Microlicia flaviflora Versiane & R.Romero, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 197: 53. 2021.

Pacifico, Ricardo, Almeda, Frank, Penneys, Darin S. & Fidanza, Karina, 2022, Systematics of the Trembleya sensu stricto clade of Microlicia (Melastomataceae, Lavoisiereae), PhytoKeys 216, pp. 1-101 : 1

4. Microlicia flaviflora Versiane & R.Romero, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 197: 53. 2021.

Fig. 22

Trembleya hatschbachii Wurdack & E.Martins, Bol. Bot. Univ. São Paulo 14: 40. 1995. original name. Type: Brazil. Minas Gerais, Grão Mogol, Rio das Mortes, 15 May 1988, G. Hatschbach, M. Hatschbach & O. Ribas 52005 (holotype: MBM!; isotypes: BHCB!, C!, CAS!, CTES, ESA!, G!, HUFSJ, K!, MO!, RB!, S, SPF!, US!, VIC, VIES).

Description.

Erect shrubs 0.8-2.5 m tall. Branchlets quadrangular, appearing glabrous, vernicose and minutely granulose, light green (when fresh). Internodes 0.6-3.0 cm long, angles with narrow wings 0.2-0.4 mm wide. Petioles 3.9-17 mm long. Leaf blades 37-90 mm long, 17-50 mm wide, coriaceous (when dry), elliptic to slightly ovate, both surfaces green (when fresh), adaxial surface blackened and abaxial surface pale brown (when dry), discoloured (when dry), base cuneate to attenuate, apex acute, margin flat, entire and minutely granulose and becoming glabrescent with age, 5-nerved from the base, one pair of acrodromous veins and one pair of tenuous veins close to the margin, tertiaries evident on the abaxial surface, nearly perpendicular to acute to the mid-vein, little reticulate and branching apically, adaxial surface glabrous to minutely granulose, vernicose, abaxial surface glabrous to minutely granulose. Inflorescences compound dichasia consisting of biparous cymes, not congested. Bracts (including petioles) 3.2-5.0 cm long, 1.4-2.0 cm wide, 5-nerved, elliptical, appearing glabrous, vernicose. Bracteoles (at anthesis) with petioles 1.6-1.9 mm long, blades 3.5-6.0 mm long, 1.3-1.9 mm wide, narrowly elliptic, base attenuate, apex acute, margin entire, 1-3-nerved, indumentum appearing glabrous, vernicose. Flowers 5-merous, pedicels (at anthesis) 1.8-2.2 mm long. Hypanthia (at anthesis) 3.3-4.1 mm long, 3.0-3.2 mm wide at the torus, campanulate, light green (when fresh), externally glabrous, minutely granulose, vernicose. Calyx tubes inconspicuous, 0.1-0.2 mm long. Calyx lobes (at anthesis) 4.0-4.9 mm long, 1.3-1.9 mm wide at the base, narrowly triangular, apex acute, margin entire, (when fresh) light green, externally glabrous, minutely granulose, vernicose. Petals 6.0-8.8 mm long, 5.2-7 mm wide, yellow, obovate, apex rounded, margin entire and glabrous, both surfaces glabrous. Stamens 10, strongly dimorphic. Larger (antesepalous) stamens 5, filaments 3.4-4.0 mm long, yellow, pedoconnectives 3.7-4.0 mm long, yellow, appendages 1.0-1.2 mm long, yellow, apex truncate to slightly emarginate, thecae (excluding rostra) 1.4-1.6 mm long, brownish, oblong, rostra 0.3-0.4 mm long, the circular pores ca. 0.2 mm wide. Smaller (antepetalous) stamens 5, filaments 2.7-2.9 mm long, yellow, pedoconnectives 1.2-1.4 mm long, yellow, short appendages ca. 0.5 mm long, yellow, apex truncate, thecae (excluding rostra) 1.4-1.6 mm long, yellow-brownish, oblong, rostra 0.3-0.5 mm long, the circular pores ca. 0.2 mm wide. Ovary 3.5-4.1 mm long, 2.9-3.1 mm wide, globose, 5-locular. Style 4-4.2 mm long, yellow. Capsules (at maturity) 3.4-3.6 mm long, 3.5-4.2 mm wide, globose, initially enveloped by the hypanthium, torus constricted at the apex, fruiting calyx tubes 0.2-0.4 mm long, fruiting calyx lobes 3.7-4.0 mm long, not thickened. Seeds ca. 0.6 mm long, reniform.

Distribution, habitat and elevation range.

