Minasia splettiae Robinson (1995: 397)

Loeuille, Benoît, Semir, João & Pirani, José R., 2019, A synopsis of Lychnophorinae (Asteraceae: Vernonieae), Phytotaxa 398 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

7. Minasia splettiae Robinson (1995: 397) . Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: estrada Diamantina –Conselheiro Mata, 20.3 km depois do asfalto, 23 September 1994, S. Splett 625 (holotype: UB [not seen]; isotypes: BONN [not seen], SPF [ SPF100445 ], US [ US 00512607]) .

Distribution and habitat: — Brazil (Minas Gerais, endemic of the Diamantina Plateau). Campo rupestre; 1100–1200 m.

Taxonomic Notes: —Distinctive features of this species are the thin linear to filiform leaves and 12–15-flowered capitula. Similar to Minasia cabralensis , M. lewinsohnii and M. pereirae : see these species for a discussion of the differences.

Representative specimens: — BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Diamantina , rodovia Guinda–Conselheiro Mata , próximo do km 21, 25 July 1998, G . Hatschbach et al. 68262 ( BHCB, MBM, NY, US) ; ibid., margem da estrada DiamantinaConselheiro Mata , 5 km de Diamantina , 30 August 1981, A. M . Giulietti et al. CFCR 1795 ( SPF); Gouveia, 6 September 1971, G . Hatschbach 27313 ( MBM) .

XV. Paralychnophora MacLeish (1984c: 106) . Type:— Albertinia bicolor Candolle (1836: 81) (= Paralychnophora bicolor (DC.) MacLeish ).

Sphaerophora Schultz-Bipontinus (1863: 402) nom. illeg., non ( Hassall 1845: 397) Lindley (1846: 796) [ Bacillariophyceae ], non Blume (1850: 179) [ Rubiaceae ]. Type:— Sphaerophora bicolor Sch. Bip. (= Paralychnophora bicolor (DC.) MacLeish ).

( Fig. 32 B , 33 )

Treelets to trees; stems moderately branched. Indumentum tomentose, velutinous to lanulose, composed of 3- to 5- armed swollen trichomes, sometimes not swollen, and unbranched trichomes. Leaves alternate, sessile to petiolate, with a semi-amplexicaul sheath, blade coriaceous, discolorous, margin entire, flat or revolute, venation brochidodromous. Inflorescence an axillar, pedunculate, solitary syncephalium (second-order). Capitulum sessile. Involucre cylindrical or campanulate, rarely ovoid; phyllaries (3–)4–5(–6)-seriate, usually weakly imbricate, deciduous or seldom persistent, pubescent; receptacle fimbrillate, rarely naked. Florets 2–26; corolla purple to white, tube longer than limb; corolla lobes pubescent; anthers calcarate; style lacking basal node. Cypsela prismatic, glabrous or rarely pubescent ( P. atkinsiae ); carpopodium prominent or inconspicuous; pappus biseriate or seldom triseriate ( P. atkinsiae ), setose to subpaleaceous, stramineous, outer series shorter than inner series, persistent or rarely deciduous, inner series deciduous or infrequently persistent or caducous, straight or twisted. Chromosome number: n = 18 ( P. harleyi ), 19 ( P. bicolor , P. glaziouana and P. reflexoauriculata ).

Taxonomic notes: —A genus of six species from Espinhaço Range of mountains in Minas Gerais and Bahia States, eastern Brazil. The genus is monophyletic and distantly related to Eremanthus and Lychnophora , as shown by a morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses ( Loeuille et al. 2015b). It is characterized by the following combination of characters: semi-amplexicaul leaf sheath, 3- to 5-armed trichomes, axillary pedunculate second-order syncephalium, prismatic glabrous cypselae (except Paralychnophora atkinsiae ) with a biseriate pappus ( P. atkinsiae rarely displays pappus with three series).

Figures

FIGURE 32. Geographic distribution of A. Minasia and B. Paralychnophora.

FIGURE 33. Paralychnophora atkinsiae. A. Syncephalium. P. bicolor. B. Habit. P. glaziouana. C. Syncephalium. P. harleyi. D. Habit. P. patriciana. E. Syncephalium. P. reflexoauriculata. F. Syncephalium. A. by L. Moura. B.–C., E.–F. by B. Loeuille. D. by M. Lusa.