pirani 2714; NY [NY00395810]!, SPF ! • “ Una, Km 9 da BR-101, Rodovia São José/Una ”; [15°14′53″ S, 39°9′34″ W]; alt. 400 m, 18 Oct. 1983; T.S. Santos 3918; CEPEC [CEPEC00075409] !.

Description

Shrubs or trees, 1–4 m tall. Leaves chartaceous, petiole 1–5 mm long, lamina 18.2–40 × 3.5–9.6 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, narrowly oblong to lorate, both surfaces glabrous, base slightly asymmetric to asymmetric, acute to obtuse, apex attenuate to obtuse, primary vein impressed adaxially and raised abaxially, 10–20 pairs of secondary veins, angles between primary and secondary veins 50–60°. Inflorescence 3–12-flowered, trunciflorous with idiocladanthy, inflorescence branched into axes 6–19 cm long, bracts absent. Flowers with pedicel 2–7 mm long, flower buds 4–6 × 1–2 mm, conical, covered in trichomes. Sepals completely connate, calyx cupuliform, apex truncate, 1–3 × 2–5 mm, glabrescent. Petals linear, white or yellowish, 10–17 mm long, covered in trichomes, stamens 6–7, 5–7.4 × 0.5 mm, carpels 3, 5–6 × 0.5 mm. Monocarps 1–2, ellipsoid, 5–6 × 1–1.7 cm, glabrescent, stipe 8–9 mm long. Seeds 4, obloid-ellipsoid, 19–20 × 9–10 mm, with aril.

Distribution and habitat

Hornschuchia leptandra occurs in a narrow area along the coast of Bahia, between the municipalities of Santo Antônio de Jesus and Una, 320 km distant from each other. It inhabits both lowland tropical moist forest and seasonal semideciduous forest (Gouvêa et al. 1976; Thomas & Barbosa 2008; Fig. 3).

Phenology

Flowering from October to April and fruiting in August.

Preliminary conservation status

The inferred EOO was 366 km 2 and AOO was 12 km 2. In addition to its restricted area of occurrence, Hornschuchia leptandra has not been collected in almost 30 years and it is only known from three localities. The region where it occurs has been suffering continued decline of its original vegetation due to anthropic pressure (Landau et al. 2008). Therefore, H. leptandra should be considered Endangered, EN B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) according to the IUCN (2012) criteria.

Notes

Hornschuchia leptandra is the only species in the genus with trunciflory with idiocladanthy, in which the inflorescence emerges from the upper part of the trunk with inflorescence branches ramified and 6–19 cm long (Schatz & Wendt 2004). See the note under H. bryotrophe for more details about different types of cauliflory in the genus.