Lantana nivea Ventenat (1803: 8)

Cardoso, Pedro Henrique, Valério, Vanessa Imaculada Dos Reis, Neto, Luiz Menini & Salimena, Fátima Regina Gonçalves, 2021, Verbenaceae in Espírito Santo, Brazil: richness, patterns of geographic distribution and conservation, Phytotaxa 484 (1), pp. 1-43 : 16-17

6.5. Lantana nivea Ventenat (1803: 8) . (Figs. 2A, 6B)

Treelets 2‒3.5 m high, strongly branched, branches markedly tetragonal, armed with prickles, pubescent to hirsute, glandular sessile trichomes present. Leaves opposite, petiole 0.5‒1.4 cm long; blade 6‒10 × 2‒4.3 cm, chartaceous, lanceolate to elliptical, apex acute-acuminate, base cuneate, margin entire near the base, serrate toward the apex, ciliate, adaxial surface opaque, strigose, glandular sessile trichomes present, slightly bullate, abaxial surface hirsute, trichomes concentrated along the veins, glandular sessile trichomes present. Inflorescences 1.3‒2 cm long, rachis elongated up to 2.5 cm long in fructification, 1‒2 per axil, peduncle 3‒5.5 cm long, hirsute, abundant glandular sessile trichomes; bracts equal, 3‒6 mm long, linear, abaxial surface canescent, glandular sessile trichomes present, margin ciliate; calyx 3‒3.2 mm long, 4-toothed, hirsute externally, glandular sessile trichomes present, not accrescent in fruit; corolla 0.9‒1.2 cm long, lilac or white, throat yellow or white. Fruit 4.5‒4.7 mm long, purple, external surface smooth.

Distribution and habitat:— Lantana nivea is distributed in Brazil, througout the states of Bahia, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo, and is cultivated in Mexico and Australia ( Sanders 2012, Cardoso et al. 2019e). In Espírito Santo, it was found in inselbergs, dense rainforest, and ciliar forest. Lantana nivea occurs inside the following SPAs in this state: Parque Estadual do Forno Grande and Parque Nacional do Caparaó.

Phenology:— Collected with flowers and fruits in January, April, May, August, September, and November.

Preliminary conservation assessment: —This is a common species with a wide distribution ( Sanders 2012), and occurs inside PAs in Brazil. Considered “Least Concern” (LC) ( IUCN 2019).

Selected material:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Afonso Cláudio , 23 May 2007, fl. and fr., L . Kollmann et al. 9804 ( CESJ, MBML); Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, 22 April 1945, fl., D. Betzler s.n. ( NY 571457); Castelo , Parque Estadual do Forno Grande , 21 September 2018, fl. and fr., P. H . Cardoso et al. 44 ( CESJ); Domingos Martins , 12 September 2018, fl., D. T . Wandekoken et al. 278 ( VIES); Iúna, Parque Nacional do Caparaó , 4 August 2016, fl. and fr., F. R. G . Salimena & P. H . Nobre 3976 ( CESJ); Santa Leopoldina , 16 April 2008, fl. and fr., A. P . Fontana et al. 4989 ( MBML); Santa Maria de Jetibá , 8 November 2008, fl. and fr., T. S . Lorencini 97 ( CESJ, VIES), Santa Teresa , 25 April 1984, fl. and fr., R. M . Pizziolo 9 ( HUEFS, MBML); Vila Velha , 6 April 1993, fl. and fr., V . de Souza 472 ( CESJ, CVRD) .

Notes:— Lantana nivea is characterized by the strongly branched habit, branches armed with prickles, lanceolate to elliptical leaves, acute-acuminate apex, cuneate brase, strigose adaxial surface; linear bracts, and lilac or white corolla. This species was not cited in the revision of the genus Lantana for Brazil ( Silva 1999), and Silva et al. (2020) consider that it does not occur in Brazilian territory. However, L. nivea is considered a native species of Brazil by Sanders (2012) and Cardoso et al. (2019e).

In addition to the controversy about the geographic distribution, Silva (1999) treated Lantana minasensis Moldenke (1946: 138) as a synonym of L. camara , and Silva et al. (2020) as an uncertain application name, however, L. minasensis is considered by Sanders (2012) as a synonym of L. nivea . Lantana morii Moldenke (1979: 449) is currently considered endemic to Bahia by Silva et al. (2020) and is also treated as a synonym of L. nivea by Sanders (2012). We analyzed the types and protologues of these names and, in the present study, we agreed with the circumscription of Sanders (2012).

Illustrations in Ventenat (1803).