Croton floribundus Sprengel (1826: 873)

Rossine, Yuri, Melo, André Laurênio De, Athiê-Souza, Sarah Maria & Sales, Margareth Ferreira De, 2023, Understanding the “ Marmeleiros ”: a taxonomic treatment of Croton sect. Lasiogyne (Euphorbiaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 584 (4), pp. 219-250 : 234-235

5. Croton floribundus Sprengel (1826: 873) .

— Oxydectes floribunda (Sprengel) Kuntze (1891: 611) .

Neotype (designated by Caruzo & Cordeiro 2007: 578):— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: without further locality, without date, F. Sellow 171 ( SP [ SP001046 !]) . Fig. 5 (f–j), 6 (b)

Croton maracayuensis Chodat & Hassler (1905: 492) . Lectotype (designated by Rossine et al. 2021):— PARAGUAY. Sierra de Maracayu, October, E. Hassler n. 5178 (G [G00306915 (upper sheet!)]; isolectotypes: G [G00306915 (inferior sheet!), 3x G00306937!], GH [GH00047341!], BM [BM504271], K [K000574196!], MO [MO-260054!], MPU [MPU014845!], NY [NY00262918!], P [P00623190!, P00623191!], S [S-R10542!], UC [UC935372!]).

Description: —Monoecious tree, 3–20 m tall; latex translucent to orangish; monopodial branching, branches cylindrical, sometimes slightly striated, brown to grayish brown, trichomes stellate-lepidote, dendritic on young branches. Leaves alternate; stipules long-lanceolate, 0.5–0.8 × 0.3 cm, usually deciduous, with stellate-lepidote trichomes; petiole cylindrical, 1–5 cm long, with stellate-lepidote to dendritic trichomes, sometimes very condensed; leaf blade chartaceous, long ovate to lanceolate, 3–19 × 1.7–8 cm, slightly bifacial, adaxial surface dark green with 2–5 radiated stellate trichomes on veins, abaxial surface opaque, yellowish to light green, with stellate, stellate-lepidote, or dentatelepidote trichomes, base rounded to cuneate, margins entire, apex acute; venation eucamptodromous, with 15–24 secondary veins. Thyrses 10–32 cm long, axillary or terminal, with dentate-lepidote to lepidote trichomes, peduncle 1–3 cm long, cymules unisexual, lax, with up to 3 staminate flowers, pistillate flowers solitary; bracts deciduous, linear, sometimes 3-lobed, two smaller lateral lobes inconspicuous, ca. 2 × 0.2–0.5 mm, margins entire, apex acute, with dentate-lepidote trichomes. Staminate flower with pedicel up to 3 mm long; sepals greenish, united for ⅓ of their length, lobes ovate, 3–4 × 3 mm, margins entire, apex acute, with dentate-lepidote trichomes externally, glabrescent internally; petals white to greenish, ovate to elliptic, 2.5–3 × 1 mm, margins entire, apex rounded, trichomes simple; stamens 12–15, filament 2–2.5 mm long, anther elliptic, 0.8–1 × 0.4–0.5 mm; nectary disk 5-lobed, almost entire, apex of lobes rounded, trichomes stellate-lepidote. Pistillate flower with pedicel 5–7 mm long; sepals green, free, long ovate to ovate, equal in size, rare slightly unequal, 4–7 × 3–4 mm, reduplicated vertically, margins entire, apex acute to rounded, with stellate-lepidote trichomes externally, glabrous internally; petals yellow to brown, filiform, ca. 1 mm long, margins entire, apex acute, with trichomes stellate-lepidote; ovary spheroid to obloid, 3–4 × 2–3.5 mm, with dentate-lepidote to lepidote trichomes, styles patent, free, multipartite, 24–36 (–40) stigmatic tips, with stellate-lepidote to dentate-lepidote trichomes; nectary disk 5-lobed, apex of lobes rounded, glabrous. Capsule green to yellowish, spheroid to obloid, 7–25 × 1–28 mm, 3-lobed, muricate surface, with dentate-lepidote trichomes; columella up to 13 mm long, striated, apex flattened. Seed brown to black, ellipsoid, 5–15.5 × 3.5–10 mm, papillose-rugose, caruncle long ovate.

