Calliandra lewisii E.R. Souza & L.P. Queiroz, 2014

Calliandra lewisii E.R. Souza & L.P. Queiroz View in CoL , sp. nov.

Type:— Brazil: Bahia: Barra da Estiva: 20 km NE de Barra da Estiva, camino a Sincora Velho , ca. 890 m., aprox. 13º 32’S, 41º15’W, 23 November 1992 (fl., fr.), M.M. Arbo, R. Mello-Silva & J. Vicente 5801 (holotype HUEFS GoogleMaps ; isotypes CTES GoogleMaps , K GoogleMaps , SPF GoogleMaps ).

Figures 1F–H View FIGURE 1 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 5C–E View FIGURE 5 and 6C View FIGURE 6 .

Similar to C. viscidula Bentham (1844: 109) by shrubby habit, indumentum densely velutinous with yellow tector trichomes, stipules foliaceous (up to 2 cm long), leaves with about five pairs of pinnae and leaflets 1–2 × 0.2–0.5 cm, but differs from this species by the texture of the stipules, peduncular bracts absent and by colour of the filaments.

Shrub ca. 1.5 m tall; branches, foliar axes and peduncles velutinous, with granular reddish trichomes; distichous phyllotaxy. Stipules foliaceous, lanceolate, 1–1.8 × 0.4–0.7 cm. Leaves petiolate; petiole 0.5–0.8 cm long; rachis 3.5–5 cm long; pinnae in 5 pairs, of more or less equal length, 5–6 cm long; leaflets in 19–24 pairs, overlapping, more or less of equal length, 10–11 × 1–2 mm, coriaceous, oblong, apex obtuse to rounded, base truncate, asymmetric, adaxial face puberulous to glabrescent, abaxial face with granular trichomes, puberulous only on the main and secondary veins, margin ciliate, venation palmate-dimidiate, midrib eccentric, arranged overlaying the inner portion of the following leaflet. Inflorescences pedunculate glomerules, 2–3 glomerules clustered in fascicles along a terminal pseudoraceme, exserted from the foliage; peduncle 10–25 mm long; peduncular bracts absent; floral bracts lanceolate, ca. 5 mm long. Flowers homomorphic, pentamerous, sessile, calyx campanulate, with granular trichomes, tube ca. 3 mm long, lobes acute, ca. 3.5 mm long; corolla campanulate, with granular trichomes, tube ca. 8 mm long, lobes obovate, 2.5–3 mm long; stamens reddish, inner wall of the staminal tube nectariferous, stemonozone ca. 1 mm long, staminal tube ca. 6 mm long, filaments free, 20–30 mm long, anthers red wine -coloured; intrastaminal nectary absent; ovary obovate, glabrous, 2.5–3 mm long, style 30–35 mm long, stigma capitate. Pods linear-oblanceolate, apex acute, mucronate, base cuneate, 5.5–6.5 × 0.8–1.2 cm, valves ligneous, densely velutinous and with yellow trichomes. Seeds with hard testa, ochre coloured, speckled with brown, 6–8 × 4–5 mm.

Polyad descriptions:— Ellipsoid, calymmate, large (203.8 µm in length × 88.5 µm in width), eight-grained (1– 2 central grains surrounded by 6–7 heteromorphic peripheral grains). Apical peripheral pollen grain (84.2 µm in length) has a long sticky appendage (33.8 µm length). Central pollen grains are irregularly disposed, smaller than peripheral ones (37.5 µm diam.), with 4–6 pores on the perimeter of the outer face. Exine is 3 µm thick; with rugulate surface and some depressions close to apertures (SEM); exine is psilate to rugulate when examined in LM.

Ecology and distribution: — This species has been collected only in Barra da Estiva, which is in the meridional plateau of Serra do Sincorá (Chapada Diamantina). It occurs in areas of “campo rupestre” at elevations of between 890 and 1042 m. Specimens were found flowering in November and fruiting in March and November.

Notes: — Calliandra lewisii , C. lanata Bentham (1875: 553) and C. viscidula are the only species of sect. Monticola that present all of the following characteristics: shrubby habit, large foliaceous stipules and multifoliolate pinnae. However, C. lanata is easily distinguished from the other two species by the indumentum of the inflorescence, which is densely white pilose-tomentose. While C. lewisii is more similar to C. viscidula in its indumentum being densely velutinous with yellow trichomes, it differs by stipules coriaceous (vs. membranous) and by the reddish filaments (vs. white).

Etymology: — the epithet is in honour of Dr. Gwilym Peter Lewis, a researcher at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew - England, for his vast contribution to the taxonomic knowledge of Leguminosae , especially for his interest in the flora of the state of Bahia, Brazil.

Paratype: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Barra da Estiva: estrada para Triunfo do Sincorá, ca. 7 km de Barra da Estiva , 1.042 m., 13º 37’00.1”S, 41º18’46”W, 12 March 2008 (fr.), E.R. de Souza et al. 528 ( HUEFS) GoogleMaps ;