Cypella magnicristata Deble, 2012

Deble, Leonardo Paz, Deble, Anabela Silveira De Oliveira & Alves, Fabiano Da Silva, 2012, Two new species of Cypella (Iridaceae: Tigridieae) from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Phytotaxa 71 (1), pp. 59-68 : 63

Cypella magnicristata Deble , sp. nov. ( Figures 2 , 3C – D , and 4 )

Type:— BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Sul: Quaraí, Jarau , 30°11’34.07”S, 56°29”58.86” W, 17 February 2011 , fl., fr., L. P. Deble & A. S . de Oliveira-Deble 12816 (holotype PACA!)

A Cypellae armosae cui maxime proxima tepala exteriora obovata, 22–25 mm lata (non spathulata, 12–16 mm lata), tepala interiora 22–24 mm longa, 15–16 mm lata (non 14–18 mm longa, 10–12 mm lata), filamenta 5.5–6.4 mm longa (non 3–3.5 mm longa) et antherae 8–9 mm longae (non 7–7.5 mm longae) differt.

Plant up to 30–40 cm high above the soil, underground stems up to 15 cm long. Bulb ovoid, cataphylls darkbrown, 30–40 mm × 25–35 mm, prolonged in a collar up to 10 cm. Leaves at anthesis absent. Flowering stems 18–32 cm long, 2–4 times branched. Spathes 4–5, herbaceous, pallid-green, bivalved, one-flowered, pedunculate, peduncles 3.5–6 cm long; outer valve 2.2–2.8 cm long, the inner 4.2–5.5 cm long, both with membranous edges covered with sparse dark brown longitudinal glandular strips; pedicel filiform, 4–5.5 cm long. Flowers predominately golden-yellow, 60–70 mm diameter. Tepals whorls sharply dissimilar: outer tepals golden-yellow, obovate, 38–44 mm × 22–25 mm, yellow veined, panduriform, patent distally. Inner tepals geniculate-recurved, 22–24 mm × 15–16 mm, proximal half densely covered with purple striation on the adaxial surface, distal region with a white-cream spot and oblique dark-purple stripes; abaxial surface mostly yellow. Filaments yellow, light pink and white cream spotted, filiform, 5.5–6.4 mm long, base slightly dilated; anthers linear-oblong 8–9 mm × 1.2–1.8 mm; connective white-cream, narrowed, locules dark-brown, pollen ochraceous. Ovary pallid-green, 9–10 mm × 2.8–3.4 mm, scattered with brown glandular dots. Style 6–7 mm long. Style arms channeled, 9–10 mm long, crests at the apex 3, adaxial crests linear-lanceolate, 6–7 mm long, abaxial crest lobed, 1 mm long. Capsule obovate, 15–20 mm × 7–9 mm. Seeds oblong to obconical, angulated, reddish-brown, epidermis papillose striate, 2–2.5 mm long.

Distribution and habitat: — Cypella magnicristata is narrowly endemic to the Jarau locality, Quaraí municipality, in southwest Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil ( Figure 4 ). Individuals grow on grasslands.

Phenology: —Specimens with flowers and capsules can be found between November-March. The flowers bloom late at night and wither around mid-morning.

Conservation status: — Cypella magnicristata occurs in an extent of occurrence smaller than 10 km 2, and the three collections belong to a single population. According to the IUCN Red List ( IUCN 2011) the species can be assigned as Critically Endangered (CR, B1, B2a, b(iii), and D) due to the very small extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, few individuals known, decline in the quality of habitat and a single place of occurrence.

Etymology: —From the Latin magnus meaning big and cristatus that mean crested, and referring to longer adaxial crests of style apices.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Sul: Quaraí, Jarau, on grasslands, 30°12’01.50”S, 56°30”20.63” W , 16 December 2010, L . P . Deble & A . S . de Oliveira-Deble 11606 ( PACA!); Jarau, 3 km south of Cerro do Jarau , on grasslands, 30°12’00.13”S, 56°32”08.62” W , 9 November 2011, L . P . Deble & A . S . de Oliveira-Deble 12821 ( PACA!); cultivated, from seeds of Deble & Oliveira- Deble 11606, 4 March 2012, L . P . Deble & A . S . de Oliveira-Deble 13018 ( PACA!) .

Comments: — Cypella magnicristata is closely related to C. armosa Ravenna (1981b: 20) , both species have large flowers, long and narrowed anthers, and style apice with long adaxial crests. However, C. magnicristata differs by the large and obovate outer tepals, the size of inner tepals, and also by the stamens with longer and filiform filaments. The new species also resembles Cypella exilis Ravenna (1981a: 492) , but the latter differs by its smaller and orange flowers, smaller size of outer and inner tepals, and shorter adaxial crests on the style apices. Cypella magnicristata may be distinguished from C. armosa and C. exilis based on the characters listed in the Table 2.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Cypella magnicristata. A. Basal part of the Plant. B. Distal part of the plant. C. Flower, lateral view. D. Flower with tepals removed. E. Gynoecium F. Stamen, dorsal view. G. Stamen, lateral view. H. Capsule. I. Seed. J. Stem bract. A–C from Deble & Oliveira-Deble 12816; D–J from Deble & Oliveira-Deble 13018).

FIGURE 3. Cypella luteogibbosa. A. Flower, upper view. B. Flower, lateral view. Cypella magnicristata. C. Flower, upper view. D. Flower, showing the androgynoecium apparatus. (A–B from Deble & Oliveira-Deble 10265; C–D from Deble & Oliveira-Deble 12816).

FIGURE 4. Geographic distribution of Cypella luteogibbosa and C. magnicristata.