Euplassa lanata Giuffre & Caddah, 2024

Giuffre, Pamela Maria Wendler, Augustin, Ana Flávia & Caddah, Mayara Krasinski, 2024, Euplassa lanata (Proteaceae), a new species from Paraná, southern Brazil, Phytotaxa 663 (1), pp. 41-48 : 42-46

Euplassa lanata Giuffre & Caddah , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–3 )

[https://ipni.org/n/77345396-1]

Diagnosis:—The combination of rufous to gray lanate abaxial leaflet indument, absent pedicel and hairs extending from ovary base distinguish this species from all other known species in the genus.

Type:— BRAZIL. Paraná: Cerro Azul, Rodovia PR-092, 606 m, 11 December 2013, M. L. Brotto, J. T. Motta, J. M. Silva & J. Vaz 1481 (Holotype: MBM!; Isotypes: EFC; HCF!; HUEFS!; ICN!; K; MO; RB; SP; US; WU) .

Description:—Trees up to 12m. Young stems rufous to ferruginous lanate. Older branches greyish to brown, villous to glabrous. Lenticels absent. Leaves paripinnate. Petiole 2–10 cm long, terete, 2–4 mm wide, rufous tomentose, indument becoming greyish in older leaves. Rachis 8–26 cm long, terminal appendix 2–5 mm long, ca. 1 mm broad; petiolule 2–10 mm long and 1–2 mm in diameter where it meets the rhachis. Leaflets 4–6 pairs, opposite to subopposite, drying light green to brown, subcoriaceous, matt, glabrous to sparsely rufous lanate above, more densely so on venation, rufous to gray lanate beneath, with dense rufous tomentose indument on venation, narrowly to broadly obovate to oblong; basal pair rotund to orbicular, 2–7.5 × 1–4.5 cm; lateral leaflets 4–12 × 2–5.5 cm; base equal to weakly oblique, attenuate; apex retuse to obtuse, minutely mucronulate; margin serrate, pressing flat, occasionally strongly revolute; venation cladodromous, with 4–6 lateral veins, midvein prominent beneath; secondaries narrow, prominent beneath, higher order venation reticulate, sometimes not visible because of indument coverage. Conflorescence pseudo-racemose, 14–18 cm long, axillary; primary peduncle 2.5–3.5 cm long; rachis 10–15 cm long, rufous tomentose; bracteoles more or less uniform, ca. 1 mm long, the proximal ones rounded or obovate, ca. 3 mm long, tomentose; secondary peduncle subtending flower-pair 2–3 mm long, shortly rufous-tomentose; pedicels absent. Buds 2–3 mm broad at apex, frequently with a short beak, 1–1.5 mm broad at midlength. Flowers 7–11 mm long; tepals white, four, one of them remaining erect at anthesis, three recurving; anthers subsessile on erect tepal apex; ovary green, 1–2.5 mm long, pyriform, long whitish (in vivo) or rufous (in sicco) hairs inserted at ovary base; nectaries hypogynous four, lobed; style curved; stigma latero-apical. Fruit globose 1–2 × 1–2 cm, dark brown.

Additional specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Paraná: Mun. Almirante Tamandaré: Jardim Tatiana , 25°17’56”S 49°16’24”W, 20 December 2023, fl., M. K. Caddah & B. O. Andrade 1139 ( FLOR!) ; Mun. Bocaiúva do Sul: Cabeça D’Anta , 25 July 1972, st., G. Hatschbach 29818 ( MBM!) ; Estrada de Bocaiúva para Campina Mandaçaio , 28 August 1992, bd., fl., A. Soares & W. Maschio 230 ( HUEM) ; Parque Estadual de Campinhos , 17 February 1993, fr., C. V. Roderjan 1037 ( MBM!, EFC!) ; Passa Vinte , 18 November 1965, bd., fl., G. Hatschbach 13145 ( MBM!, UPCB!) ; Serra da Bocaina , 19 February 1999, fl., J. M. Silva & L. M. Abe 2889 ( MBM!) ; 7 January 2000, fl., J. M. Silva & O. S. Ribas 3136 ( MBM!) ; 16 January 2001, fr., O. S. Ribas & E. Barbosa 3152 ( MBM!) ; fr., O. S. Ribas 3155 ( MBM!); Serra de Santana , 30 January 1996, fr., O. S. Ribas, J. T. Motta & J. Cordeiro 1091 ( MBM!) ; 17 March 1998, fr., J. M. Silva, C. B. Poliquesi & L. M. Abe 2302 ( ESA, MBM!) ; Serra de Araçaeiro , 20 December 1960, bd., fl., G. Hatschbach 7586 ( L, MBM!, UPCB!) ; Mun. Rio Branco do Sul: Along road to Cerro Azul , 5 January 1982, fl., Landrum 4055 ( MBM!) ; Serra do Votuvoru , 2 January 1975, fl., G. Hatschbach 35687 ( L, MBM!) ; 9 October 1975, st., G. Hatschbach 37318 ( MBM!). Mun. Tijucas do Sul: São João do Piraí , 15 March 2003, fr., J. Cordeiro, C. B. Poliquesi & E. F. Costa 2082 ( FURB) ; Mun. Ventania: Sítio Pinheiro , 11 December 1998, fl., A. L. Cavalheiro et al. s.n., ( HUEFS 142116 , INPA 227842 ) ; 23 February 1999, fl., O. C. Pavão et al. s.n. ( PACA 102715 !) ; 06 December 2000, bd., fl., O. C. Pavão et al. s.n. ( CEN 65618 , ESA 103195 ) ; 23 February 2007, fr., T. M. Marestoni, N. S. Cervigne & E. M. Francisco s.n. ( FURB 40301 ) .

