Hyptis lavoisierifolia A.Soares, J.F.B.Pastore & Harley, 2021

Soares, Arthur De Souza, Pastore, José Floriano Barêa, Medeirosantar, Guilherme & Harley, Raymond Mervyn, 2021, Hyptis lavoisierifolia, a new species from the noteworthy Hyptis subsect. Pachyphyllae (Lamiaceae-Hyptidinae) endemic to Chapada dos Veadeiros region, Goiás, Brazil, Phytotaxa 507 (2), pp. 175-182 : 176-180

Hyptis lavoisierifolia A.Soares, J.F.B.Pastore & Harley sp. nov.

Type: — BRAZIL. Goiás: Mun. Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros, Morro vizinho ao Morro da Baleia , 14°07’58.2”S 47°39’29.8”W, 1275 m; 14 Feb. 2021, fl.; Soares, A. S. et al. 640; holotype: UFRN!). ( Figures 1 and 2 ) .

Diagnosis: — Hyptis lavoisierifolia resembles H. pachyphylla , differing from it the by the smaller shrubby habit (vs. shrub to small tree habit), dense indumentum, composed by long, entangled white hairs, that covers the upper branches, abaxial leaf surface and cymes (vs. scattered short and appressed whitish hairs on branches and abaxial leaf surface and glabrous cymes), and both calyx at anthesis and corolla with tube inner surface covered with long white hairs in the mid portion (vs. calyx at anthesis and corolla inner surface glabrous).

Shrub, few or much branched from the base and weakly aromatic, 0.6–1.0 m tall. Stems glabrous on the lower portion and lanate above, densely covered with long, entangled, soft white hairs. Leaves opposite, the oldest patent, the youngest slightly curving upwards, sessile, ovate or slightly rotund, lamina 0.4–1.4 × 0.9–2.4 cm, apex acute, base auriculate, margin entire, slightly revolute, strongly discolorous, adaxial surface green, glabrous except for long and dense hairs concentrated on the lower and middle portion of midrib, abaxial surface whitish, lanate, densely covered with long, entangled and soft white hairs, venation weakly brochidodromous, with thickened first vein. Inflorescence composed of dorsiventrally appressed cymes, partially hidden in the axis of leaf-like bracts. The cyme 6.0–7.5 × 7.8 mm, 5-flowered, subtended by a pair of outer bracteoles, ovate, slightly chartaceous, concave, 1–1.2 × 4.0– 4.1 mm long, with outer surface lanate, obscuring the thickened midrib, and inner surface glabrous; eight inner bracteoles, five at the base of each flower (4.2–4.5 mm long) and three protecting the terminal flower and each branch of the dichasia (4.8–5.0 mm long), all lanceolate, membranous, with indumentum as in the outer. Flower sessile, densely covered with long white hairs, some ascending from the cyme receptacle overtopping the lobes; calyx at anthesis green, membranous, 5.0–6.0 mm long, tubular, tube 2.0– 2.5 mm long, outer surface lanate and glabrous within, lobes slightly purple, narrowly lanceolate, membranous, ciliate, 3.0– 3.5 mm long; fruiting calyx not seen; corolla pale-pink or white, without marks or dots, 7.0– 8.5 mm long, 1.0 mm diam near base and 1.5 diam near throat, outer surface glabrescent, inner surface with long and entangled hairs on mid portion, lobes 1.0– 1.3 mm long, rotund with apex rounded or slightly acute; androecium with stamens white, glabrous and anthers slightly brown; gynoecium white, glabrous, style 6.5 mm long, stigma purple, slightly bilobed, stylopodium overtopping the ovary ca. 0.6 mm long. Fruit not seen.

Distribution: — Hyptis lavoisierifolia is known from the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, in Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Goiás state, Brazil ( Fig. 3 ).

Habitat and ecology: —The new species was found growing in campo rupestre vegetation with sandy soil, between 1275 and 1350 m, occurring with other members of subtribe Hyptidinae , but none belonging to Hyptis subsect. Pachyphyllae .

Phenology: —Collected with flowers in February.

