Prepusa montana Martius (1827: 121)

Tanajura, Jéssica Leão Barbosa, Pinho, Carolina Santos, Silva, Rilquer Mascarenhas Da & Carvalho, Maria Luiza Silveira De, 2021, Integrative assessment of the floristic diversity of Gentianaceae in an area of campo rupestre of the Espinhaço Range in the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 500 (2), pp. 61-94 : 73-74

Prepusa montana Martius (1827: 121) Fig. 3E .

Shrubs or small trees, 1–3 m tall. Branches green, cylindrical, costate. Leaves opposite, sessile, discolorous, blades 1.8–2.4 × 5–7.3 cm, obovate, coriaceous, glabrous, attenuate at base, emarginate at apex, entire at margin. Inflorescence in terminal cymes, 9–10-flowered, peduncle ca. 0.6 cm. Flowers homostylous, 6-merous, pedicel 4.5 cm; calyx 2–2.2 × 0.5–1.8 cm, yellowish, winged, not keeled, campanulate, glabrous. Corolla greenish yellow, campanulate, tube 1.1–2 × 1.6 cm, lobes 1–0.8 × 0.4 cm, at base obovate, at apex angulate; stamens 0.9–2.8 cm, isodynamous, adnate, conation 1.3 cm, anthers basifixed; ovary 8 × 3 mm, style 0.4–2.5 cm, stigma bilobed. Fruit septicidal capsule.

Habitat and distribution:— Prepusa montana is the only species of its genus occurring in the Cerrado and “campo rupestre” of Bahia, is considered as endemic ( Siqueira et al. 2014, Calió et al. 2015) and restricted to Chapada Diamantina (Calió 2009, Siqueira et al. 2014) in the cities of Andaraí, Lençóis, Morro do Chapéu and Mucugê ( Siqueira et al. 2014). In addition, it is also considered one of the rare species in Brazil ( Calió & Guimarães 2009). It is also classified, according to risk categories of the Red List of Endangered Species ( IUCN 2020), as a vulnerable species (VU) ( IUCN 2020, CNCFlora 2014a, Guimarães et al. 2014). In the present work, the distribution modeling analysis corroborates this distribution restricted to the Chapada Diamantina areas, with a greater suitability to the Chapada areas and allowing inferences to be extrapolated only to nearby locations, such as, for example, Catolés and Pico das Almas, compared in this study ( Fig. 1 , Fig. 2C , Fig. 3E , Fig. 4C , Appendix 1).

Comments:—This species is also the only one with a shrubby or arboreal habit, unlike the others that are herbaceous ( Siqueira et al. 2014). Can be found with flowers from February to October ( Siqueira et al. 2014).

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Mucugê, Trilha Tiburtino , 28 July 2017, fl., M . L .S. Carvalho et al. 480 ( ALCB!); Próximo aos Rios Piabinha e Cumbuca , 25 March 2000, fl. & fr., A . M . Giulietti 1926 ( ALCB!); 15 October 2011, fl., F . S . Gomes et al. 940 ( ALCB!); Em torno do Parque Sempre-Viva , March 2008, fl., C . M . Pigozzo 243 ( HUEFS!, ALCB!); Trilha para a cachoeira do Tiburtino , 30 April 2009, fl., N . Roque et al. 1971 ( ALCB!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Parque Municipal de Mucugê—Projeto Sempre Viva (PMM), Bahia, Brazil. Map of the study area, evidencing the location of PMM and other areas of the Espinhaço Range (ER) used for comparison in this study (A), “campo rupestre” phytophysiognomy (B). Photo B by Ariane Leite. Legend: (Lilac area) ER above 1000 m a.s.l.

FIGURE 2. Maps of occurrence with localities used for the species distribution modeling, showing the study area location within South America. Curtia diffusa (A), Macrocarpaea illecebrosa (B), Prepusa montana (C), Schultesia bahiensis (D), Schultesia crenuliflora (E), Schultesia minensis (F), Schultesia pachyphylla (G).

FIGURE 3. Species of Gentianaceae from the Parque Municipal de Mucugê - Projeto Sempre Viva (PMM), Bahia, Brazil: Calolisianthus pedunculatus (A), Chelonanthus purpurascens (B), Curtia verticillaris (C), Curtia tenuifolia (D), Prepusa montana (E), Schultesia bahiensis (F), Schultesia crenuliflora (G), Schultesia pachyphylla (H). Scale bars:A: 2 cm; B: 1 cm; C: 0,5 cm; D: 0,5 cm; E: 2 cm; F–H: 1 cm. Photo A, B, E, F, G and H by Maria Luiza Silveira de Carvalho; C and D by Vinicius Dittrich and Gustavo Shimizu, respectively.

FIGURE 4. Maps of environmental suitability of native/endemic species of Gentianaceae in the Espinhaço Range (ER): Curtia diffusa (A), Macrocarpaea illecebrosa (B), Prepusa montana (C), Schultesia bahiensis (D), Schultesia crenuliflora (E), Schultesia minensis (F), Schultesia pachyphylla (G).