Chusquea ciliatifolia A.C. Mota, E.J. Judziewicz & L.G. Clark, 2014

Chusquea ciliatifolia A.C. Mota, E.J. Judziewicz & L.G. Clark View in CoL , sp. nov. Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4 View FIGURE 4 .

Chusquea ciliatifolia differs from other species of subgenus Rettbergia by its mottled culms, distinctly ciliate margins of the foliage leaf blades and pilose synflorescences.

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Almadina, Serra do Corcovado, 9.8 km ao SW de Coaraci na estrada para Almadina, daí N até a Fazenda São José , 14°42’21”S, 39°36’12”W, 800 m, 19 March 2007 (fl), M.M.M. Lopes, F. Matos, J. Jardim, L. Gomes & R. Perdiz 1255 (holotype HUEFS! GoogleMaps , isotype CEPEC! GoogleMaps ).

Culms 0.22–0.32 cm in diameter, ca. 5 m long, scandent and clambering. Internodes 18.5–23.5 cm long, terete, glabrous, mottled. Culm leaves abaxially retrorsely scabrous (complete leaves not seen); girdles 2–3 mm long, glabrous, brown. Nodes at mid-culm with one dome-shaped central bud subtended by 5–11 smaller subsidiary buds in one row, in a constellate arrangement; sheath scar more or less horizontal but dipping strongly below the bud/ branch complement; supranodal ridge visible but not prominent. Branching infravaginal; central branch usually developed, as robust as the main culm; leafy subsidiary branches 5–12 per node, 22–40 cm long, 1 mm in diameter, geniculate, not rebranching, girdles black, glabrous. Foliage leaves 5–8 per complement; sheaths weakly striate, strongly keeled toward the apex, glabrous to sparsely pilose, straw colored to slightly mottled, the overlapping margin ciliate, summit extension minimal, to 0.2 mm long; blades 14.4–17 cm long, 0.9–1.0 cm wide, L:W = 16– 17, linear-lanceolate, adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely pilose at the midrib with a tuft of hairs at the base, not tessellate, adaxially green, abaxially glaucous, midrib slightly excentric, adaxially distinguishable at the base, abaxially yellowish and prominent for most of the length toward the apex, base slightly asymmetrical, roundedattenuate, apex acuminate, the margins ciliate; pseudopetioles 1–1.5 mm long, adaxially glabrous, abaxially pilose, green, pulvinus absent; outer ligules 0.2 mm long, lobed, erect, extending to the margins along the juncture with the inner ligule, glabrous; inner ligules 0.2 mm long, truncate, glabrous. Synflorescences 2.5–3 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide, contracted, paniculate, just fully exserted from the subtending leaf, not subtended by a spatheate bract; main axis angular, straight, pilose; branches 1–2 cm long at the base, angular, pilose, usually basally swollen and spreading, the lowermost one subtended by a rounded bract ca. 0.2 mm long, otherwise the branches ebracteate; peduncles 1–3 mm long, angular, pilose, slightly swollen immediately below the spikelet, usually basally swollen and spreading. Spikelets 6.4–6.8 mm long, laterally compressed; glumes I and II subulate to awned, slightly keeled, abaxially scabrous, with ciliolate margins, 3–nerved; glume I 0.8–1 mm long, 0.15–0.17 times the length of the lemma; glume II 1–1.2 mm long, 0.18–0.2 times the length of the lemma; glumes III and IV subulate, abaxially glabrous; glume III 1.8–2 mm long, 0.33 times the length of the lemma, 3-nerved; glume IV 3–3.4 mm long, 0.55– 0.57 times the length of the lemma, 3-nerved; lemma 5.5–6 mm long, acute, abaxially glabrous, 5-nerved, margins at most slightly fused at the apex; palea 6.4–6.8 mm long, larger than the lemma, bimucronulate, abaxially scabrous, 4-nerved, 2-keeled, sulcate only toward the apex, the sulcus glabrous. Lodicules 3, pubescent; the anterior pair 1 mm long, the posterior one 0.5 mm long. Stamens 3; anthers ca. 3 mm long. Fruit not seen.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the ciliate margins of the foliage leaf blades.

