Mimosa poculata Barneby

  • Authors

    Rupert C. Barneby

  • Authority

    Barneby, Rupert C. 1991. Sensitivae Censitae. A description of the genus Mimosa Linnaeus (Mimosaceae) in the New World. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 65: 1-835.

  • Family

    Mimosaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Mimosa poculata Barneby

  • Type

    280. Mimosa poculata Barneby, nom. nov., based on M. bijuga Bentham, J. Bot. (Hooker) 4: 398. 1842, hom. illeg.—"Piauhy, Gardner, n. 2133.", the data expanded in Martius, Fl. bras. 15(2): 376. 1876: . . inter Boa Esperanza et S. Antonio [near present Jaic

  • Synonyms

    Mimosa bijuga Benth., Mimosa viscida Willd.

  • Description

    Species Description - Slender unarmed subshrubs ±3.5-5 dm, the purplish-brown stems, stipules, lf-axes and peduncles thinly pilose with fine spreading pallid or rufous setae to ±0.8-2 mm, sometimes resinous but not stipitate-glandular, the stems leafy to middle or beyond, passing upward into a loose pseudoraceme of plumply ovoid or globose capitula, the concolorous, olivaceous or brownish-livid lfts glabrous on both faces or puberulent distally, finely ciliolate. Stipules firm lance- or ovate-acuminate (1.5-)2.5-6 x 0.8-2 mm, striately nerved distally, persistent. Leaf-stalks 4-7 cm, the dorsally rounded, ventrally shallow- sulcate petiole 2—3.5 x 0.4—0.7 mm, the interpinnal segments (5—)8—21 mm, the sulcus interrupted between pinna-pairs by a lanceolate spicule; pinnae 2-4 jug., the distal pair longest, their rachis 2-3.4 cm, the interfoliolar segments 1-2 mm; lfts of distal pinnae 12-30-jug., a little decrescent proximally, the first pair 0.7-1.3 mm distant from small subulate paraphyllidia, the plane chartaceous blades linear from obtusangulate base, obtuse or obscurely deltate-apiculate, those at and above mid-rachis 5-9 x 1-1.5 mm, 5-6.6 times as long as wide, all smooth above, beneath prominently 3(—4)-nerved from pulvinule, the centric midrib 2-3-branched from middle upward. Peduncles solitary and 2-3-nate, 9-21 mm; capitula without filaments 5-7 mm diam., prior to anthesis conelike; bracts firm brown, striately venulose, dimorphic, the lowest 1.3-2 mm long and nearly as broad, irregularly connate into a shallow-cupular glabrous involucre, the rest obovate-elliptic navicular ±1.7-3 x 1.2-1.5 mm, free, nidulating the young fl-buds, ciliolate; flowers 4-merous 8-androus; calyx membranous cupular 0.4 mm, the rim undulately truncate; corolla firm, striately venulose from base, 3.5-3.8 mm, the tube narrowly turbinate, the lance-ovate lobes 2 x 0.7-1 mm, filaments pink, monadelphous through ±0.5 mm, exserted 5-5.5 mm. Pods one or few per capitulum, stipitate, the stipe 4-6 mm, the linear body 50-60 x 3.5 mm, the replum ±0.5 mm wide, hispid on back and sides with erect setae to 1-1.5 mm, the papery valves likewise thinly setose and minutely puberulent, disarticulating like those of M. somnians.

    Distribution and Ecology - In unrecorded habitat, but to be expected in cerrado or perhaps taboleiro below 500 m, known from scattered stations in n.-centr. Goiás (lat. 7°30'-12°S) and e.-centr. Piauí (lat. 7°-8°30'S), Brazil.-Fl. XI-III.

  • Discussion

    Mimosa poculata is one of several minor, geographically restricted satellites of the M. somnians complex, essentially like M. somnians var. leptocaulis except for the broad floral bracts, the lowest united into a cupular involucre. It is also very close to M. somnians var. velascoensis, but has fewer pinnae and larger floral bracts. The pod described by Bentham is taken from Martius 1793 (M), here referred to M. monacensis.

  • Distribution

    Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America|