Euplassa semicostata Plana

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T., et al. 2007. Proteaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 100: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Proteaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Euplassa semicostata Plana

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Minas Gerais, Serra do Espinhaço, lower slopes of Serra da Caraça, ca. 10 km W of Barrão de Cocais, 1400 m, 23 Jan 1971 (fl), Irwin et al. 28922 (holotype, UB; isotypes, C, F, K, NY, UB).

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Species Description - Small tree, or shrub, to 2 m. Young stems rufous-tomentose, the color fading with maturity, striations occasionally visible. Older branches grayish to black, glabrous, striate, slightly fissured or unfissured. Lenticels numerous, generally inconspicuous and minute, <0.5 mm, suborbicular, slightly prominent, occasionally elliptic and reaching a length of 4 mm long, ferruginous to dull brown, generally not producing fissures. Petiole 5.5-8.5 cm long, terete, 2.5-3 mm diam, at the base, ferruginous-tomentose, the indumentum becoming grayish or patchy in older leaves. Leaf rhachis 7-13.3 cm long, the terminal appendix 6-7 mm long, ca. 1 mm broad; leaflets subsessile, less commonly sessile and usually only in terminal leaflets; petiolules 2-3 mm long and 3-3.5 mm diam, at the base. Leaflets three pairs, less commonly four, opposite to subopposite, not overlapping, drying light green to brown, subcoriaceous, matte, glabrous to sparsely ferruginous-puberulent above, the venation usually with denser indumentum, ferruginous-pubescent beneath, venation densely tomentose, symmetrical to asymmetrical, narrowly to broadly obovate to less frequently elliptic-oblong; basal pair ovate, oval to suborbicular, 4.1-11.6 × 2.8-8.4 cm; lateral leaflets 6.5-8.7 × 3.7-5.5 cm; base generally equal, narrowing to rounded; apex rounded to truncate, rarely retuse; margin entire, minutely revolute, rarely strongly curled under, usually pressing flat; venation brochidodromous, with 4-5 lateral veins, the midvein prominent beneath, not reaching the apex, forking 0.5-1 cm from the apex; secondaries narrow, prominent, higher order venation narrowly reticulate. Inflorescence congested, rarely branched, 1.8-2.3 cm diam., axillary or terminal; peduncle 2.7-3.5cm long, 1-2mm diam, immediately below inflorescence; floral rhachis 7-15 cm long, rufous-tomentose; bracteoles more or less uniform, ca. 1 mm long, the basal ones generally absent, falling early, rounded or obovate, tomentose, not reflexed; flower-pair peduncle 1-2.5 mm long, 0.75-1.25 mm diam., rufous-tomentose; pedicels absent. Buds ca. 2 mm broad at the apex, ca. 0.75 mm at midlength, erect to ascending, rufous-tomentose. Flowers 8-9.5 mm, one tepal remaining erect at anthesis; tepals 0.5 mm across at midlength, keeled. Anthers sessile, 0.75 mm long. Hypogynous nectaries distinct, the two abaxial nectaries positioned farther up than the adaxial nectaries, trigonous, abaxial, and lateral gaps commonly present. Ovary 1-2 mm long, ovoid to narrow ovoid, rufous-hirsute throughout, indumentum reaching base of the style. Fruit unknown.

  • Discussion

    Euplassa semicostata is similar to E. legalis with which it shares leaflet shape and pubescence, although the midvein in E. semicostata rarely reaches the apex. This species also has sessile flowers, in contrast to the pedicellate flowers E. legalis; the ovary is hirsute as opposed to glabrous, and the hypogynous glands are distinct.

    Geographically, Euplassa legalis is concentrated in Rio de Janeiro, while E. semicostata is found in the mountainous regions of Minas Gerais, such as in the Serra do Espinhaço. It also occurs in the Serra do Cipó, from which Pirani & Nascimento (1995) described material of this species as E. legalis var. villanovae. However, their description and accompanying illustration indicated that the ovary was completely pubescent and that the midvein did not reach the leaflet apex, showing that the specimens they described were of E. semicostata. The specimens from the Serra do Cipó are from the edge of gallery forest or from patches of forest on steep mountainsides. E. legalis may also be found on low mountaintops without rocky outcrops.

    In 1954, Sleumer described a new variety, Euplassa legalis (Vellozo) I. M. Johnston var. villanovae Sleumer. The majority of specimens identified under this variety had a pubescent ovary, distinct hypogynous nectaries, and fused pedicels. The type specimen (Glaziou 3734) was the only specimen to have a glabrous ovary and partly fused pedicels. Because Glaziou’s specimen shows more similarities with E. legalis, it was left to represent Sleumer s new variety. The rest of the specimens were described as this species.

    The collection from Capanéma, Riedel 1440 in the 1800s, does not specify the state in which it was collected. However, Riedel’s Capanéma is listed under Minas Gerais in his itinerary (Urban, 1906).

    Small tree or shrub to 2 m in height. Flowers yellow.

    Euplasa semicostata is characterized by a combination of characters, including the midrib not reaching the apex and forking 5-10 mm before the apex, sessile flowers, and a rufous-hirsute ovary entirely covered with a short, spreading indumentum.

    Phenology. Flowering in Jan; fruiting unknown.

  • Distribution

    Found in premontane areas in central Minas Gerais, from the Serra do Espinhaço to mountain systems, and farther south around Ouro Preto. In the Serra da Caraça of the Serra do Espinhaço, it is found in cerrado and gallery forest on sandy soils at 1400 m alt.

    Minas Gerais Brazil South America|