Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC., Prodr.

Lima, Laura Cristina Pires, Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci De, Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo & Lewis, Gwilym Peter, 2014, A Taxonomic Revision of Desmodium (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 169 (1), pp. 1-119 : 87-89

29. Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC., Prodr. 2: 332. 1825. Hedysarum tortuosum Sw., Prodr. 107. 1788. Meibomia tortuosa (Sw.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 198. 1891. Type:— JAMAICA. O.P. Swartz s.n. (holotype S!). Fig. 31 .

Hedysarum purpureum Mill., Gard. Dict. (ed. 8): 6. 1768. Meibomia purpurea (Mill.) Vail, FI. S.E. US. 639. 1903. Desmodium purpureum (Mill.) Fawc. & Rendle, Fl. Jamaica 4: 36. 1920, nom. illeg., non Hook. & Arn. (1841). Type:— MEXICO. Veracruz, W. Houstoun s.n. (holotype BM!).

Desmodium stipulaceum DC., Prodr. 2: 330. 1825. Meibomia stipulacea (DC.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 198. 1891. Type :— MEXICO. s.c. (holotype G-DC!).

Desmodium tortuosum var. hirtellum DC., Prodr. 2: 332. 1825. Type :— GUADELOUPE. C.G. Bertero s.n. (holotype G-DC!).

Desmodium pulcherrimum Shuttlew ex Griseb., Fl. Brit. W. I. : 188. 1859. Lectotype (designated here):— UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Florida , near to Tallabassee, September 1843, F. Rugel s.n. (lectotype K!, isolectotypes BM![2 sheets], G![2 sheets], HAL!).

Erect, branched shrub or subshrub, 0.5–2 m tall, without a xylopodium; stems not virgate, slender or not, cylindrical, striate, sparsely or densely uncinate and hispid or glabrescent, not glaucous; internodes 3.5–6.1 cm long. Stipules 5–17 × 2–6 mm, ovate-lanceolate, auriculate, semi-amplexicaul, free from each other, apex caudate, margin ciliate, sparsely uncinate, veins conspicuous, persistent; auricle ca. 0.5 cm long. Leaves trifoliolate; petiole 11–70 mm long, cylindrical, sulcate, sparsely uncinate; rachis 5–40 mm long; stipels 8–10 mm long, lanceolate, margin ciliate, glabrescent on the outer surface, persistent; leaflets discolorous, chartaceous, venation brochidodromous, primary and secondary veins prominent, tertiary veins flush with the abaxial surface, indumentum densely tomentose and puberulous on the primary, secondary and tertiary veins on the abaxial surface, adaxial surface puberulous, uncinate hairs covering both surfaces, terminal leaflet 3.5–10.5 × 1–5 cm, elliptic, ovate, ovate-rhombic or rhombic, base oblique or obtuse, apex acute or obtuse, lateral leaflets 2–7 × 1–4 cm, elliptic or the same shape as the terminal leaflet. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary pseudoraceme or paniculate; the main axis longer than the adjacent leaves, 11–25.2 cm long, sparsely or densely puberulous-uncinate and hispid, 2–4 flowers per node; primary bract 4.5–6 mm long, linear, margin ciliate, puberulous-uncinate on the outer surface, caducous, veins conspicuous on the outer surface; secondary bract 1–2.5 mm long, narrowly triangular, margin ciliate, puberulous-uncinate on the outer surface, caducous, veins inconspicuous on the outer surface; pedicel 7–15 mm long, sparsely or densely puberulous-uncinate and hispid. Flowers 4–5 mm long; calyx bilabiate, tube campanulate, 1–1.5 mm long, uncinate and hirsute on the outer surface; upper lip bifid, the 2 teeth joined for ca. ¾ of their length, acute, ca. 0.2 mm long; lower lip trifid, lateral tooth triangular, 1.5–2 mm long, central tooth triangular, ca. 2 mm long; corolla lilac or purple, standard 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, obovate, apex obtuse, maculate at the base, claw ca. 1 mm long; wing petals 3.5–4 × 1.2–1.5 mm, oblong, apex obtuse, without callosities, claw ca. 0.5 mm long; keel petals 2.5–3 × 1–1.5 mm, narrowly obovate, apex obtuse, with callosities, claw 1–1.5 mm long; androecium monadelphous, 4–5 mm long, vexillary stamen partially fused with the other from the base ca. 1 mm long; ovary 2.5–3 mm long, puberulous or glabrous stipe ca. 0.2 mm long, glabrous. Loment 1.2–2.8 cm long, stipe 1–2 mm long, glabrous, isthmus central, both margins sinuate; articles uniform 4–6, 3–4.5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, suborbicular or ovate-elliptic, tortuous, indehiscent, subcoriaceous, veins inconspicuous, puberulous-uncinate. Seed ca. 2.5 × 1.5 mm, oblong, hilum central.

