Cuphea odonellii Lourteig (1959: 281)

Facco, Marlon Garlet & Cavalcanti, Taciana Barbosa, 2023, Taxonomic Revision of Cuphea sect. Trispermum s. l. (Lythraceae), Phytotaxa 588 (1), pp. 1921-1935 : 1921-1935

15. Cuphea odonellii Lourteig (1959: 281) .

Type:— BOLIVIA. Santa Cruz: Prov. del Sara [Prov. Ichilo], Campos de Buenavista [approx. -17.467, -63.668], alt. 500 m, 5 July 1924, Steinbach 6163 (holotype K [000533164] image!, isotypes A image!, BM image!, F image!, G image!, LIL image!, MO image!, P [fragm.] image!, S image!). Figs. 13A–G , 19 .

Cuphea gracilis var. minor Koehne (1877: 284) . Lectotype (here designated):—[ COLOMBIA]. [Vichada]: “ad cataractas Maypures [ Maipures , approx. 5.244, -67.851]”, June 1854, Spruce 3728 (P [05141302] image!, isolectotypes BM, K [2 sheets] image!), syn. nov.

Subshrubs 20–60 cm tall; stems decumbent, canescent, with bifid-malpighiaceous trichomes, arms subequal to unequal, sometimes glandular trichomes present; internodes 0.7–3 cm long; brachyblasts absent. Leaves opposite, chartaceous to coriaceous, petioles 1–2 mm long, blades 8–30 × 1–7 mm, narrow-ovate to narrow-elliptic, rarely linear, apex acute, base acute to obtuse, rarely subcordate, margin plane to subrevolute, bifid-malpighiaceous trichomes on both surfaces, rarely sparse glandular trichomes or glabrescent; brochidodromous. Racemes 15–25 cm long, frondose to frondose-bracteose, compound, elongated, indistinct; bracts 5–22 × 1–5 mm, subequal pairs, linear to narrow-ovate, similar to the leaves in indumentum. Flowers alternate; pedicels 1–2 mm long; bracteoles 0.5–0.6(–1.6) mm long, ovate, rare leaf-like; floral tubes 6.5–8 mm long; spur obtuse, deflexed; outer surface vinaceous in the dorsal region, green ventrally, with bifid-malpighiaceous trichomes, rarely sparse glandular trichomes present; inner surface villous behind the stamens, pilose to dense-pilose in the rest of the floral tube; petals 6, pink to magenta, rarely pale, subequal, two dorsal 2.7–4.1 × 1.2–2 mm, narrow-elliptic to obovate, four ventral 3–5 × 1.5–2.2 mm, narrow-obovate to obovate; stamens free in the upper third of the floral tube, five antesepalous exserted, four antepetalous included; pistil 3.5–6.5 mm long; ovary glabrous; style sparsely pilose or glabrous; ovules 3; nectary ca. 0.6 × 0.5 mm, deflexed. Seeds (1–)2– 3, 1.8–2.3 × 1.3–1.7 mm, elliptic to narrow-elliptic, apex obtuse, base obtuse to slightly acute, margin obtuse.

Phenology: —Collected with flowers and fruits practically all year round, mostly from March to September.

Distribution and habitat: — Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela ( Fig. 19 ) ( Lourteig 1986 , 2007, Graham et al. 2014); wet Amazonian savannas, wet grasslands, “veredas”, river margins, gallery forest edges and cerrado sensu stricto; 50–860 m elev.

Conservation status: — Cuphea odonellii was categorized as Least Concern (LC) due to its wide geographic distribution.

Representative specimens examined: — BOLIVIA. Beni: José Ballivián, San Borja, 19 km hacia La Paz , 21 July 1981, Beck 6962 ( P image!). Santa Cruz: Sara , campos arenosos de Buena Vista, 27 April 1916, Steinbach 2018 ( P image!); Andrés Ibáñez , región de Terebinto, zona de la comunidad el Hondo, 09 May 2014, Villarroel et al. 3583 ( UB!); Velasco, Cruce de Toledo al Refugio en el camino entre San José de Campamento y Florida, 09 November 2009, Wood et al. 26390 ( UB!). BRAZIL. Amazonas: Canutama , campina ca. 20 km depois de Joana D’Arce, de estrada de barro, 08º39’27”S, 64º21’39”W, 24 April 2007, Hopkins et al. 1784 ( INPA!); Humaitá, Humaitá to Labrea , Km 20, 27 November 1966, Prance et al. 3375 ( INPA!); Humaitá, estrada Humaitá-Lábrea, Km 17, 10 June 1982, Teixeira et al. 1070 ( INPA!, MG!). Goiás: Colinas do Sul, arredores da Serra do Jipe , 14º50’00”S, 48º04’00”W, 22 January 2001, Pereira-Silva et al. 4542 ( CEN!); Niquelândia, regi ã o da Serra Negra, margem esquerda do rio Bagagem, próximo à Fazenda Aroeira , após a CODEMIN (10 km desta), 14º07’00”S, 48º23’00”W, 15 April 1992, Walter et al. 1341 ( CEN!); idem, Walter et al. 1362 ( CEN!); Paraúna, Rio Corrente , 17º20’00”S, 50º40’00”W, 14 March 1989, Cavalcanti et al. 436 ( CEN!). Mato Grosso: Água Boa , BR-158, 5 km ao sul de Água Boa, 14°06’06”S, 52°10’21”W, 05 April 2018, Pereira-Silva et al. 17050 ( CEN!); Barra do Garças, BR-158, próximo à estrada vicinal para a Serra do Roncador , 15°22’25”S, 52°11’59”W, 04 April 2018, Pereira-Silva et al. 17041 ( CEN!); [Nova Xavantina], XavantinaCachimbo road, 80 km from Xavantina , 04 June 1966, Hunt & Ramos 5781 ( CEN!); idem, Hunt & Ramos 5782 ( CEN!). Mato Grosso do Sul: Corumbá, Fazenda Rancharia Nhecolândia, Pantanal , 13 September 1988, Pott 4392 ( CEN!). Tocantins: Ponte Alta do Tocantins, estrada de Ponte Alta do Tocantins para Mateiros , 10º38’22”S, 47º18’00”W, 12 November 2011, Bringel et al. 877 ( CEN!, UB!). COLOMBIA. Meta: Lomalinda, près de Puerto Limon , 05 September 1973, Sastre 2110 ( P image!); Puerto Gaitán , morichal a 2 km al oeste de la población, 11 March 1971, Pinto & Sastre 1119 ( P image!); Puerto López, hacienda Mozambique , laguna de humacita, 07 March 1971, Sastre & Pinto 1013 ( P image!). Vichada: carretera entre Pto. Carreno y Pto. Gaitán, “Carro Quemado”, 70 km adelante de Monserrate , 21 March 1971, Pinto & Sastre 1437 ( P image!). VENEZUELA. Amazonas: Atabapo, Cerro Yapacana, entre el Campamento Base y la sabana grande, 07 May 1970, Steyermark & Bunting 103224 ( P image!); Atures, Río Orinoco, raudal de Atures , El Zamuro , 18 March 1971, Pinto & Sastre 1351 ( P image!). Anzoátegui: Miranda , región de Santa Clara, El Guacey, 26 March 1950, Croizat 191 ( F image!). Guárico: Estación Biológica Los Llanos , 27 May 1966, Lourteig 1772 ( P image!).

