Corresponding author: Tiina Särkinen (
Academic editor: Eric Tepe
The Gran Chaco Americano is a major savanna woodland system in South America that harbours great plant and animal diversity. Two new herbaceous species of the Morelloid clade of
El Gran Chaco americano es un ecosistema importante en América del Sur de bosques de sabana que alberga una gran diversidad de plantas y animales. Se describen aquí dos especies nuevas de plantas herbáceas del chaco boliviano pertenecientes al clado Morelloid de
Särkinen T, Knapp S (2016) Two new non-spiny
The Gran Chaco Americano is the most extensive dry forest complex in the Americas and the second largest forested lowland area in South America after the Amazon (
The Morelloid clade is a group of ca. 75 species most of which are endemic to the tropical Andes (
Recent taxonomic work focusing on delivering a global monographic treatment of the Morelloid clade has resulted in the description of various new species from the tropical Andes (
Descriptions are based on field work and examination of herbarium specimens from K,
Specimens with coordinates were mapped directly and those lacking coordinates were located using Google Earth and gazetteers. Extent of Occurrence Area of Occupancy
Like
Decumbent to erect subwoody herb to 1 m tall, spreading to up to 2 m in diameter. Stems 3–4 mm in diameter at base, spreading or erect, terete, straw coloured, glabrescent; new growth densely glandular-papillate and pubescent with a mixture of patent, simple, uniseriate eglandular and glandular trichomes, the trichomes of several lengths, 1-celled to 17-celled, 0.2–2 mm long, translucent, if glandular then with a terminal gland (this often breaking off). Sympodial units difoliate, not geminate. Leaves simple, (2.4–)4.0–7.6 cm long, (1.4–)2.3–3.0(–4.0) cm wide, ovate; adaxial surface moderately pubescent with both eglandular and glandular hairs along lamina and veins; abaxial surface more densely pubescent along veins; major veins 3–5 pairs; base truncate to rounded; margins entire to shallowly and unevenly lobed (mostly near the base); apex acute; petiole (0.7–)1.5–2.0 cm long, pubescent with spreading eglandular and glandular hairs like those on the stem. Inflorescences 2.5–3.5 cm long, lateral, internodal to leaf-opposed, simple, racemose, with (6–)7–10(–12) flowers, pubescent with both eglandular and glandular trichomes like those on stem; peduncle 1.4–3.3 cm long; pedicels spaced 0–1 mm apart, 6–10 mm long, ca. 0.2 mm in diameter at base and apex, straight and spreading at anthesis, articulated at the base. Buds ellipsoid, white or purple-tinged, densely pubescent with spreading, multicellular hairs (see under calyx), the corolla not strongly exerted from the calyx, exceeding the calyx lobes by less than ½ of their lenghts before anthesis. Flowers 5-merous, all perfect. Calyx tube 0.8–1.3 mm long, the lobes 1.4–3.7 mm long, 0.6–1.0 mm wide, triangular with long-acuminate apices, densely pubescent with both eglandular and glandular trichomes, the eglandular trichomes 1.5–3.5 mm long. Corolla 0.7–1.3 cm in diameter, white with a green-black basal central star, stellate, lobed 1/2 way to the base, the lobes 2.5–3.2 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, reflexed at anthesis, later spreading, sparsely pubescent abaxially with multicellular simple spreading eglandular uniseriate trichomes to 0.5 mm long, densely papillate on the tips and margins. Stamens equal; filament tube 0.1–0.25 mm long; free portion of the filaments 0.2–0.3 mm long, adaxially pubescent with tangled eglandular simple uniseriate trichomes; anthers 2.5–3.2 mm long, 0.9–1.1 mm wide, ellipsoid, yellow, poricidal at the tips, the pores lengthening to slits with age. Ovary subglobose, glabrous; style 4–5 mm long, exerted 1.5–2.0 mm beyond the anther cone, densely pubescent with 4-celled simple uniseriate trichomes in the basal ½ or 3/5 where included in the anther cone; stigma capitate, the surface minutely papillate. Fruit a subglobose berry, slightly flattened, 5–12 mm in diameter, green and mottled with white vein-like reticulations (black when ripe fide
(Figure
Distribution map of
Flowering in March and between June and September, fruiting from June to September probably toward the end of the rainy season (Jan-Apr) and then sporadically with occasional rains during the dry season.
