Baccharis magnifica G.Heiden, Leoni & J.N.Nakaj., 2014

Baccharis magnifica G.Heiden, Leoni & J.N.Nakaj. View in CoL , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 and 2 View FIGURE 2 )

Differs from Baccharis macrophylla Dusén by its long-petiolate leaves with entire, flat and ciliate margins (versus short petiolate leaves with revolute, non-ciliate and 1–5 dentate margins).

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Alto Caparaó, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, córrego José Pedro (divisa MG/ES) , [20°25'11"S, 41°48'41"W, 2350 m], 20 February 2000, fl., ♀, V.C. Souza, J.P. Souza, W. Forster & F.F. Mazine 23530 (holotype ESA! GoogleMaps ; isotype GFJP! GoogleMaps ).

Shrubs 1.3–1.8 m tall, erect; shoots terminating in a capitulescence, concomitantly originating dichotomous branching from neighboring nodes; bark brown, scars of leaves prominent and stramineous. Leaves green and slightly wine-tinged with petioles wine, 1.7–3 cm long, leaf blade cartaceous, 3.7–7.3 cm long, 1.7–3.7 cm wide, oblong to ovate, apex acute to obtuse, apiculate, base rounded, margins wine, entire, flat, ciliate, resinous, venation wine, pinnate, brochidodromous, with 8–16 pairs of major lateral veins, midrib flat or slightly sunken on adaxial surface, prominent on abaxial surface, both surfaces with tufts of glandular hairs appearing as small resinous dots. Female capitulescence a corymbiform panicle of 5–7 racemes each bearing 5–21 capitula, terminal, 5–6 cm long, 4.4–8.3 cm diam. Capitula pedunculate; peduncles 4–8.5 mm long. Female capitula 3.7–4.3 mm long; florets 18– 26; involucre 3.5–4.1 mm long, 2.5–5.5 mm wide, cylindrical to campanulate; clinanthium (receptacle) convex, paleate, glabrous, paleae linear-lanceolate; phyllaries 3–4-seriate, light brown, outer linear-ovate, median and innermost lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, margins scarious, apex acute. Corollas 1.3–1.6 mm long, short-rayed, sometimes with 2–3 apical teeth; style 1.6–1.8 mm long, branches 0.15–0.3 mm long. Cypselae 0.9–1.3 mm long, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, light brown, glabrous, narrowly obconical, laterally compressed, carpopodium annular, small, 4–5 longitudinal ribs; pappus uniseriate, 1.3–1.6 mm long, bristles 16–20, apically not broadened, not elongated at cypsela maturity. Male capitula not seen.

Distribution:—Only known from localities at elevations between 2,350 –2,834 m a.s.l. along the córrego José Pedro and on the summits of the Pico da Bandeira and Pico do Cristal alongside the Serra do Caparaó range. The creek and the peaks are the natural boundary between the states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil ( Figure 3 View FIGURE 3 ).

Habitat:— Baccharis magnifica forms sparse populations, along the escarpments ( Figure 2 View FIGURE 2 ) of the highest summits of the Serra do Caparaó, on bare rock outcrops or in riverine vegetation within the sky islands environments of the high altitude tropical grassland biome ( Figure 4 View FIGURE 4 ). This biome has a wider distribution, presenting an archipelago-like pattern across the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira ranges of mountains, within the Atlantic Rainforest Domain (Safford 1999a, b).

Phenology:—Flowering specimens have been collected in February, while inflorescences with mature cypselae can be found up to September.

Conservation status: —Because of the limited area of occupancy, the uniqueness of Caparaó habitat (a range of mountains up to 2,892 m surrounded by medium-elevation hills and lowlands), the very low population size with records of distribution from only three locations that are close to each other, and the decline of quality of the high altitude grasslands environment due to anthropogenic pressure as accidental fires and tourism on the summits take place, the new species is assessed as Endangered: EN B1ab(iii) ( IUCN 2011).

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the size of the leaves and to the striking and overall aspect of the plant.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo, Ibitirama, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Pico da Bandeira , escarpas, S 20º26'4", W 41º47'49", 2834 m, 1 October 2012, st., G. Heiden, C.T. Oliveira, M. Bünger & V.L. Rezende 1955 ( BHCB, RB, SPF) GoogleMaps . Minas Gerais: Alto Caparaó, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Pico do Cristal , [20º26'37"S, 41º48'42"W, 2769 m], 24 September 1941, fr., ♀, A.C. Brade 17005 ( RB); GoogleMaps 12 February 1996, fl., ♀, L.S. Leoni 3195 ( CARAN) GoogleMaps .

Discussion:—Unfortunately, no staminate specimens were available to provide the characters of the male plants of the new species. Baccharis magnifica appears to be related to Baccharis sect. Oblongifoliae Candolle (1836: 416) , where the morphologically similar B. macrophylla is placed due to the combination of paleate clinanthium, flat paleae, few-ribbed cypselae and the pappus not elongated at cypsela maturity. However, due to the lack of male specimens, which bear characters important for infrageneric placement, such as the shape of the style apex and length of the sweeping hairs, any attempt to place the new species in an infrageneric framework would be pointless.

In habit, expanded leaves, terminal capitulescence, paleate clinanthium of female capitula and short-rayed female corollas, Baccharis magnifica resembles the allopatric B. macrophylla Dusén (1903: 14) , endemic to the southerly Serra da Mantiqueira in the border area of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states and only known for the Serra do Itatiaia (MG/RJ border) and Serra Fina (MG/SP border). The new species can be distinguished by its longer petioles (1.7–3 cm long), chartaceous leaf blades with rounded base and entire, flat and ciliate leaf margins, smaller female capitula (3.7–4.3 mm long), and smaller female corollas (1.3–1.6 mm long) and styles (1.6–1.8 mm long), whereas B. macrophylla presents shorter petioles (0.3–0.9 cm long), coriaceous leaf blades with attenuate base and revolute, non-ciliate margins with 1–5 subapical teeth in the upper 1/3, larger female capitula (5–6 mm long), and longer female corollas (2–2.6 mm long) and styles (2.5–3.5 mm long).