Croton compressus Lamarck (1786: 208)

Rossine, Yuri, Melo, André Laurênio De, Athiê-Souza, Sarah Maria & Sales, Margareth Ferreira De, 2023, Understanding the “ Marmeleiros ”: a taxonomic treatment of Croton sect. Lasiogyne (Euphorbiaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 584 (4), pp. 219-250 : 233-234

4. Croton compressus Lamarck (1786: 208) .

— Oxydectes compressa (Lamarck) Kuntze (1891: 611) .

Lectotype (designated by van Ee 2011: 30):— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: without further locality, 1767, P. Commerson s.n. ( P [ P-LA382064 !, upper sheet]; isolectotypes: F [ F00970409 !], FI [ FI011652 !], MPU [ MPU14777 !], P [ P00493370 !, P00493371 !, P00674046 !, P-JU16345 ]) . Fig. 5 (a–e), 6 (b)

Croton gonocladus Spring ex Martius (1837: 119) . — Lasiogyne brasiliensis Klotzsch (1843: 418) . — Croton brasiliensis Martius ex Klotzsch (1843: 419), nom. nud. Lectotype (designated by Rossine et al. 2021):— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: without further locality, without date, C.F.P. von Martius Herb. Fl. Bras. 163 (M [M0086106!]; isolectotypes: BR [BR0000008553041!], FI [FI011651!], G [G00311375!], GH [GH00047304!], HAL [HAL0136203!], M [M0086105!, M0089100!, M0089101!], P [P00623111!, P00623112!, P00623113!], SP [SP000658!], TUB [TUB009128!, TUB009129!]).

Croton subcompressus M̧ller Argoviensis (1866: 557) .— Oxydectes subcompressa (M̧ller Argoviensis) Kuntze (1891: 613) . Holotype:— “ Patria ignota, verisimiliter America meridionalis aut Mexico ”, without date, without collector (G [G00311369!]).

Description: —Monoecious shrub, 1.5–3 m tall; latex not seen; branching monopodial, branches cylindrical, slightly striated, brown to light green; trichomes stellate. Leaves alternate; stipules linear 0.1–0.3 cm long, usually deciduous, with stellate trichomes; petiole cylindrical, 0.8–1.5 cm long, with stellate trichomes; leaf blade membranous, lanceolate, 5.5–10 × 2.5–4, slightly bifacial, adaxial face dark green with stellate trichomes, abaxial face opaque, light green with stellate trichomes, base rounded, margins entire, apex acute, venation brochidodromous, with 11–16 secondary veins. Thyrses 7–21 cm long, terminal, with stellate trichomes, peduncle ca. 1 cm long; cymules unisexual, congested, staminate up to 2 flowers, pistillate solitary; bracts persistent, lanceolate to oblong, 1–1.3 × 0.3–0.5 mm, margins entire, apex acute to rounded, with stellate trichomes. Staminate flower with pedicel 4–5 mm long; sepals greenish to yellowish, united for ⅓ of their length, lobes ovate, 3–4.5 × 1.8–2.3 mm, margins entire, apex acute, with stellate trichomes externally, glabrous internally; petals white to yellowish, elliptic to oblong, 2.7–3.3 × 1–1.5 mm, margins entire, apex rounded, with simple and stellate trichomes; stamens 15, filament 2–3 mm long, anther rounded, ca. 1 mm diam.; nectary disk 5-lobed, apex of lobes rounded, glabrous. Pistillate flower sessile to subsessile, pedicel up to 1 mm long; sepals light green, united for ⅓ of their length, lobes ovate, 2.7–3.2 × 1–1.5 mm, equal in size, reduplicated horizontally or vertically and horizontally, margins entire, apex acute, with stellate trichomes externally, glabrescent internally; petals absent; ovary ovoid to obloid, ca. 2 × 2.3–2.5 mm, with stellate trichomes; styles ascending, free, multipartite, 18–22 stigmatic tips, with stellate trichomes; nectary disk 5-lobed, apex of lobes rounded, glabrous. Capsule green, ovoid or spheroid to subspheroid, 3.5–4.0 × 3.0 mm, 3-lobed, surface non-muricate, with stellate trichomes; columella ca. 2 mm long, entire, striated, apex flattened. Seed brown, ellipsoid, 2.2–2.7 × 2–2.3 mm, papillose-rugose, caruncle elliptic.

Vernacular names: — Cróton .

Distribution and habitat, conservation status, and phenology: — Croton compressus occurs in the Atlantic Forest domain, restricted to southeastern Brazil, occurring in restinga vegetation and on rocky outcrops; it was recorded by Caruzo & Cordeiro (2007) in Rio de Janeiro and S„o Paulo, and recently in Espírito Santo (Caruzo et al. 2022) ( Fig. 6 , b). Croton compressus has an EOO of 36,810.023 km 2 and an AOO of 112 km 2. Based on the restricted AOO, and because it occurs in areas that are constantly impacted by humans, such as restinga vegetation and mountainous coastal areas, this species is classified here as Near Threatened (NT). Flowering and fruiting from October to May.

Notes: — Croton compressus is morphologically similar to C. jacobinensis , sharing a stellate indumentum, shrubby habit, prominent venation on the abaxial surface of the leaf blade, and the similar general appearances of their fruits and seeds. Croton compressus can be distinguished from C. jacobinensis , however, mainly by having linear stipules (vs. lanceolate to flabelliform), leaf blade lanceolate (vs. cordiform), sepals of the pistillate flower reduplicated horizontally, glabrous internally (vs. reduplicated horizontally and vertically, densely velutinous internally), and ascending styles (vs. patent styles). In addition to its morphology, C. compressus is restricted to the coast of the Southeastern region of Brazil, in restinga environments, also occurring in rocky outcrops; C. jacobinensis occurs in the Northeastern region of the country and in northern of Minas Gerais (Southeast) in the Caatinga domain and in transition areas between the Caatinga and Atlantic Forest domains.

Representative specimens:— Espírito Santo: Guarapari, afloramento rochoso entre Peracanga e Bacutia, 20º73’40” S, 40º52’85” W, 7 June 2015, A. C. S . Dal 350 ( VIES). Rio de Janeiro : Armaç „o de Búzios, Bairro da Rasa, Sítio Tauá, 8 January 2002, R. C. C . Reis 225 ( CEPEC). S „o Paulo: S „o Sebasti„o, Ilha dos Alcatrazes , 11 December 1990, L . Rossi & M . Adair 1090 ( SP) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. a–e Croton compressus: a flowering branch with monopodial ramification b linear stipules, c staminate flower of 15 stamens, d pistillate flower with horizontally (and slightly vertically) reduplicated sepals, long ovoid ovary and free multipartite styles, e ovoid fruit showing vertically reduplicated sepals and multipartite styles, slightly united at the base. f–j C. floribundus: f flowering branch with monopodial ramification, g long-lanceolate stipules, h staminate flower of ca. 15 stamens, i pistillate flower with slightly vertically reduplicated sepals, spheroid ovary, and patent and multipartite styles, j spheroid fruit with muricate surface. k–o C. jacobinensis: k flowering branch with monopodial ramification, l flabelliform to auriculate stipules, m staminate flower of 15 stamens, n pistillate flower strongly reduplicated vertically and horizontally, with a multifid style, slightly united at the base, o spheroid to obloid fruit, 3-lobed.

FIGURE 6. Distribution of some species of section Lasiogyne. a Croton argyrophyllus, C. blanchetianus, and C. claussenianus; b C. compressus, C. floribundus, and C. jacobinensis.