Comments: — Chusquea ciliatifolia displays morphological characters that easily distinguish it from other species of the subgenus: culms mottled, foliage leaf blades with ciliate margins, and synflorescences with the main axis, branches and peduncles pilose. This new species is similar to Chusquea pulchella based on synflorescence architecture (paniculate with primary branches only) and the long peduncles. However, the synflorescences are longer in C. ciliatifolia (2.5–3 cm versus 1.3–2 cm in C. pulchella ) as well as the spikelets (6.4–6.8 mm versus 5.5– 5.8 mm). These species can be also separated based on vegetative characters, as the new species displays foliage leaf blades longer and wider than in C. pulchella (14.4–17 × 0.9–1.0 cm versus 3.5–7.1 × 0.25–0.5 cm) ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ).

Geographic Distribution and Habitat: — Apparently endemic to Southeast Bahia and Northeast Minas Gerais States, Brazil, occurring in montane Atlantic Rainforest at 600–900 m elevation.

Conservation Status: —This species must be considered EN B2ab(iii) based on the existence of only five known populations with an area of occupancy smaller than 500 km 2 and the continuing decline projected in quality of habitat ( IUCN 2013).

Phenology: —Only one flowering event in Chusquea ciliatifolia has been registered to date; flowering occurred in 2007 in populations located in the municipalities of Almadina and Barro Preto, southeastern Bahia State. Given this single flowering event, we cannot infer its flowering cycle. In 2011, we observed in the Barro Preto population that all individuals of the parental generation were dead. However, developing seedlings were found, which suggests that this species is monocarpic and has gregarious flowering.

Additional Specimens Examined: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Barro Preto, Serra da Pedra Lascada, 13,7 km de Barro Preto, na estrada que passa pela fazenda São Miguel e sobe até o acesso à serra , 14°46’13”S, 39°32’10”W, 860 m, 2 September 2007, Ferreira et al. 1508 ( CEPEC) GoogleMaps ; Serra da Pedra Lascada, 13,7 km de Barro Preto, na estrada que passa pela Fazenda São Miguel e sobe até o acesso à serra , 14°46’13”S, 39°32’10”W, 2 November 2003, Fiaschi et al. 1789 ( CEPEC) GoogleMaps ; Serra da Pedra Lascada , 14°46'16.11''S, 39°32'08.13'W', 859 m, 13 February 2011, Mota & Carvalho-Sobrinho 389 ( HUEFS) ; Serra da Pedra Lascada, 13,7 km de Barro Preto, na estrada que passa pela fazenda São Miguel e sobe até o acesso à serra , 14°46’13”S, 39°32’10”W, 450–980 m, 13 March 2007 (fl), Oliveira et al. 1223 ( CEPEC, HUEFS) GoogleMaps ; Una, Serra da Luzia, ramal com entrada no km 5.7 da rodovia São José/Una, lado N 1.8 km Fazenda Conjunto Santa Rosa, 7 km por ar ENE São José , 15°03’S, 39°19.5’W, 400–700 m, 27 February 1986, Santos et al. 4051 ( CEPEC, US) GoogleMaps ; Serra dos Quatis, 8.2 km por rodovia E de São José, rodovia São José/Una; então 2 km ao SW, faldas e em cima da serra 3.5 km por ar SE de São José , 15°16’S, 38°18– 19’W, 600–760 m, 21 February 1986, Santos & Judziewicz 4098 ( CEPEC) . Minas Gerais: Santa Maria do Salto, Fazenda Duas Barras , 23 August 2003, Lombardi 5434 ( HUEFS) ; Fazenda Duas Barras , 7 March 2004, Lombardi 5897 ( HUEFS) .