Cordia trichotoma (Vellozo) Arrábida ex Steudel (1840: 419)

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 : 243-244

1.7. Cordia trichotoma (Vellozo) Arrábida ex Steudel (1840: 419) . ( Fig. 4A )

≡ Cordiada trichotoma Vellozo (1829: 98) .

Trees, up to 7 m tall; branches densely covered by stellate trichomes. Leaves alternate, homomorphic; blade 3–18.5 × 1.6–9 cm, elliptic, ovate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, apex acute, margin entire, base obtuse, abaxially densely covered by stellate trichomes, adaxially by sparse stellate trichomes; venation brochidodromous; petiole 0.3–3.5 cm long, villous. Inflorescences 3.5–11 cm long, paniculiform; peduncle 3.5–11 cm long, villous, with stellate trichomes. Flowers 1.8–2 cm long; calyx 7–8 mm long, tubular, costate, with stellate trichomes externally, tomentose internally; corolla hypocrateriform, white to pale brown, marcescent; tube ca. 1 cm long; lobes 6–9 mm long, obovate, apex subtruncate. Stamens with filaments 6–8 mm long in the long-styled flowers, ca. 10 mm long in the short-styled, anthers ca. 2.5 mm long, oblong, lobes divaricate, dorsifixed. Ovary 1–5 mm long, globose to subglobose, style 8–12 mm long in the long-styled flowers, ca. 6 mm long in the short-styled; stigmatic branches 1-3 mm long, stigmas ca. 1 mm long, foliaceous. Drupe not seen.

Notes:— Cordia trichotoma is morphologically similar to C. insignis , differing from it by the stellate trichomes of its vegetative parts, flowers 1.8–2 cm long with obovate corolla lobes, subtruncate at the apex. Illustrations of this species can be found in Melo & Sales (2005a).

Geographic distribution:— Endemic to Brazil, occurring in the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, and South regions, in the Cerrado, gallery forests, and Caatinga, being most frequent in the latter ( Miller 2013, Flora do Brasil 2020 under construction). B5, D1, D2, D4, D5.

Habitat:— Caatinga and Atlantic Forest in the studied area.

Phenology:— Collected in floral buds in May and flowered in July and August.

Selected material examined:— BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Norte: Almino Afonso, 06°09’08”S, 37°45’53”W, August 1993, fl., F. Ernesto-Sobrinho s.n. (MOSS 7586). Cerro Corá, 06°08’30”S, 36°20’30”W, May 1981, fl. bud, O.F. Oliveira et al. 1791 (MOSS). Coronel João Pessoa, 06°17’S, 38°24’22”W, July 1997, fl., O.F. Oliveira 5236 (MOSS). Pureza, 05°27’40”S, 35°40’30”W, August 1981, fl., O.F. Oliveira et al. 1909 (MOSS). São Vicente, July 1991, fl., M.A. Figueiredo et al. 330 (MOSS).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Reproductive branches of species: A. Cordia trichotoma; B. Varronia leucocephala; C. Euploca polyphylla; D. Euploca procumbens; E. Heliotropium elongatum; F. Myriopus rubicundus. (Photo credits: A and B of M. Oliveira; C of M.J. Silva; D–F of J.I.M. Melo).