Although the vegetative morphology varies along its distribution, C. odonellii is characterized by its decumbent habit, whose branches can use other plants to rise, and by the presence of bifid-malpighiaceous trichomes on the stems ( Fig. 1F ), leaves, and flower tubes, giving the plant a canescent appearance. In C. anisoclada , the bifid-malpighiaceous trichomes are also present on the stems, however, the one-armed trichomes, with the second arm strongly reduced, are more abundant. Cuphea odonellii is distributed in northern ( Colombia and Venezuela) and central South America ( Bolivia and Brazil), usually found in wet areas of savanna and grassland formations.

Cuphea odonellii was described and classified by Lourteig (1959) in C. sect. Euandra subsect. Amazonianae Lourteig, a subsection created by the author to group species that inhabit the Amazon basin and that have bifidmalpighiaceous trichomes as their main common feature. Later, Lourteig (1986) raised the subsection to C. sect. Amazoniana (Lourteig) Lourteig.Morphologically, the species exhibits several characters typical of C. sect. Trispermum , including the deflexed nectary, 3 ovules, and pollen grains with thickened exine between the pores ( Facco et al. 2021). Preliminary results from an ongoing phylogenetic analysis of Cuphea revealed that C. odonellii is positioned in the “ Trispermum clade” (Cavalcanti, pers. comm.). The assembly of this morphological and molecular evidence provided support for transferring C. odonellii to C. sect. Trispermum s.l.

Cuphea gracilis var. minor was placed as a synonym of C. antisyphilitica f. gracillima by Lourteig (1964) and later excluded in the last revision of C. sect. Trispermum ( Lourteig 1987) . The materials “ Spruce 3728 ” and “ Karsten s.n. ” cited in the protologue of C. gracilis var. minor by Koehne (1877) are representatives of C. odonellii and thus this variety was synonymized here. Among the type materials, the specimen “ Spruce 3728 ”, deposited in P, with the name of the variety handwritten by E. Koehne on the label (signed as “ E.K.”) was chosen as the lectotype of C. gracilis var. minor . This specimen was erroneously indicated as the type of C. gracilis var. media (synonym of C. gracilis ) by Lourteig (1987) , which was corrected in this revision.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Diversity of leaf morphology and indumentum in Cuphea sect. Trispermum s.l. A. Leaves opposite, ovate-oblong, in C. pulchra var. corollata; B. Leaves 3-verticillate, linear, in C. ericoides; C. Brachyblasts on a stem of C. araguaiaensis; D. Pubescent branch, with erect eglandular trichomes (shorter), mixed with glandular trichomes (longer), in C. bahiensis; E. Strigose branch in C. antisyphilitica, with one-armed appressed trichomes; F. Strigose branch in C. odonellii, with bifid-malpighiaceous appressed trichomes. A: Facco et al. 488; B: Facco et al. 485; C: Pereira-Silva et al. 17010; D: Facco et al. 483; E: Absy 187; F: Walter et al. 1362. Scale bar. B, D, E: 1 mm; C: 4 mm; F: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 13. A–G. Cuphea odonellii. A–B. Branches with flowers; C. Flower in frontal view; D. Floral tube in lateral view, without petals; E. Floral tube in longitudinal-dorsal section, without petals; F. Pistil; G. Seed. H–N. Cuphea paralarix. H. Habit; I. Branches with brachyblasts; J. Flower in frontal view; K. Floral tube in lateral view, without petals; L. Floral tube in longitudinal-dorsal section, without petals; M. Pistil; N. Seed. A–C: Pereira-Silva et al. 17041; D, F: Hunt & Ramos 5782; E: Hopkins et al. 1784; G: Prance et al. 3375; I, L: Pereira-Silva et al. 17146; K: Cavalcanti et al. 3910A; M–N: Simon et al. 2939. Scale bar. D–F, K–M: 2 mm; G, N: 1 mm. Photos. H, J: Maurício Mercadante.

FIGURE 19. Geographical distribution of Cuphea araguaiaensis, Cuphea carajasensis and Cuphea odonellii.