Eremitis afimbriata F.M.Ferreira & R.P.Oliveira, 2013

Ferreira, Fabrício Moreira, Dórea, Marcos C., Leite, Kelly Regina B. & Oliveira, Reyjane P., 2013, Eremitis afimbriata and E. magnifica (Poaceae, Bambusoideae, Olyreae): two remarkable new species from Brazil and a first record of blue iridescence in bamboo leaves, Phytotaxa 84 (1), pp. 31-45 : 33-37

Eremitis afimbriata F.M.Ferreira & R.P.Oliveira , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

It differs from other species of Eremitis by leaf sheaths without fimbriae at the apex and multiple inflorescences on the decumbent culm.

Type: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Alegre, Florestinha, entre Monte Cristo e Burarama , 20°42'04.3"S, 41°22'59.2"W, 05 October 2009, F.M. Ferreira, A.L. Côrtes, D. Couto & A.F.P. Machado 2196 (holotype HUEFS!, isotypes BHCB!, CEPEC!, CEN!, CVRD!, ICN!, ISC!, K!, MBM!, MO!, P!, R!, RB!, SP!, US!).

Plants rhizomatous, cespitose, perennial. Leafy culms erect 90−121(−136) cm tall, 2.2−3.8(−4) mm diam. near the base; leaves 11−18(−19); internodes slightly striated, slightly scabrous; nodes thickened, glabrous or scabrous; leaf sheaths slightly keeled, not inflated, glabrous, scabrous or pilose, margins ciliate, fimbriae at the apex absent; leaf blades 12−17.5(−18.2) × (2.7−)3−4(−4.8) cm, lanceolate, apex acute, base rounded, symmetrical or slightly asymmetrical, abaxial surface strongly purplish green, glabrous to scabrous, adaxial surface green to bluish green, glabrous, margins scabrous; pseudopetioles 2−3.5 × 1−2 mm, dark; adaxial surface glabrous or pilose, abaxial surface pilose; ligule bifid, 1.5−2 mm long. Decumbent culms 14−15(−18) cm tall; leaves 3−5, reduced to the leaf sheaths or with vestigial leaf blades; leafy branches developed or not; leaf sheaths not inflated, glabrous to slightly scabrous, margins ciliate. Subterranean culms ca. 57 cm long. Leafy culm inflorescences 1(−2) per culm, 3.2−3.5 cm long. Decumbent culm inflorescences (1−)2−6 per culm, (3−)4.3−5(−6.5) cm long. Subterranean culm inflorescences 1per culm, 2−3 cm long. Spikelets distributed in dimorphic whorls, the uppermost gynecandrous, 15−18 × 2.4−3.3 mm, 1 per inflorescence; rachis prolongation 1.3−1.5 cm long, glabrous at the base, pilose towards the apex; female spikelet 1 per whorl; male spikelets 5, long pedicellate, surrounding the female one; lower whorls exclusively male, (1−)2−3 spikelets per whorl, the uppermost with 4−5 fertile spikelets, the lower ones with 1−2 spikelets, fertile and/or not. Female spikelets 13−15 × 2.5−3.2 mm, lanceolate or oblong; glumes 10−12 × 1−1.9 mm, membranous, hyaline, linear or narrowly triangular, apex acute, glabrous to shortly pilose, 1−2-nerved; lemma 13−15 × 3−4 mm, cartilaginous, oblong to lanceolate, apex acuminate, glabrous at the base to shortly scabrous at the apex, 12-nerved; palea 14−15 × 2−4 mm, cartilaginous, lanceolate, apex acuminate, glabrous at the base to slightly scabrous towards the apex, 8-nerved. Caryopsis 10−11 × 3−3.3 mm, oblong, castaneous; hilum extending for the entire length of the caryopsis. Male spikelets (4−)5−6 × 1−2 mm at gynecandrous whorl, elliptic to oblong; pedicels (6−)8−11(−13) mm long, laterally adnate in two or three groups, abaxial surface glabrous to shortly pilose, adaxial surface pilose; glumes (3−)4−5 × 0.8−1 mm, linear to narrowly triangular, apex acute to setaceous, pilose to shortly scabrous, 1−3-nerved; lemma (4−)5−6 × 0.7−1 mm, oblong, apex obtuse to rounded, glabrous, margins and apex shortly villose, 2−3-nerved; palea 3.5−4.8(−5.1) × 0.7−1 mm, oblong, apex obtuse to rounded, glabrous, pilose to villose toward the apex, 2-nerved; stamens 2, filaments adnate at the base, fleshy, anthers 1−1.8 mm long; at lower whorls, male spikelets (3−)4−5 × 0.8−1.2 mm, oblong; pedicels (0.1−) 0.4−0.5 mm, laterally adnate or free, glabrous; glumes 2−3(−4) mm long, linear to narrowly triangular, apex acute to setaceous, glabrous to scabrous, (0−)1−2-nerved; lemma (2.5−)3−5× 0.7−1 mm, lanceolate to oblong, apex obtuse to rounded, glabrous, pilose at margins toward the apex, 1−3-nerved; palea (2.8−)3−4.5 × 0.5−0.8 mm, oblong, apex obtuse to rounded, glabrous at the base, villose at the margins toward the apex, 2-nerved.

