Huberia ciliata Bochorny & R. Goldenb., 2025

2. Huberia ciliata Bochorny & R. Goldenb. sp. nov.

Figs 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5

Type.

BRAZIL – Minas Gerais • Santa Rita do Itueto, Área de Proteção Ambiental Municipal da Pedra do Paredão, Pedra de Santa Rita, na encosta do topo da pedra ; 19°22’22.72”S, 41°21’28.7”W; 1062 m; 6 May 2021; Gonella P. M., Cordeiro D. P., Silva G. A., Bartholomay P. R. & Medeiros L. 2728; holotype: UPCB; isotype: RB GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Huberia ciliata differs from Huberia comosa (R. Tav., Baumgratz & R. Goldenb.) Bochorny & Michelang. due to the young branches, petioles, inflorescences, bracts and bracteoles moderately covered with long stalked glands (vs lacking stalked glands, except for very short comose-glandulose tufts on nodes and leaf margins); leaves with basal acrodromous veins (vs suprabasal), adaxial surface moderately covered with appressed stalked glands 1–1.5 mm long (vs glabrous); calyx margins densely ciliolate-glandular, the purple cilia 0.5–1 mm long and the gland heads globose (vs eciliolate or ciliolate-glandular, in this case minute cilia ca 0.1 mm long and lacking well-defined gland heads); ovary 1.7 mm long, 4 - locular, apex without lobes but with stalked glands (vs 2–2.5 mm, 3 - locular, apex with 4 glabrous lobes).

Description.

Shrubs ca 0.5 m tall; branches, petioles, inflorescences, bracts, and bracteoles densely covered with stalked glands 0.2–1 mm long (the heads sometimes caducous). Branches terete, striate. Leaves opposite; petiole 0.4–1.8 cm long; blade 1.5–6 × 0.8–4 cm, papyraceous, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate, base rounded, margin serrulate and ciliolate (the cilia 0.5–1.3 mm long, glandular but the gland heads sometimes caducous), adaxial surface moderately covered with stalked glands 1–1.5 mm long, abaxial surface moderately covered with stalked glands 0.5–1 mm long, acrodromous veins 3, with an additional faint submarginal pair, basal, main veins impressed adaxially and raised abaxially, transverse veins and reticulation visible on both surfaces. Inflorescences thyrsoids or compound dichasia 4.3–8 cm long, terminal, with 10–30 flowers; bracts and bracteoles persistent, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1–3 × 0.5-2 mm long. Flowers 5 - merous, on pedicels 6–11.5 mm long. Hypanthium 2–5.5 × 1.5–3 mm, campanulate, reddish, glabrous or with very sparsely covered with stalked glands up to 0.5 mm long; torus glabrous. Calyx tube ca 0.5 mm long, reddish, glabrous, apex apiculate, margin ciliolate-glandular, the purple cilia ca 0.5 mm long, glandular, the heads globose, sometimes caducous; sepals 0.5–1 × 0.5–1 mm, triangular, glabrous, margin ciliolate, the cilia similar to the ones on the tube, 0.2–0.8 mm long; external teeth a thick, dorsal hump. Petals 7.5–13 × 5.5–6.5 mm, left margin (in adaxial view) white, right margin (in adaxial view) white to pinkish, obovate and asymmetric, apex acuminate and apiculate, margin entire, both surfaces glabrous. Stamens 10, subisomorphic, glabrous; filaments 6.5–7.5 mm long (antesepalous) or 4.5–5.5 mm long (antepetalous), greenish; connective not prolonged below the thecae, dorsal appendages ca 1.5 mm long, yellow, linear-subulate; anthers 3–3.5 mm long in both cycles, yellow, oblong-linear, the thecae prolonged up to 0.2 mm below the insertion of the filament, with a single, apical (but ventrally inclined) pore. Ovary ca 1.7 mm long, 2 / 3 basally adhered to the hypanthium, 4 - locular, apex without lobes, but covered with stalked glands ca 1 mm long; style ca 5.5 mm long, slightly curved or sigmoidal, glabrous. Capsules 4.5–5.5 × 3.5–4.5 mm, the carpels not exceeding the hypanthium length or sometimes exceeding it by ca 0.5 mm; seeds 1–1.5 × ca 0.5 mm, elongate or oblong, raphe almost equalling the seed length, testa granulate.

