Euploca lagoensis (Warming) Diane & Hilger

Melo, José Iranildo Miranda De, Paulino, Renan Da Cruz, Oliveira, Regina Célia De & Vieira, Diego Daltro, 2018, Flora of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil: Boraginales, Phytotaxa 357 (4), pp. 235-260 : 249

1.2. Euploca lagoensis (Warming) Diane & Hilger in Hilger & Diane (2003: 48).

≡ Schleidenia lagoensis Warming (1867: 15) .

Prostrate herbs, glaucous; stems puberulous. Leaves alternate, subsessile; blade 0.5–0.8 × 0.1–0.2 cm, membranaceous, narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, apex acute or acuminate, base attenuate, margin entire or ciliate, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface glabrous to puberulous; venation hyphodromous; petiole ca. 1 mm long, subcylindrical, glabrous. Flowers ca. 3–4 mm long, solitary, supra-axillary, pedicellate; pedicel ca. 0.5 mm long; calyx partially gamosepalous, lobes 2–2.8 mm long, ovate to widely ovate, puberulous externally and internally; corolla 3–3.5 mm long, tubular, white, throat yellow, externally and internally puberulous, tube ca. 2 mm long, lobes 0.8–1 mm long, elliptic. Stamens sessile, inserted at ca. 0.5 mm from the tube base; anthers ca. 0.6 mm long, ovate, coherent. Ovary ca. 0.5 mm long, subglobose; stigma ca. 0.3 mm long, subsessile, conical, basal disc thickened. Schizocarp ca. 2 mm diam., piriform, sulcate, rostrate; nutlets 4, ca. 1.5 mm diam., trigone, glabrous; pedicel 2–2.3 mm long post-anthesis, glabrous or puberulous; seeds not seen.

Notes:— The species is easily recognizable by the glaucous, puberulous stems, solitary supra-axillary flowers ca. 3 mm long, elliptic corolla lobes, and piriform, sulcate, rostrate fruit of four nutlets. Illustrations of this species can be found in Melo & Semir (2010).

Geographic distribution:— Occurs from Mexico, Central America and the Antilles, to Brazil ( Frohlich 1981). In Brazil, in the North, Northeast, Midwest and Southeast regions ( Melo & Semir 2010). This species represents a new record for the flora of Rio Grande do Norte. E1.

Habitat:— Caatinga.

Phenology:— Collected in flower and fruit in May.

Selected material examined:— BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Norte: Serra Negra do Norte, May 2005, fl. fr., R.T. Queiroz 285 (MOSS, PEUFR, UFRN).