Etymology: —The name of this new species refers to the marked absence of fimbriae at the apex of the leaf sheaths.

Morphological comments: — Eremitis afimbriata is considerably distinct from congeneric species ( Fig. 1 ). The absence of fimbriae at the apex of the leaf sheaths is the most remarkable feature, which is typical of all the subtribe Parianinae ( Fig. 2 C ). Another feature exclusive of E. afimbriata is the presence of multiple inflorescences on decumbent culms ( Fig. 2 E ); additionally, occasional leaf blades were observed developing on these culms, a character not previously recorded in any other members of Eremitis ( Fig. 2 F ).

Hollowell (1987) reported that multiple inflorescences occur only on leafy culms, while in the decumbent ones only a single terminal inflorescence is found, and that the leaf sheaths of these culms do not develop leaf blades or they are vestigial when present. Eremitis afimbriata has strongly discolorous leaf blades ( Fig. 2 B ) and all these vegetative characters were useful in distinguish this new species from other Eremitis members.

Distribution, habitat and conservation status: — Eremitis afimbriata is currently known only from the type locality, in the municipality of Alegre, Southern Espírito Santo ( Fig. 3 ). A single population comprising

about 60 individuals was found in a forest remnant at 175 m elevation. The plants occur in a shaded environment with many rocky outcrops and near a water course. According to Assis et al. (2007), the vegetation of southern Espírito Santo is classified as a semi-deciduous seasonal submontane forest, due to climatic conditions, altitudinal ranges and soil types found in that region .

The forest remnant where E. afimbriata was found belongs to farmers of that region not within a protected area, which possesses a great risk to this species, since it is apparently microendemic to that area. Besides this, the Atlantic forest currently includes only about 8,9% of its original coverage at Espírito Santo, due to an intense process of deforestation ( Pereira 2007). Eremitis afimbriata is here assessed as critically endangered according to the IUCN red list ( IUCN 2001) criteria CR B1ab: extent of occurrence is estimated to be less than 100 km 2 in an extremely fragmented area.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Eremitis afimbriata. A. Habit. B. Detail of the leaf sheaths without fimbriae. C. Leafy culm apex with inflorescence. D. Detail of the leafy culm inflorescence (after removal the spathaceous bracts; the gynecandrous whorl above, two male whorls below). E−F. Decumbent culm with multiple inflorescences. G−L. Male spikelets of the gynecandrous whorls: G−H. Adaxial view; I−J. Abaxial view. K−L. Male spikelets of the gynecandrous whorls: K. Adaxial view; L. Abaxial view, and detail of the rachis prolongation. M−N. Female spikelet: M. Abaxial view; N. Adaxial view. O. Male spikelet of the lower whorls (All based on Ferreira et al. 2196; drawn by Carla Teixeira Lima).

FIGURE 2. A−H. Eremitis afimbriata. A. Habit. B. Leaf blades abaxial view. C. Apex of the leaf sheath. D. Inflorescence in leafy culms. E. Decumbent culm with multiple inflorescences. F. Decumbent culm with leaf blades developing, arrows indicate the inflorescences. G. Subterranean culm with inflorescence, arrow indicate the inflorescence (knife ca. 50 cm compr.). H. Detail of blue iridescence in the leaf blades. Photos by Fabrício M. Ferreira.

FIGURE 3. Geographic distribution of Eremitis afimbriata, E. magnifica and E. parviflora (Eastern Brazil).