Croton chaetophorus Müller Argoviensis (1865: 130)

7. Croton chaetophorus Müller Argoviensis (1865: 130) View in CoL .

Lectotype (designated here): — BRAZIL. “Brasilia meridionalis”, s.d., F. Sellow s.n. ( BR 0000008765802 !) ; idem, F. Sellow s.n. (original syntype B†). Remaining syntypes: — BRAZIL. Minas Gerais:“ad Caldas”, September, A.F. Regnell I 398 ( A 00257902 !, B†, BR 0000006993894 !, BR 0000006994525 !, G 00434438 !, MEL 2324385 View Materials !, P 00623099 !, P 00623100 !, S-R-10502!, US 01050272); s. loc., L. Riedel s.n. (B†). ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 , A–F)

Croton chaetophorus is a subshrub with pistillate sepals covered by glands (apparently colleters), except at the base, which is a useful character for its identification. Bracts are lanceolate-rhombic and, due to their morphology, they totally cover the flower buds. The species can be confused with C. serratifolius , however, the bracts and stipules of C. chaetophorus do not have glands, its leaves are ovate to ovate-lanceolate, whereas, in C. serratifolius , bracts and stipules have glands along the margin, and the leaves are elliptic to oblong. The species is a member of Croton sect. Barhamia subsect. Medea ( van Ee et al. 2011) .

Distribution and habitat:— It occurs in southern ( PR, SC) and southeastern ( MG, SP) Brazil ( Smith et al. 1988, Caruzo et al. 2019). Plants grow in open vegetation (‘campos sujos’), edges of forest and, rarely, in ‘banhados’, between 980 and 1090 m elevation ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ).

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting from October to February.

Representative specimens:— PARANÁ: Clevelandia , 21 November 1972, G . Hatschbach 30807 ( MBM). Jaguariaíva, Estrada para acesso ao Parque Estadual do Cerrado , 21 October 2016, A. P. N . Pereira , F. S . Petrongari & O. L. M . Silva 40 ( SP). Ortigueira, Rio Capivary Grande , 17 October 1965, G . Hatschbach 13038 ( K, MBM, P). Prudentópolis, Relógio, 11 April 1965, G . Hatschbach 12524 ( MBM). Turvo, Vegetação Ciliar do Rio Turvo , 25°02’40.1” S, 51°32’50.1” W, M. G GoogleMaps . Caxambu 2601 ( HCF, MBM) .