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Phytotaxa 338 (1): 125–129
http://www.mapress.com/j/pt/
Copyright © 2018 Magnolia Press Article PHYTOTAXA
ISSN 1179-3155 (print edition)
ISSN 1179-3163 (online edition)
Accepted by Ana Giulietti Harley: 5 Jan. 2018; published: 9 Feb. 2018
https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.338.1.11
125
Vismia conduplicata (Hypericaceae), a new species from Mato Grosso, Brazil
MILENA VENTRICHI MARTINS1,*, GUSTAVO HIROAKI SHIMIZU1, VOLKER BITTRICH2 & MARIA DO
CARMO ESTANISLAU DO AMARAL1
1Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato 255, 13083-862,
Campinas, SP, Brazil.
2Rua Dr. Mario de Nucci 500, 13083-290, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
*Author for correspondence: milory@gmail.com
Abstract
Vismia conduplicata, a new species of Hypericaceae from Mato Grosso state, Brazil, is described and illustrated. It is associ-
ated to “campos de murundus”, a kind of Cerrado physiognomy with woody plants growing on earth mounds, in a grassland
matrix. The species was included in Vismia sect. Trianthera, based on the number of stamens per stamen fascicle and the
number of ovules per locule. A comparison with the morphologically similar species Vismia micrantha is also provided.
Key words: clusioid clade, flora of Brazil, Malpighiales, taxonomy
Resumo
Vismia conduplicata, uma nova espécie de Hypericaceae do estado do Mato Grosso, Brasil, é descrita e ilustrada. Ela é as-
sociada aos campos de murundus, um tipo de fisionomia do Cerrado com plantas lenhosas crescendo sobre montes de terra,
numa matriz campestre. A espécie foi incluída em Vismia sect. Trianthera, com base no número de estames por fascículo de
estames e no número de óvulos por lóculo. Uma comparação com a espécie morfologicamente similar Vismia micrantha é
também fornecida.
Palavras-chave: clado clusioide, flora do Brasil, Malpighiales, taxonomia
Introduction
Vismia Vandelli (1788: 51) is a Neotropical genus of Hypericaceae with 50 to 65 species (Robson 1998, Stevens
2007, Gustafsson 2017). Reichardt (1878) has recognized three sections, based on number of stamens per fascicle and
number of ovules per locule: Vismia sect. Trianthera Reichardt (1878: 197), with three stamens per fascicle and one
or two ovules per locule; Vismia sect. Stictopetalum Reichardt (1878: 198), with five stamens per fascicle and many
ovules per locule; and Vismia sect. Vismia, with many stamens per fascicle and many ovules per locule (Reichardt
1878). Currently, 29 species are recognized in Brazil, of which nine are endemic to the country. For the state of Mato
Grosso nine species of Vismia are cited (Flora do Brasil 2020).
The species of Vismia are trees, treelets, or shrubs, with a characteristic orange to red exudate, and usually with
trichomes on branches, leaves, inflorescence and/or floral structures. The leaves are nearly always opposite and usually
show black dots on the abaxial surface. Most species have a terminal, branched thyrsoid inflorescence, rarely axillary
or cauliflorous, with pentamerous flowers, homostylous or heterostylous, sepals and petals frequently with dots or
canals (vittae), petals conspicuously hairy on the adaxial surface; the androecium is composed of five fascicles, with
three to numerous stamens each, alternating with short hairy staminodes (nectaries). The coriaceous berries are mainly
globose or ovoid, often with persistent sepals, styles, stigmas, and sometimes stamen fascicles (Ewan 1962, Robson
1998, Stevens 2007).
After analyzing several herbarium collections for the ongoing taxonomic studies of the Brazilian species of
Vismia, some specimens from Mato Grosso state, western Brazil, called our attention, owing to their conduplicate
MARTINS ET AL.
126 • Phytotaxa 338 (1) © 2018 Magnolia Press
and narrowly elliptic leaves, variable phyllotaxis (opposite, whorled or alternate, sometimes on the same branch),
and stamen fascicles with three stamens each. They were previously identified as V. micrantha Saint-Hilaire (1828:
327) or V. cf. cavalcantei Berg (1970: 1), but the combined set of referred traits makes clear that it is a species new to
science.