Distribution and habitat.

Huberia ciliata has only been found on a complex of granitic inselbergs in the municipality of Santa Rita do Itueto, in eastern of the state of Minas Gerais (Fig. 3 A, B View Figure 3 ). The species is found on islands of vegetation over shallow pockets of soil over granitic rock, where it grows among grasses, sedges, and bromeliads, exposed to direct sunlight and intense fluctuations of water availability. The species was recorded at elevations ranging from 840 to 1062 m. The location where it was recorded is an Area of Environmental Protection, a protected area of Sustainable Use where two other Melastomataceae taxa were recently described, Pleroma miconiifolium F. S. Mey & R. Goldenb. and P. petrophylax F. S. Mey & R. Goldenb. ( Goldenberg et al. 2022), with the former occupying the same habitats as H. ciliata . These inselbergs are surrounded by a matrix of Semidecidous Seasonal Forests of the Atlantic Forest domain, now mostly converted into pastures and plantations.

Phenology.

Collected with flowers and fruits in April and May.

Etymology.

The epithet refers to the sepals with densely ciliolate-glandular margins.

Preliminary IUCN conservation assessment.

Data Deficient: DD. Up till now, H. ciliata is know from a single population that is restricted to specific habitats in granitic outcrops (AOO of 4 km 2, EOO polygon cannot be calculated). No observable treats were recorded directly affecting the population, as the habitats are difficult to access and well-preserved, without the presence of invasive species or recent records of fires. However, the region of the Doce River valley is experiencing an increase in temperature and a reduction of precipitation over the last decades; climatic events, such as intense and longer droughts have been recorded and are expected to become more common in the coming decades ( Sondermann et al. 2022). Although the available data suggests that the species is restricted and potentially micro-endemic, the granitic inselbergs of eastern Minas Gerais are vastly undersampled, and other complexes of these outcrops are found in the surroundings, potentially harbouring other populations. Nevertheless, these habitats are unprotected and prone to the same climatic events.

Additional material studied (paratype).

BRAZIL – Minas Gerais • Santa Rita do Itueto, Área de Proteção Ambiental Municipal, Pedra de Santa Rita, trilha para o topo da pedra ; 19°22’38.7”S, 41°21’58.8”W; 840 m; 19 Apr. 2022; Gonella P. M. 3432; UPCB GoogleMaps .

Notes.

Huberia ciliata is morphologically similar to H. comosa since both have papyraceous leaves, glabrous petals with an acuminate apex, and glabrous torus. Apart from the differences pointed out in the diagnosis, the trichomes that are part of the comose tufts in H. comosa are shorter (0.1–0.2 mm long), and lack well-defined gland heads, while the stalked glands in H. ciliata are larger (0.5–1 mm long), with globular gland heads (these sometimes caducous). The leaves of H. comosa are sometimes verticillate, but all leaves observed in H. ciliata are opposite. Huberia comosa occurs in Serra do Brigadeiro, near the border between the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, and on an isolated inselberg (Alto Misterioso) also in Espírito Santo (see Tavares et al. 2008; Bochorny and Goldenberg 2017), which is respectively 200 km and 110 km in a straight line from the type locality of H. ciliata .

Another species that may be similar is Huberia minutifolia Bochorny & R. Goldenb. endemic to the Serra do Mar mountain range (state of Rio de Janeiro), but it differs from H. ciliata by its suprabasal veins, marsupiform domatia, and 6 - merous flowers (vs basal veins, no domatia, and 5 - merous flowers in H. ciliata ).

Huberia ciliata is also similar to H. campostriniae and H. rubricalyx . For a comparative overview between H. campostriniae , H. ciliata , H. comosa , and H. rubricalyx , see Table 2 View Table 2 .