Provisional IUCN conservation status: —The new species, as the others from subsection Pachyphyllae , occur only in the Chapada dos Veadeiros region, in Goiás state, Brazil. Four collections of H. lavoisierifolia were registered, and although two of them were collected outside the limits of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (referred here as PNCV), they are very close to it ( Fig. 3 ). Two of the collections were made by the first and second authors, who could identify at least 10 individuals in each population. The Area of Occurrence and Extent of Occurrence are 12 km 2. Although the PNCV is a fully protected conservation unit, where human activities as farming and cattle raising are prohibited, the area is under touristic pressure, visited by thousands of people/year seeking ecotourism, which could cause a decrease of habitat quality. Here, based on our observation and following IUCN (2012), we suggest classifying the species as Critically Endangered (CR), following the criteria C2a(i) and D ( IUCN 2019).

Etymology: —The epithet is a reference to the plant genus Lavoisiera Candolle (1828:102) , an endemic genus from Brazil, belonging to Melastomataceae Family, the leaves of which resemble the new species.

Paratypes: — BRAZIL. Goiás: Mun. Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros, subida do Morro da Baleia , 14°7’49.54”S 47°39’30.45”W, 1350 m; 14 Feb. 2021, fl.; Soares, A. S et al. 639 ( CEPEC, CTBS, RN, UFRN); ibidem, Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros ( PNCV), trilha para o Morro da Baleia , plantas crescendo nas pedras, 14°10’03”S 47°48’36”W, 1034 m; 19 Nov. 2013; Alves, R. B. N. et al 66 ( CENCEN); Mun. Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Estrada Alto Paraíso / Colinas, GO. 8 km de Alto Paraíso , Brejo com afloramentos de rochas de arenito, solo arenoso, 14°9’34.54”S 47°35’33”W, 1170 m; 9 Sep. 1988, fl.; Mendonça , R. C & Furtado , P. P 1178 ( UEC, US) ; Mun. Alto Paraíso de Goiás , Campo rupestre denso sobre rochas quartzitas, Chapada dos Veadeiros, ca. 8 km SSE do Alto Paraíso, 14°11’S 47°30’W, 1301 m, 28 Apr. 1984, fl.; Kirkbride, J. H. 5530 ( MBM, MG, US) .

Affinities: —Among the species that form subsect . Pachyphyllae , Hyptis lavoisierifolia resembles H. penaeoides Taubert (1896: 450) . and H. pachyphylla Epling (1937: 290) , due to the branching habit, hairy stems, younger leaves curved upwards with revolute margin, outer bracteoles ovate and strongly concave with rigid and well-marked first vein. However, the new species is a shrub 0.6–1.0 m tall with cymes 6.0– 7.5 mm wide, while H. penaeoides can be a shrub or small tree reaching 4 m tall, with leaves imbricate, cymes 1.0 cm wide, and H. pachyphylla , a shrub or a small tree with 1.5–3.0 m tall, leaves slightly imbricate and cymes 5.0– 7.5 mm wide. Furthermore, the indumentum in the new species is very characteristic, which is lanate (with long and entangled hairs) in younger branches, at the base of the adaxial surface and on the entire abaxial surface of the leaves, in the cymule, densely covering it and including the calyx, as opposed to pilose branches, leaves with adaxial surface glabrous and abaxial surface pilose-tomentose and cymes glabrous in H. pachyphylla , and branches, leaves abaxial surface and cymes covered with long-pilose appressed hairs in H. penaeoides .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hyptis lavoisierifolia A.Soares, J.F.B.Pastore & Harley: A: Habit; B: Leaf (abaxial and adaxial surfaces); C: Cymule; D: Outer bracteole (outer and inner surfaces); E: inner bracteole (outer and inner surfaces); F: Flower; G: Calyx at anthesis (outer and inner surfaces); H: Opened corolla; I: Gynoecium. All structures and habit drawn from Soares 640 (UFRN). Illustration by Klei Sousa.

FIGURE 2. Distribution map of Hyptis lavoisierifolia A.Soares, J.F.B.Pastore & Harley. Red lines indicate Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park limits. White star: Hyptis lavoisierifolia A.Soares, J.F.B.Pastore & Harley; White circle with black dot: Capital town of Alto Paraíso de Goiás.

FIGURE 3. Hyptis lavoisierifolia A.Soares, J.F.B.Pastore & Harley:A: Upper branch detail showing indumentum and inflorescence.; B: Mature individual.