Plantago hatschbachiana Hassemer (2016: 142–148)

Hassemer, Gustavo, 2017, Contributions to the knowledge of the genus Plantago (Plantaginaceae) in the Central-West region of Brazil, Phytotaxa 316 (1), pp. 1-21 : 13

Plantago hatschbachiana Hassemer (2016: 142–148)

Type: — BRAZIL. PARANÁ: Ponta Grossa: Parque Vila Velha, Furnas , campo seco e limpo, 9 November 1966, G. G. Hatschbach & P. Occhioni 15100 (holotype MBM-3630!; isotypes C!, HBR-35243!, P-03838463!) .

Description: —Rosette herbs, perennial. Taproot thickened; secondary cord-like roots absent to very scarce. Caudex generally inconspicuous, to 1 cm long, with a conspicuous tuft of reddish trichomes at its apex. Leaves lanceolate, elliptic, narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, basally attenuated, without a very evident petiole, coriaceous, pilose. Trichomes on leaves and scapes wire-shaped, with conspicuous dark cellular articulations, very slender throughout their entire length, not perceptibly gradually tapering towards the apex; those on scapes variously oriented. Scape covered with trichomes throughout the entire length, or almost. Spike multiflowered, with flowers relatively sparsely distributed, less densely crowded below. Corolla actinomorphic, glabrous, remaining very conspicuous after fruit maturation. Stamens 4. Pyxidia 1–2-seeded. Seeds fairly plane ventrally, slightly convex dorsally; surface reticulate. See also the description in Hassemer (2016: 142).

Illustrations: — Fig. 2 in Hassemer (2016).

Photographs: — Fig. 2 in Hassemer et al. (2015a) (sub P. commersoniana ); Fig. 1 in Hassemer (2016).

Distribution: —This species has been recorded in two municipalities in eastern Paraná (Palmeira, ca. 990 m, one gathering; and Ponta Grossa, ca. 950 m, six gatherings), in the South region of Brazil, and in one municipality in southern Mato Grosso do Sul (Ponta Porã, ca. 680 m, one gathering), in the Central-West of Brazil, less than 300 metres from the border between Brazil and Paraguay ( Fig. 7 ) (Hassemer 2016).

Habitat: —This species is restricted to sandstone grasslands, with shallow and rocky soil, at elevations ranging from 670 to 1000 m (Hassemer 2016).

Conservation status: —Critically endangered (CR–B2[a,b(i,ii,iii,iv,v)]). The confirmed area of occupancy of this species is less than 1 km 2. Despite intense search efforts in the municipalities of Palmeira and Ponta Porã, with the help of staff from MBM herbarium (who had previously collected this species in those places), I could not find any plants of this species in these two localities (Hassemer 2016). The environment in the area where the only gathering of P. hatschbachiana was done, in Ponta Porã, has been thoroughly destroyed, to give place to plantations and pastures, and even the roadsides of the road MS-164 has been excavated or substituted with lawns composed of invasive African grass species ( Fig. 9 ). Therefore, the chance that this species has survived in this area is slim.

Notes: —The only collection of P. hatschbachiana from the Central-West region of Brazil, G.G. Hatschbach et al. 76667 (MBM-290928) ( Fig. 2 in Hassemer et al. 2015a), is composed of two specimens which differ considerably from other known specimens of this species, all originated from around Ponta Grossa in Paraná state. The main differences are that these specimens from Ponta Porã have much wider leaves and much stiffer trichomes at the apex of the caudex. Considering these differences, and also the very disjunct distribution, I was tempted to recognise these specimens as a distinct taxon, maybe at subspecies level. However, I chose not to do so due to the scarcity of material available. The discovery of populations of P. hatschbachiana from Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraguay would be much valuable for a better understanding of the taxonomy of these plants, and critically important for their conservation, as discussed above.

Additional specimens examined: — BRAZIL. MATO GROSSO DO SUL: Ponta Porã: rodovia Ponta Porã–Bela Vista, próximo da fazenda Itamonte, campo limpo, seco e rochoso, 23 October 2003, G.G. Hatschbach et al. 76667 (MBM-290928).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Plantago hirtella (A.J.A. Bonpland & F.W.H.A. von Humboldt s.n., P-00670059). Published with permission of Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle.Available online at: https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/p/item/p00670059.

FIGURE 2. Lectotype of Plantago galeottiana (H.Galeotti 1427, P-00609788).Published with permission of Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle.Available online at: https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/p/item/p00609788.

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Plantago commersoniana (purple squares, the new record in orange), P. hatschbachiana (red triangles) and P. napiformis (green dots, the new records in yellow); the new records of P. australis subsp. hirtella in the Central-West region of Brazil (blue diamonds); and the new records of P.major in Mato Grosso state (pink stars). The area in the map shaded in blue corresponds to the states in Brazil where the occurrence of P. australis subsp. hirtella had been hitherto recorded.

FIGURE 9. Roadside of the road MS-164, which is the area where Plantago hatschbachiana was collected in 2003 in Ponta Porã, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. A: Substitution of the native sandstone grasslands with invasive African grass species. B: Recently-stablished Eucalyptus plantations. C: Thorough destruction of the environment and its flora by the removal of soil from this area, exposing the sandy soil typical of this area.