Bouchea fluminensis (Vellozo) Moldenke (1940: 117)

Cardoso, Pedro Henrique, Valério, Vanessa Imaculada Dos Reis, Neto, Luiz Menini & Salimena, Fátima Regina Gonçalves, 2021, Verbenaceae in Espírito Santo, Brazil: richness, patterns of geographic distribution and conservation, Phytotaxa 484 (1), pp. 1-43 : 10

2.1. Bouchea fluminensis (Vellozo) Moldenke (1940: 117) . (Figs. 1B, 5C)

Subshrubs 1‒1.2 m high, branches tetragonal, pubescent in two opposite sides and glabrous in the other two. Leaves opposite, petiole 1.5‒2.2 cm long, blade 7.4‒10.3 × 4.6‒7.2 cm, chartaceous, ovate to wide-ovate, apex acute, base attenuate, decurrent, asymmetrical, margin entire near to the base, serrate toward the apex, ciliate, adaxial surface glabrescent, abaxial surface sparsely strigose, trichomes concentrated along the veins. Inflorescences 15‒30 cm long, peduncle 1.5‒2 cm long, laterally pubescent in two opposite sides and glabrous in the other two, rachis glabrescent; bracts 4.5‒5 mm long, lanceolate, abaxial surface pubescent, margin ciliate, bracteoles 1.3‒1.5 mm long, lanceolate, abaxial surface pubescent, margin ciliate; calyx 1‒1.2 cm long, hirsute along the ribs, pubescent between the ribs; corolla ca. 2 cm long, blue or lilac. Fruit 1‒1.2 cm long, partially inserted inside the persistent calyx.

Distribution and habitat:— Bouchea fluminensis is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical America ( Moroni & O’Leary 2019). In Brazil, it presents records in the Amazon Forest, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest, in all regions (except Northeast) ( Salimena et al. 2016, Moroni & O’Leary 2020b). It was collected in Espírito Santo only in the municipality of Linhares, in dense rainforest and restinga. Not found in SPAs in this state.

Phenology:— Collected with flowers in October and November and with fruits in November and December.

Preliminary conservation assessment: —This is a common species with a wide distribution ( Moroni & O’Leary 2019), and occurs inside PAs in South America. Considered “Least Concern” (LC) ( IUCN 2019).

Selected material:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Lagoa Nova , 16 December 1997, fr., O . J . Pereira & A . M . Assis 5772 ( VIES); Linhares, Lagoa Nova , 24 October 2008, fl., A . P . Fontana et al. 5598 ( CESJ, MBML); Linhares, Lagoa Nova , 26 November 1973, fl. and fr., R . S . Pinheiro & T . S . Santos 2283 ( CEPEC, MBML) .

Notes:— Bouchea fluminensis is characterized by the ovate to wide-ovate leaves, two bracteoles per flower; calyx hirsute in the ribs and pubescent between them, and blue or lilac corolla. It resembles some species of the genus Stachytarpheta due to the morphology of the inflorescence (elongated and terminal), but can be differentiated by the presence of bracteoles, pedicellate flowers and androecium with 4 fertile stamens (vs. absent bracteoles, sessile flowers, and androecium with 2 fertile stamens and 2 staminodes in Stachytarpheta ).

Illustrations in Moroni & O’Leary (2019).