Distribution and Ecology: —The new species was only found in Araucaria forests in Paraná, southern Brazil, sometimes bordering native grasslands ( Fig. 4 ).

Phenology: —Flowers are found in August and from November to February, while fruits are found from January to March.

Etymology: —From the Latin lanatus (woollen), referring to the abaxial leaflet indument, a diagnostic character of the new species.

Preliminary conservation assessment: — Euplassa lanata is known from five nearby municipalities. Its known area of occupancy (AOO) is estimated as 44 km ², and its extent of occurrence (EOO) is ca. 6,675 km ². Therefore, we here categorize this species as Endangered (EN) following IUCN (2012) criteria B1, B2a,b(i,ii,iii).

Notes: —The new species would key out in the most recent world key of Euplassa ( Prance et al. 2007) at couplet 9. Euplassa lanata shares similarities with Euplassa cantareirae , Euplassa incana (Klotzsch) Johnston (1924:41) , Euplassa legalis (Vell.) Johnston (1924:41) and Euplassa organensis (Gardner) Johnston (1924:41) ( Table 1). In the past some specimens have been identified as anomalous specimens of E. cantareirae by Plana and Prance (2004) (Hatschbach 7586, 13145 and 35687) possibly because they fit within the distribution range of E. cantareirae and share the overall shape and form of the leaves and inflorescences. They do, however, show discrepancies in the indument. Euplassa cantareirae has leaflets very densely bright ferruginous velutinous to tomentose beneath, the indument obscuring lamina versus densely light rufous to gray lanate beneath, the indument not obscuring lamina for E. lanata . The ovary of E. cantareirae is completely covered by a villous to pilose indument, unlike the ovary of this new species, which is only covered by scattered hairs, extending from the base. Another discrepant character between E. cantareirae and this new species is the presence of pedicels (present in E. cantareirae vs. absent in E. lanata ). The specimen Hatschbach 13145 has also been misidentified as E. legalis (see below).

The specimens Hatschbach 13145 and 7586, and Landrum 4055 were previously identified as E. legalis by Hatschbach, Prance and Sleumer. Euplassa legalis and E. lanata share leaflet shape and pubescence, but the new species has sessile flowers, in contrast to the pedicellate flowers in E. legalis . Furthermore, E. legalis has a glabrous ovary and is recorded from warmer Cerrado areas and coastal Atlantic forests, while the new species is only found in colder Araucaria forests. The specimen Landrum 4055 has also been misidentified as E. incana (see below).

The specimens Hatschbach 37318 and Landrum 4055 were previously identified as E. incana by Hatschbach. While they share overall leaflet shape, the species may be easily differentiated: the hypogynous nectaries of this new species are distinct while those of E. incana are fused to form a quadrangular structure; the ovary pubescence in E. incana is made up of spreading hairs, unlike the ovary indumentum in this new species, which only have a few hairs extending from the base. The leaflets of E. incana are usually sparsely pubescent beneath, with the presence of glandular hairs (ribbon-like trichomes), while the leaflets of this new species are densely light ferruginous-lanate beneath, without glandular hairs. Furthermore, E. incana is only recorded from Cerrado areas and associated riverine forests in Minas Gerais.

Euplassa lanata also shares the overall shape and form of the leaves and inflorescences with E. organensis , but they differ mainly in the indument: the ovary indument in E. organensis covers the entire ovary, while the ovary indument of E. lanata is composed by few hairs extending from the base. The leaflets of this new species are densely light ferruginous-lanate beneath, unlike the leaflets of E. organensis , which are glabrescent to sparsely pubescent beneath, and possess glandular hairs. Euplassa organensis is recorded from coastal Atlantic Forest and seasonally semideciduous forests, in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Euplassa lanata Giuffre & Caddah, line drawings.A. Flowering branch. B. Flower pair. C. Pistil with ovary hairs and distinct hypogynous nectaries. D. Erect tepal and stamen detail. Line drawings by AFA. (based on Brotto et al. 1481 [HUEFS]).

FIGURE 2. Herborized specimens.A–G: Euplassa lanata Giuffre & Caddah. H–I: Euplassa cantareirae Sleumer.A. Flowering branch. B. Flower buds (8×). C. Flowers (8×). D. Tepal and stamen detail (35×). E. Ovary indument and distinct hypogynous nectaries (25×). F. Abaxial leaflet indument (8×). G. Indument detail (25×). H. Abaxial leaflet indument (8×). I. Indument detail (25×). Scale bars:A = 1 cm; B–I = 1 mm. Photographs by PMWG (A–G = Brotto et al. 1481 [HUEFS]; H–I = Ribas et al. 2201 [FLOR]).

FIGURE 3. Euplassa lanata Giuffre & Caddah, fresh specimen. A. Adaxial view of leaf. B. Abaxial view of leaf. C. Abaxial view of leaflet. D. Detail of abaxial leaflet indument. E. Inflorescence. F. Flower. Photographs by MKC (Caddah & Andrade 1139 [FLOR]).

FIGURE 4. Geographic distribution map of Euplassa lanata Giuffre & Caddah.