The species epithet honours Dr Michael Nee, whose collections from Bolivia have provided the much needed material to complete descriptions of many recently published new species within
The preliminary IUCN ( Endangered
Similar to
Decumbent, slender annual (fide labels) herb to 30–40 cm. Stems 1.0–5.0 mm in diameter, terete, much branching, pale yellow or greenish beige, glabrescent; new growth densely pubescent with spreading translucent 5–8-celled simple uniseriate glandular trichomes c. 0.5 mm long, some to 1 mm. Sympodial units difoliate, not geminate. Leaves simple, (2.3–)4.5–8.0 cm long, (1.5–)2.2–4.3 cm wide, elliptic to ovate, thin-membranous; adaxial surface moderately pubescent with spreading hairs as on stem evenly spaced along lamina and veins; abaxial surface more densely pubescent along veins; major veins 5–7 pairs; base attenuate to decurrent; margins entire to shallowly and unevenly toothed, the lobes narrow; apex acute; petiole 0.8–4.5 cm long, sparsely pubescent with simple 5–8-celled uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems. Inflorescences 1.5–3.0 cm long, simple, opposite the leaves, with (2–)3–7 flowers, sparsely pubescent with simple 5–8-celled uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems; peduncle 0.9–1.8 cm long, ca. 0.3 mm in diameter at the apex and ca. 0.5 mm in diameter at the base; pedicels spaced 0–1 mm apart, 0.7–1.1 cm long, ca. 0.2 mm in diameter at the base and ca. 0.3 mm in diameter at the apex, straight and spreading at anthesis, articulated at the base. Buds ovoid, white, the corolla strongly exerted from the calyx before anthesis, exceeding the lobes by up to two times their length. Flowers 5-merous, all perfect. Calyx tube 0.6–0.7 mm long, the lobes 1.2–2.1 mm long, 0.8–1.0 mm wide, ovate to elliptic in outline with acute apices, somewhat spreading at anthesis, sparsely pubescent with simple 5–8-celled uniseriate glandular trichomes like those of the stems. Corolla 1.0–1.5 cm in diameter, white with a greenish-purple central star at the base, stellate, lobed to the middle, the lobes 4.0–6.0 mm long, 2.0–3.0 mm wide, reflexed at anthesis, sparsely pubescent abaxially with very short 1–2-celled simple uniseriate eglandular trichomes. Stamens equal; filament tube ca. 0.5 mm long; free portion of the filaments 0.1–0.4 mm long, adaxially pubescent with 4–7-celled uniseriate eglandular trichomes; anthers (2.5–)3.0–3.8 mm long, 1.2–1.4 mm wide at base, ca. 0.5 mm at tip, tapering and narrowly triangular to triangular in outline, yellow, poricidal at the tips, the pores lengthening to slits with age. Ovary globose, glabrous; style 4.5–5.0 mm long, exerted 1.5–2.0 mm beyond the anther cone, curved at the very tip, densely pubescent with 2–3-celled simple uniseriate trichomes in the basal 1/3 where included in the anther cone; stigma minutely capitate, the surface papillate. Fruit a globose berry, 5–9 mm in diameter, green (immature), the pericarp thick and shiny; fruiting pedicels 0.7–1.0 cm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter at the base, ca. 0.6 mm in diameter at the apex, spaced 0–1 mm apart, spreading to recurved; fruiting calyx tube ca. 1 mm long, the lobes 2.0–3.5 mm long, spreading to reflexed. Seeds 15–30 per berry, 1.6–2 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, flattened, teardrop-shaped with a subapical hilum, yellow, the surface minutely pitted, the testal cells pentagonal in outline with the lateral cell walls elongate and the seeds from mature fruits appearing hairy. Stone cells absent.
(Figure
Distribution map of
Flowering and fruiting during the wet season from January–April.
The species epithet honours John R.I. Wood who has collected extensively in central and eastern Bolivia and mentored numerous young Bolivian botanists. Material collected by John throughout his career has been the basis for the description of many new species, and here we add yet another to that long list.
The preliminary IUCN ( Vulnerable
The unusual anther shape in
1 | Anthers 0.8–2.1 mm long |
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– | Anthers 2.5–5.0 mm long |
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2 | Calyx lobes completely enclosing the corolla in bud; inflorescences with flowers clustered near the tips; leaf base truncate |
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– | Calyx lobes not completely enclosing the corolla in bud; inflorescences with flowers spaced 1–3 mm apart along the rachis; leaf base rounded to cuneate |
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3 | Anthers 2.5–3.2(-3.8) mm long; calyx (tube and/or lobes) covering 0–20% of the berry in fully mature fruits |
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– | Anthers (3.8-)4.0–5.0 mm long; calyx (tube and/or lobes) covering at least 50% of the berry in fully mature fruits |
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4 | Calyx with spreading trichomes 1.5–3.5 mm long; anthers ellipsoid, rectangular in outline; fruiting pedicels spaced (0-)1–2 mm apart |
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– | Calyx with spreading trichomes 0.5–1.0 mm long; anthers conical, triangular in outline; fruiting pedicels spaced 0–1 mm apart |
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5 | Calyx lobes 2.5–3.0 mm long in flower; fruiting calyx not markedly enlarged and inflated, the calyx tube slightly growing but neither tube nor lobes accrescent; fruit often slightly visible or calyx tube reaching just beyond the top of the berry |
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– | Calyx lobes 3.5–5(-7) mm long in flower; fruiting calyx markedly enlarged and inflated, both calyx tube and lobes accrescent; fruit fully covered by calyx tube |
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We thank Zair Ficinski, Samantha Murphy, Morvah George, and Ranee Prakash for help with herbarium loans and databasing of specimens, Gwen Davis (University of Cambridge) for pictures of
Occurrence records
Excel csv file
Occurrence records of the two new