Lychnophorella triflora (Mattfeld) Loeuille, Semir & Pirani, 2019

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

9. Lychnophorella triflora (Mattfeld) Loeuille, Semir & Pirani , comb. nov. Haplostephium triflorum Mattfeld (1923: 428) . Lychnophora triflora (Mattf.) Robinson (1983: 371) . Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia : Carrasco-Gebiet, Serra das Almas, 1913, P. von Lützelburg 179 (holotype: M e! [M0029491]; isotype: B †) ( Fig. 29 A–B ).

Distribution and habitat: — Brazil ( Bahia , endemic of the Serra do Sincorá and Catolés region, in the Chapada Diamantina ). Campo rupestre; 1000–1850 m.

Taxonomic Notes: —The combination of a syncephalium surrounded by foliage leaves, narrowly lanceolate ascending leaves, glabrous cypselae and extremely reduced outer pappus characterize Lychnophorella triflora . It is very similar to L. regis , which has shorter leaves (0.35–0.75 vs. 0.6–1.2 cm), longer capitula (0.8–1.4 vs. 0.6–0.9 cm) and does not have reduced leaves between capitula of the glomerule. Resembling L. morii and also similar to L. blanchetii and L. sericea : see these species for a discussion of the differences.

Representative specimens: — BRAZIL. Bahia : Abaíra , Catolés, Serra do Barbado, 13°17’41”S, 41°54’31”W, 1700 m, 17 September 2007, B . Loeuille et al. 333 ( HUEFS, SPF); Abaíra, Piatã, encosta Morro do Santana, fundo da igreja, 1270 m, 8 June 1992, W . Ganev 442 ( HUEFS, NY, SPF, US) ; Rio de Contas , Pico das Almas, 11°31’33”S, 41°57’56”W, 1849 m, 26 May 2012, B . Loeuille et al. 673 ( SPF) .

XIII. Maschalostachys Loeuille & Roque (2017: 38) . Type:— Lychnophora markgrafii Barroso (1956: 260) (= Maschalostachys markgrafii (G.M. Barroso) Loeuille & Roque ).

( Fig. 28 B , 31 A–B )

Treelets; stems monopodial. Indumentum tomentose, villous to lanate, composed of unbranched, long, thin, frequently curly trichomes, branched T-shaped trichomes with curly arms of unequal or equal size and T-shaped bladder-like trichomes with equal-sized arms. Leaves alternate or in pseudo-rosette at the apex of stems, sessile or petiolate, with semi-amplexicaul leaf sheath, blade chartaceous, subcoriaceous to coriaceous, margin entire or crenulate to serrulate, flat, venation eucamptodromous. Inflorescence a sessile or rarely pedunculate syncephalium (second-order) surrounded or not by secondary leafy bracts and organized in loose axillary spikes or frequently in a panicle of spikes (rarely a cyme). Capitula, sessile, surrounded by 1–6 spatulate subinvolucral bracts. Involucre campanulate or cylindrical; phyllaries 5–6-seriate, weakly imbricate to imbricate, tomentose; receptacle flat, glabrous. Florets 4–23; corolla lilac to dark purple, tube longer or the same size as limb; corolla lobes pubescent or glabrous; anthers calcarate; style lacking basal node. Cypsela cylindrical or obconic, glabrous or sparsely strigillose; carpopodium inconspicuous; pappus biseriate, whitish to light stramineous, rarely purplish, outer series shorter than inner series, paleaceous, persistent, inner series sub-paleacous, caducous or deciduous, straight or frequently twisted. Chromosome number: n = 19 ( M. markgrafii ).

Taxonomic notes: —A recently described genus of two species from the Espinhaço Range of mountains in Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The loose axillary spikes of syncephalia (organized in panicles and solitary or rarely in cymes) is a unique kind of inflorescence within Lychnophorinae . Both species also display a striking monopodial habit fitting Rauh’s model ( Hallé et al. 1978).

Figures

FIGURE 28. Geographic distribution of A. Lychnophorella and B. Maschalostachys.

FIGURE 29. Lychnophorella triflora. A. Habit. B. Flowering branch. L. leucodendron. C. Habit. D. Syncephalium. L. santosii. E. Habit. F. Syncephalium. L. regis. G. Syncephalia. A.–E. by B. Loeuille. F. by S.C. Ferreira. G. by M. Lusa.

FIGURE 31. Maschalostachys markgrafii. A. Syncephalium. B. Habit. Minasia alpestris C. Habit. D. Glomerule of heads. M. pereirae. E. Habit. F. Glomerule of heads. M. ramosa. G. Habit. M. scapigera H. Glomerule of heads. A.–D., G. by B. Loeuille. E.–F. by C.M. Siniscalchi. H. by I.M. Franco.