Vernacular names: —Capixingui, cambará-de-lixa, itapexingui, lava-prato, velame-de-capoeira, marmeleiro, marmeleiro preto, marmeleiro bravo and tapexingui.

Distribution and habitat, conservation status, and phenology: — Croton floribundus is widely distributed in Brazil and reaches Paraguay ( Gomes 2006, Santos et al. 2017). It occurs from the northern Ceará to Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul ( Fig. 6 , b). This species occupies a wide variety of environments within the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest domains, such as riparian and gallery forests, mountain, ombrophilous and semi-deciduous vegetation, as well as degraded areas. It is found mainly in clayey or humus soils. Croton floribundus is considered of Least Concern (LC), having a wide EOO (> 3,300,000 km 2) and AOO (1,600 km 2), and occurring in several environmental protection areas. Flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

Notes: — Croton floribundus can be easily identified by its tree habit, dendritic trichomes on young branches and petioles, long inflorescences, and muricate capsules. Although it can be confused with some tree species from other sections, C. floribundus is one of the few trees of the genus occurring in the Atlantic Forest that does not have acropetiolar or basilaminar glands. It is morphologically close to C. blanchetianus ; the distinctions between them are presented in the notes on C. blanchetianus .

Representative specimens:— BRAZIL. Alagoas: Uni„o dos Palmares , Faz. Santo Antônio , 13 April 1968, I . Pontual 824 ( PEUFR) . Bahia: Itacaré, Rodovia Ubaitaba, Plantaç „o de cacau, 14º27’78” S, 38º99’67” W, 5 January 1967, R. P . Belém 2961 ( NY) . Ceará: Guaramiranga, Pico Alto, Sítio Gameleira , 23 January 2008, E. S . Rocha s.n. ( HUEFS138381 ) . Espírito Santo: Castelo , without date, R . Goldenberg 1276 ( CEPEC) . Mato Grosso do Sul: Bataguassu, estrada Bataguassu—Anaurilândia , 15 October 1998, A . Amaral Júnior s.n. ( VIC23690 ) . Minas Gerais: Parque Nacional do Caparaó , 17 December 1988, L . Krieger s.n. ( CESJ 23345 ) . Paraíba: Natuba, remanescente de Mata Atlântica , 12 January 2001, M. R . Barbosa et al. 1870 (JPB). Paraná: Jundiaí do Sul, Faz. Monte Verde , 23 November 2000, J . Carneiro 826 ( MBM) . Pernambuco: S „o Benedito do Sul, Igarapeba, Mijada da véia, 11 January 1994, A. M. Miranda s.n. ( ALCB027815 ). Rio de Janeiro: Parti-Mirim, Faz. De Paraty-Mirim, 1 December 1998, L. G. Giordano et al. 535 ( MBM). S „o Paulo: Campinas, Sub-distrito de Souzas, Floresta Estacional Semidecídua , 22 November 1996, K . Santos 164 ( UEC) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. a–e Croton compressus: a flowering branch with monopodial ramification b linear stipules, c staminate flower of 15 stamens, d pistillate flower with horizontally (and slightly vertically) reduplicated sepals, long ovoid ovary and free multipartite styles, e ovoid fruit showing vertically reduplicated sepals and multipartite styles, slightly united at the base. f–j C. floribundus: f flowering branch with monopodial ramification, g long-lanceolate stipules, h staminate flower of ca. 15 stamens, i pistillate flower with slightly vertically reduplicated sepals, spheroid ovary, and patent and multipartite styles, j spheroid fruit with muricate surface. k–o C. jacobinensis: k flowering branch with monopodial ramification, l flabelliform to auriculate stipules, m staminate flower of 15 stamens, n pistillate flower strongly reduplicated vertically and horizontally, with a multifid style, slightly united at the base, o spheroid to obloid fruit, 3-lobed.

FIGURE 6. Distribution of some species of section Lasiogyne. a Croton argyrophyllus, C. blanchetianus, and C. claussenianus; b C. compressus, C. floribundus, and C. jacobinensis.