Endemic to northern Minas Gerais (Fig. 19A ), at Serra de Grão Mogol, Serra de Botumirim and Serra Nova. It occurs on quartzitic campo rupestre exposed to full sun at elevations between 760 and 1243 m. The distribution of M. flaviflora is a good match to the Grão Mogol biogeographic district ( Colli-Silva et al. 2019).

Conservation.

This species is known from about 20 collections. The EOO is 468,668 km2 and the AOO is 32 km2. Most of the populations of M. flaviflora occur within the following conservation units: Parque Estadual de Grão Mogol, Parque Estadual de Botumirim and Parque Estadual da Serra Nova, where this species is afforded protection. The Brazilian Government assigned a conservation status of Endangered (EN) to this species ( Brasília 2014). Based on IUCN (2019) recommendations and criteria, we concur with that conclusion (EN): B1ab(iii).

Recognition and affinities.

Microlicia flaviflora may be recognised by its leaves and hypanthia that appear to be glabrous, but are vernicose and minutely granulose, leaf blades 3.7-9.0 cm long, elliptic to slightly ovate, compound dichasia and yellow petals. In overall vegetative morphology, M. flaviflora resembles M. tridentata . In turn, its yellow petals, staminal filaments and styles are shared only with M. rosmarinoides . Microlicia flaviflora differs from M. tridentata by its leaves that have entire margins throughout (vs. serrulate along the upper half), abaxial surfaces appearing glabrous (vs. glandular-punctate), shorter bracteoles with blades 3.5-6.0 mm long (vs. 8.1-11.0 mm long) and apex acute (vs. rounded to obtuse) and yellow petals (vs. magenta or rarely white) that are 6.0-8.8 mm long (vs. 11.5-13.0 mm long). Microlicia flaviflora differs from M. rosmarinoides by its taller habit 0.8-2.0 m tall (vs. 0.3-0.6 m tall), branchlets, abaxial surfaces of the leaves and hypanthia appearing glabrous (vs. glandular-punctate), leaf blades 3.7-9.0 cm long (vs. 0.4-1.0 cm long) that are elliptic to slightly ovate (vs. linear to lanceolate) and have 5 basal acrodromous veins (vs. 1-nerved from the base), compound dichasia (vs. solitary flowers), longer calyx lobes 4.0-4.9 mm long (vs. 2.2-2.8 mm long) and longer petals 6.0-8.8 mm long (vs. 5.0-5.3 mm long).

Specimens examined.

Brazil. Minas Gerais: Botumirim Municipality, Estrada para o Rio do Peixe , Forzza et al. 4897 (NY, RB, SPF), Serra da Canastra , Mello-Silva et al. 509 (HUEM, SPF, UEC), Nakajima et al. 4764 (HUFU), Scatigna & Galvão 376 (UEC); Grao Mogol Municipality , Serra de Grao Mogol , Bidá et al. CFCR11951 (SPF, US), Cerati et al. 246 (K, SP, UEC), Furlan et al. CFCR771 (SPF, UEC, US), Hatschbach & Hatschbach 52005 (holotype: MBM; isotypes: BHCB, C, CAS, CTES, ESA, G, HUFSJ, K, MBM, MO, S, SPF, US, UPCB, VIC, VIES), Hatschbach 41337 (ESA, FLOR, HCF, HUEFS, MBM, NY, RB, SPF, UPCB, US), Hatschbach et al. 54239 (CAS, INPA, MBM), Hatschbach et al. 68067 (MBM), Hensold et al. CFCR3525 (SPF, US), Kral et al. 72723 (SP, SPF), Leitão Filho et al. 7893 (MBM, UEC), Meireles et al. 1124 (CAS, HUEM, UEC), Oliveira et al. CFCR12997 (SPF, US), Pacifico & Simoes 353 (CAS, HUEM), Pacifico 565 (CAS, HUEM, RB); Pirani & Mello-Silva CFCR10814 (HUEM, SPF, UEC, US), Zappi et al. CFCR9903 (SPF, UEC); Rio Pardo de Minas Municipality , Serra Nova, Araújo et al. 2043 (BHCB), Rocha et al. 497 (BHCB, NY) .

Figures

Figure 19. Geographic distribution of species of the Trembleya s. s. clade of Microlicia A distributions of M. altoparaisensis, M. calycina, M. chamissoana and M. flaviflora B distributions of M. laniflora and M. trembleyiformis.

Figure 22. Microlicia flaviflora A habit B leaf abaxial surface C bracteole abaxial surface D floral bud E flower in lateral view F flowering hypanthium G petal adaxial surface H antesepalous (left) and antepetalous (right) stamens I gynoecium J capsule enveloped by the hypathium. Drawn from Meireles et al. 1124 (UEC).