Selected specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Amazonas: Iranduba: Costa do Acutaba , 8 August 2002, fr., J . Major 20 ( INPA). Bahia: Itapebi : ramal Itaimbé para Itapebi, 10 November 1967, fr., R. S . Pinheiro 403 ( HUEFS, K, RB). Distrito Federal: Brasília: BR-020 Brasília – Formosa, km 65, March, fl., J. G . Vieira et al. 343 ( HUEFS). Espírito Santo: Linhares: Reserva Florestal de Linhares , 29 March 1995, fr., D. A . Folli 2581 ( RB, UEC). Goiás: Portelândia : BR 364 , km 363, sentido Santa Rita do Araguaia – Mineiros, 9 January 2009, fl., fr., L. C. P . Lima et al. 510 ( HUEFS). Mato Grosso: Água Boa : rodovia BR 158 , 8 June 2007, fr., A . Pott & V. J . Pott 14378 ( CGMS, HUEFS). Mato Grosso do Sul: Bonito: Mata Fria, fazenda São Geraldo , estrada para o Assentamento Santa Lúcia ,

DESMODIUM (LEGUMINOSAE, PAPILIONOIDEAE ) IN BRAZIL

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30 Km Oeste de Bonito , 5 November 2007, fl., fr., A . Pott & V. J . Pott 14847 ( CGMS, HUEFS). Minas Gerais : Governador Valadares: BR-116, G . Valadares-Teófilo Otoni, km 616, 8 March 1977, fl., fr., G. J . Shepherd et al. 4373 ( MBM, UEC). Paraná : Pitanga: Rio Corumbataí, 28 November 2001, fr., O. S . Ribas et al. 3911 ( MBM). Pernambuco : Petrolina: divisa dos Estados de Pernambuco e Piauí-BR-407, 7 April 1979, fl., fr., L . Coradin et al. 1376 ( CEN, HUEFS, K). Rio de Janeiro : Cachoeira de Macacu: estrada para Nova Friburgo ( RJ116 ), 5 March 1986, fr., H. C . de Lima et al. 2665 ( MBM, RB). Rio Grande do Sul : São Francisco de Paula: Vila Seca, 8 March 1994, fr., N . Silveira 11672 ( HAS). Roraima : Ilha de Maracá: Várzea, 4 August 1987, fl., fr., L . Augusto 541 ( INPA). Santa Catarina : Corupá: BR-280, Serra do Jaraguá, 24 January 2002, fl., fr., R. L. C . Bortoluzzi & A . Reis 1126 ( ICN, MBM). São Paulo : Tapiratiba: s. loc., 8 November 1994, fl., L. S . Kinoshita & G. F . Arbocz 139 ( SPF). Tocantins : Gurupi: fazenda Santo Antônio, 14 February 1989, fl., fr., J. J. B . Neto s.n. ( VIC 10630) .

Distribution and Ecology:— Australia, United States, Mexico, Central and South America ( Schubert 1980, Vanni 2001, Lima et al. 2010). In Brazil D. tortuosum is known from the Distrito Federal, and in the States of Amazonas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Roraima, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo. The species is common along roadsides and in secondary vegetation.

Conservation Assessment:— Least Concern (LC), not endangered ( IUCN 2001).

Phenology:— flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

Etymology:— from the Latin tortuous (= twisted), in reference to the twisted articles.

Common Name:— amor-de-velho; barba-de-boi; carrapicho, pega-pega.

Taxonomic notes:— D. tortuosum is characterized by persistent, amplexicaul, auriculate stipules, ellipticrhombic leaflets, pedicels 7–15 mm long, flowers 4–5 mm long, and orbicular, tortuous articles. It is similar to Desmodium distortum , D. glabrescens , and D. procumbens based on the shared paniculate inflorescence and tortuous articles. The morphological differences of D. tortuosum with the other above named taxa were described in the notes provided for each of the other species.

For a long time there has been a disagreement about the use of the names D. purpureum and D. tortuosum . Miller (1768) published Hedysarum purpureum , which is an older name in relation to Hedysarum tortuosum (Swartz, 1788) , although both are validly published. However, later Roxburgh (1814) published Hedysarum purpureum as a new species, but without a diagnosis or description, so that Roxburgh`s name is a nomen nudum. Hooker and Arnott (1832) described D. purpureum from the collection “Bootan, W. R. Carey legit. (K!),” citing Roxburgh (1814). Consequently, the combination Desmodium purpureum (Mill.) Fawcett & Rendle (1920) is illegitimate because the name Desmodium purpureum was already occupied.

Desmodium purpureum Hook. & Arn. has been considered as a synonym of D. heterocarpon var. strigosum Meeuwen ( Fosberg & Sachet 1979) , whereas D. purpureum (Mill.) Fawcett & Rendle is recognised as a synonym of D. tortuosum (Sw.) DC.

The material of Desmodium pulcherrimum deposited in K was selected as the lectotype because it best agrees with with the protologue.

Figures

FIGURE 31. Desmodium tortuosum. A. Fruiting branch. B. Stipules inner surface. C. Calyx inner surface (opened). D. Parts of the corolla from the bottom to top: keel petals, wing petals, and standard. E. Androecium monadelphous (opened) and Gynoecium. F. Fruit. G. Seed. (A–F: Pott 14847; F–G: Ribas 3911).