Chiococca plowmanii Delprete, Rev. Biol. Neotrop.

Jardim, Jomar G., Taylor, Charlotte M., Barbosa, Maria Regina & Pessoa, Maria Do Céo R., 2015, Taxonomic notes on Chiococca and Salzmannia (Rubiaceae, Chiococceae) in northeastern Brazil, with a new combination and a new species, Phytotaxa 202 (1), pp. 15-25 : 20

Chiococca plowmanii Delprete, Rev. Biol. Neotrop. 1: 5, fig. 1. 2004 [2005].

This species is found in coastal vegetation from Bahia to Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil, and is characterized by its relatively small, coriaceous, rounded leaves, its slender racemiform inflorescences generally with the internodes of the primary axis somewhat reduced, and its relatively small, yellow, tubular corollas with four thinly imbricate lobes. The protologue cited various paratype specimens, and detailed extensive variation in leaf form. Our field studies show that the leaves of this species are elliptic or broadly elliptic to suborbicular, apically broadly obtuse to rounded, truncate, or infrequently shortly acuminate, and overall relatively small, 1.5–7 cm long ( Delprete, 2004: fig. 1C, D, E). Several of the paratype specimens differ in their larger, elliptic-oblong to ovate, apically acute to acuminate leaves ( Delprete 2004: fig. 1F, G), and are here excluded from C. plowmanii . Of these paratypes, Harley et al. 11716 (MO!) and Thomas et al. 10075 (MO!), in our opinion, are specimens of C. nitida .