Aloysia gratissima (Gillies & Hooker ex Hooker) Troncoso (1962: 527)

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 : 8-9

1.1. Aloysia gratissima (Gillies & Hooker ex Hooker) Troncoso (1962: 527) . (Figs. 1B, 5A)

Shrubs 2.5‒3 m high, tetragonal branches, puberulous. Leaves opposite, often fasciculate, petiole 2‒3 mm long; blade 0.8‒2.2 × 0.3‒0.5 cm, chartaceous, elliptical to ovate, apex acute to obtuse, base cuneate or attenuate, margin entire, ciliate, adaxial surface strigose, abaxial surface glabrescent, main vein conspicuous, prominent in the adaxial surface. Inflorescences 1 per axil, 3.8‒8.5 cm long, peduncle 0.7‒1 cm long, pubescent, rachis pubescent; bracts 1‒2 mm long, elliptical, abaxial surface strigose, glandular sessile trichomes present, margin ciliate; calyx 2‒3.5 mm long, externally hispid-canescent, glandular sessile trichomes present; corolla 4‒5 mm long, white. Fruit 1.2‒2 mm long, surrounded by the persistent calyx.

Distribution and habitat:— Aloysia gratissima is the most widely distributed species of the genus, found in United States, north of Mexico, and South America ( Moroni et al. 2016, O’Leary et al. 2016). In Brazil, the species can be found in the Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, and Pampa domains, from Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul states ( Moroni & O’Leary 2020a). In the Espírito Santo state, it occurs in disturbed habitats near to quilombolas areas, in the seasonal semideciduous forest and dense rainforest, supposedly related to naturalization due to cultivation. Not found inside SPAs in this state.

Phenology:— Collected with flowers in May, July, September, October, and November and with fruits in July.

Preliminary conservation assessment: —This a common species with a wide distribution ( Moroni et al. 2016, O’Leary et al. 2016), and occurs inside PAs in South America. Considered “Least Concern” (LC) ( IUCN 2019).

Selected material:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Barra de São Francisco , 12 July 1984, fl. and fr ., R.M. Pizziolo 190 ( CESJ, MBML); Boa Esperança , 7 September 1990, fl ., J.M. Simões et al. 11 ( VIES); Conceição da Barra , 9 July 2011, fl ., M.G.S. Fink 76 ( CESJ, SAMES); Cachoeiro de Itapemerim , 21 November 2014, fl ., L.B. Castro 200 ( VIES); Santa Leopoldina , 1 May 2006, fl ., M.O.S. Crepaldi 117 ( RB) .

Notes:— Aloysia gratissima is recognized by the leaves with entire margin, conspicuous main vein, prominent only in the abaxial surface, and solitary axillary racemes. Moroni et al. (2016) consider two varieties for this species: the type-variety with smaller leaves (5.3–)9.9–19(–28.3) × (2–)3.6–7.3(–11) mm and A. gratissima var. sellowii (Briquet) Botta (1979: 85) with larger leaves (17.7–)20.7–32.4(–38.7) × (5.7–)7.7–13(–16) mm.

Illustrations in Moroni et al. (2016) and O’Leary et al. (2016).