Material and Methods
Herbarium acronyms cited follow Thiers (2017). For two of the three known collections, without precise coordinates,
an approximation was made using Google Maps and municipality coordinates. These data were used to produce the
distribution map, using ArcGIS, and to perform the conservation assessment, using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011).
Taxonomic treatment
Vismia conduplicata M.V.Martins & G.H.Shimizu, sp. nov. (Fig. 1)
Type:—BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: Luciara, Estrada para a Mata do Coco, ca. 16 km N de Luciara, Fazenda Três Pontas do Araguaia,
11°07’21,9’’S, 50°44’17,5’’W, 140 m, 19 March 1997, fl., fr., V.C. Souza, J.P. Souza, A.R. Duarte & F.F. Mazine 14492 (holotype:
ESA! [mounted on two sheets with the same herbarium accession number - ESA43012]; isotypes: BHCB [photo!], FUEL!, INPA!,
MBM!, PEL, SPSF [photo!], UEC!).
Vismia conduplicata can be recognized by the combination of variable phyllotaxis (opposite, whorled or alternate, sometimes on the same
branch), conduplicate and narrowly elliptic leaves, stamen fascicles with three stamens each, two black glands between the thecae,
and sepals ascendant to patent on mature berries.
Shrubs, 1.5–3 m tall; branches brownish, sometimes peeling, glabrous; exudate not reported by collectors. Leaves
petiolate, opposite or in 3-merous whorls (rarely in 4-merous whorls or alternate); petiole 0.5–1 cm long; leaf blades
3.5–9.4 × 0.5–1.8 cm, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, narrowly elliptic, conduplicate, apex and base acute, margin
entire (sometimes crenulate toward the apex), adaxial surface dark brown in sicco, midrib impressed, secondary veins
prominent, glabrous or glabrescent (midrib sometimes with stellate trichomes), abaxial surface light brown, midrib
and secondary veins prominent, glabrous or glabrescent; venation brochidodromous, secondary veins 18–28 pairs;
black dots present on both surfaces. Inflorescence terminal, thyrsoid, up to 25 flowers, rachis 1–2 cm long, glabrous;
flower buds ca. 2 × 1 mm, ovoid to ellipsoid. Flowers apparently homostylous, pedicel 2–5 mm long, sometimes with
black dots; sepals 5, slightly unequal, ca. 3 × 1 mm, elliptic, apex acute, base truncate, margin sometimes denticulate
at the apex, surface glabrous, four blackish canals (vittae) on both surfaces, more evident on the inner one; corolla
campanulate, petals 5, 5–6 × 2 mm, elliptic, apex acute, base truncate, lanose on inner surface, black dots on upper
half; stamen fascicles 5, 3–5 mm long, each one with 3 stamens, filaments connate except for the apical portion, hirsute
mainly on central portion, free portion 1.3–1.6 mm long, anthers ca. 0.2 mm long, with two black glands between the
thecae; staminodes ca. 1 mm long, deltoid, lanose; ovary ca. 2 mm long, ovate, 5-locular, 1-ovulate per locule, glabrous
(sometimes apex with few trichomes), surface with black dots, styles 2.8–3.1 mm long, glabrous, with black dots,
stigmas disk-shaped. Berries 5–7 × 6 mm, ovate to spherical, coal black in sicco; sepals, stamen fascicles, staminodes,
and styles persistent; sepals ascendant to patent on mature berries. Seeds 1 per locule, 2.5–4 × 1–1.5 mm, oblong to
elliptical, curved.
Additional specimens examined (paratypes):—BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: Lucas do Rio Verde, campo de
murundus, 10 June 1996, bud, E.A. Silveira 22 (UFMT). Nova Xavantina, Fazenda Brejo Azul, approx. 10 km S of
Xavantina, 14°44’S, 52°20’W, 14 January 1977, fl., fr., J.A. Ratter et al. 4128 (CPAP, E, K, MO, NY, UB, UEC).
