Lychnophora villosissima Martius (1822: 153)

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

23. Lychnophora villosissima Martius (1822: 153) . Vernonia villosissima (Mart.) Lessing (1829: 249) . Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: in campis altis petrosis siccis districtus adamantinis prope Tejuco ad tres barras et alibi, May 1818, C.F.P. von Martius 1329 (518) (holotype: M e! [M0029490]; isotype: P [P02511227 (fragment)]).

Distribution and habitat: — Brazil (Minas Gerais, endemic to the central portion of the Espinhaço Range). Campo rupestre; 1000–1400 m.

Taxonomic notes: —A species best recognized by its petiolate leaves (this character needs a careful examination because the lanate indument of the petiole can totally cover it, giving a ‘sessile’ aspect) and a reticulodromous venation. Similar to Lychnophora martiana and L. salicifolia : see these species for a discussion of the differences.

Representative specimens: — BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Congonhas do Norte, estrada para Costa Sena, ca. 15 km de Congonhas do Norte , 18°42’34”S, 43°41’05”W, 1010 m, 21 January 2007, B . Loeuille et al. 81 ( K, SPF); Datas, rodovia Datas–Gouveia, a 3 km NW de Datas, baixada aos pés do Morro do Coco , 18°25’53”S, 43°40’41”W, 1231 m, 21 January 2004, J. R . Pirani et al. 5221 ( MBM, SPF); Diamantina, estrada para Milho Verde , 20 October 1997, J. R . Stehmann 2338 ( BHCB, US).

XII. Lychnophorella Loeuille, Semir & Pirani , gen. nov. Type:— Lychnophora regis Robinson (1983: 375) (= Lychnophora regis (H. Rob.) Loeuille, Semir & Pirani ).

( Fig. 28 A , 29 , 30 )

Genus ad Lychnophorinae pertinens .Frutices vel arbusculae. Folia saepe ericiformia, sessilia, vaginis podiformis instructa.Inflorescentiae in ramis terminales. Capitula 1–5-flora, plerumque in syncephalo aggregata; squamae involucri imbricatae persistentes. Corollae lilacinae, lobis glabris; antherae calcaratae; basis stylorum non nodulifera. Cypselae cylindricae vel prismaticae, raro turbinatae, pubescentes, raro glabrae; carpopodia obsoleta; setae pappi stramineae vel rubrescentes paleaceae, series exteriores breves vel fere aequantes persistentes ad deciduas, series interiores deciduae ad caducas, rectae vel tortiles.

Shrubs, rarely treelets, sometimes candelabriform; stems densely branched. Indumentum tomentose to subvelutinous, rarely puberulous to villose, composed of 3- to 5-armed swollen trichomes, sometimes not swollen, rarely T-shaped and stellate trichomes. Leaves alternate, sessile, rarely shortly petiolate, with a pad-like sheath, blade usually ericoid, coriaceous, discolorous, margin entire, flat or revolute, apex sometimes mucronate, venation usually hyphodromous, seldom eucamptodromous. Inflorescence a terminal, sessile or rarely pedunculate, solitary syncephalium (second-order) or rarely a congested dichasium of glomerules of capitula ( L. leucodendron ). Capitulum sessile, seldom subsessile. Involucre cylindrical, rarely campanulate; phyllaries (4–)5–6(–8)-seriate, strongly imbricate, persistent, glabrous or sometimes pubescent; receptacle naked to foveolate, rarely fimbrillate. Florets 1–5; corolla purple, tube longer or the same size as limb; corolla lobes glabrous; anthers calcarate; style lacking basal node. Cypsela cylindrical or prismatic, infrequently turbinate, pubescent, rarely glabrous; carpopodium inconspicuous; pappus biseriate or unfrequently uniseriate, paleaceous, stramineous or often reddish, outer series shorter than inner series or subequal, persistent to caducous, inner series deciduous to caducous, twisted or straight. Chromosome number: n = 17 ( L. leucodendron ).

Taxonomic notes: —This new genus comprises eight species previously placed in Lychnophora plus Eremanthus leucodendron Mattfeld (1925:378) . It is characterized by the presence of a pad-like leaf sheath, second-order syncephalia (except L. leucodendron ), persistent phyllaries strongly imbricate, glabrous corolla lobes and anther appendage constricted at the base. The genus is restricted to the campos rupestres of the Chapada Diamantina in the Bahia State, Brazil. A similar group has been identified by Hind (2000b), defined as small dome-headed ‘ericoid’ profusely branched trees; however the delimitation of the genus is here slightly different, by including Eremanthus leucodendron and excluding Lychnophora granmogolensis (kept in Lychnophora s.s). The genus emerged as monophyletic in both the molecular and the simultaneous phylogenetic analyses (as Bahian Lychnophora clade, Loeuille et al. 2015b).

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 30. Holotype of Lychnophorella jacobinensis Loeuille, Semir & Pirani (SPF128915).