Tapurah, estrada MT-010, cerca de 5 km do entroncamento com MT-338, 12°49’S, 56°26’W, savana arborizada com
trechos alagáveis, 12 June 1997, fr., V.C. Souza et al. 17812 (ESA, MBM, PEL, RB, SPF, UEC).
Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the conduplicate (lengthwise folded upwards) leaves.
Distribution, habitat, and conservation:—Vismia conduplicata is so far only known from four localities within
Mato Grosso state, in the Central-West region of Brazil (Fig. 2). Two of them, Lucas do Rio Verde and Tapurah, are
neighbouring municipalities, in the central portion of the state. On the other hand, Luciara and Nova Xavantina are
almost 1000 km distant to them, the former on the border with the state of Tocantins and the latter more towards
the south. The species occurs in one of the vegetation physiognomies of the Brazilian Cerrado called “campo de
VISMIA CONDUPLICATA (HYPERICACEAE) Phytotaxa 338 (1) © 2018 Magnolia Press • 127
FIGURE 1. Vismia conduplicata. A. Branch with flower buds. B. Abaxial leaf surface. C. Detail of the abaxial leaf surface, showing black
dots. D. Flower bud. E. Open flower in lateral view. F. Sepal in outer view. G. Petal in outer (left) and inner (right) view. H. Dissected
flower, showing sepals, petals, stamen fascicles, staminodes, and gynoecium. I. Stamen fascicle in inner (left) and outer (right) view. J.
Young stamen showing two black glands between thecae. K. Fruit. A–C. E.A. Silveira 22. D–J. V.C. Souza et al. 14492. K. V.C. Souza et
al. 17812. Drawn by Klei Sousa.
MARTINS ET AL.
128 • Phytotaxa 338 (1) © 2018 Magnolia Press
murundus” (mound fields) (e.g. Oliveira-Filho 1992, Marimon et al. 2012) or “parque de Cerrado” (Ribeiro & Walter
2008), which consists basically of earth mounds covered by Cerrado typical woody plants in a grassland matrix usually
hit by seasonal floodings (Oliveira-Filho 1992, Silva 2010, Marimon et al. 2015).
Although we have used the GeoCAT tool to assess the conservation status, we considered more cautious to assign
it as DD (Data Deficient) at the moment, based on the few information presently available. New collection efforts may
help to designate a better supported conservation status.
Phenology:—Specimens were collected with flower buds in June, with flowers in January, March and with fruits
in January, March and June.
Comments:—Although there are few specimens available, apparently the flowers are homostylous, due to the
similar lengths of the stamen fascicles in all specimens observed.
The new species is placed in Vismia sect. Trianthera due to the stamen fascicles composed of three stamens
and the 1-ovulate locules. It can be distinguished from Vismia micrantha, which also belongs to this section, by
the narrowly elliptic and conduplicate leaves (vs. elliptic to lanceolate and usually flat in V. micrantha), variable
phyllotaxis (alternate, opposite or whorled), sometimes on the same branch (vs. opposite), sepals with blackish canals
present (vs. absent), deltoid staminodes (vs. rectangular), and glabrous styles (vs. trichomes present). Moreover, Vismia
conduplicata occurs in the “campos de murundus” of Mato Grosso state, whereas V. micrantha is found in the forest
formations of Southeastern Brazil (Flora do Brasil 2020).
FIGURE 2. Geographical distribution map of Vismia conduplicata.
Acknowledgements
MVM and GHS thank CAPES/PROTAX (001/2015) for financial support and scholarships. MCEA thanks for the
grant 2016/50382-5, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and a productivity grant from CNPq (312479/2013-1).
We are grateful to the curators of the herbaria consulted, to Klei Sousa for the line drawing, to Ana Carolina D. Castello
for the distribution map, and to the reviewers for the valuable contributions.
VISMIA CONDUPLICATA (HYPERICACEAE) Phytotaxa 338 (1) © 2018 Magnolia Press • 129
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