Mimosa verrucosa Benth.
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Authors
Rupert C. Barneby
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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.
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Family
Mimosaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
85. Mimosa verrucosa Bentham, J. Bot. (Hooker) 4: 390. 1841.—"Oeiras, Prov. Piauhy, Gardner, n. 2136; Prov. Bahia [Itabira, acc. some labels], Blanchet, n. 2869."—Lectotypus, Gardner 2136, collected IV. 1839 (fl), K (hb. Hook.)! = IPA Neg. 1270; isotypi,
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Description
Species Description - Unarmed several-stemmed shrubs and bushy treelets 2.5-4.5 m, gray-pubescent throughout with short simple hairs, and the stems, lf-axes, peduncles and major veins of lfts’ lower face charged with densely pubescent verruciform setulae 0.1-0.5 mm diam., the plane lfts equally gray-tomentulose on both faces or sometimes only thinly so above, beneath charged between veins with superficial or impressed, globose yellow or orange glands ±0.5 mm diam., the pliantly amentiform fl-spikes either all solitary or all fasciculate by 2-4 in axils of coevally expanding lvs, or some forming a shortly exserted efoliate pseudoraceme. Stipules firm, erect incurved, lance-attenuate 3-7 mm, at dilated, dorsally convex base 1-2 mm wide, pubescent within and without, persistent. Leaf-stalks 4-9.5 cm, the petiole 6—18(—21) x 0.7-1.4 mm, the longer interpinnal segments 5-15 mm, the ventral groove interrupted between pairs of pinnae by a conic- subulate puberulent spicule 0.6-1.3 mm; pinnae 6-9(-10)-jug., a little decrescent at each end of rachis, the first pair 0.8-1.3 mm distant from refracted subulate paraphyllidia 0.4-1.2 mm, the blades of all obliquely oblong from semicordate base, obtuse or minutely apiculate, those at mid-rachis (3-)4-10(-12) x (1.5-)2-4.5 mm, (2-)2.2- 3(-3.3) times as long as wide, all veinless above, beneath prominulously 3-nerved from pulvinule, the straight midrib displaced to divide blade ±1:2, the inner posterior nerve produced well beyond mid-blade, the outer one short incurved. Axis of flower-spikes including short peduncle 6-14.5 cm; bracts linear-oblanceolate 0.7-1.2 mm, dorsally puberulent, caducous; flowers 4-merous 8-androus, mostly bisexual, the obtusely obovoid fl-buds densely whitish-tomentulose with short simple hairs intermixed with minute glands, the calyx and tips of corolla-lobes exceptionally partly stellate-verruculose; calyx broadly campanulate 0.9—1.5(—1.8) mm, the deltate or depressed-deltate teeth 0.2-0.5 mm; corolla 2.5-3.3 mm, the nearly erect lobes ovate or lance- ovate 1.1-1.3 x 0.6-1.1 mm; filaments bright pink, free to base, exserted 5-7.5 mm; ovary tomentulose. Pods (few seen) broadly linear planocompressed, cuneately contracted at base into a stipe 2-3 mm, the body when well fertilized 3045 x ±8 mm, 4-6-seeded, the undulately constricted replum ±0.7 mm wide, the replum and papery valves alike densely gray- or sordid-to- mentulose with short simple hairs mixed on valves with minute scattered glands and on replum with stellate scales, the ripe valves breaking into free-falling articles 5.5-9 mm long; ripe seeds not seen.
Distribution and Ecology - In caatinga woodland, disturbed carrasco thickets, and cerrado, 100-820 m, locally plentiful in middle e. Brazil in ±3°-14°S, 40°-46°W, from the Balsas-Parnaíba divide in s. Maranhão e. across n. and centr. Piauí to s.-w. Ceará (Chapada do Araripe), s. to lower S. Francisco valley in extreme w. Pernambuco, n.-centr. and w. Bahia, and extreme e.-centr. Goiás; naturalized or planted for ornament in Brasília, D. F.—Fl. II- V, VII-VIII, the full term not known.— Jurema preta, applied also to M. ophthalmocentra. Map 14.
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Discussion
A bushy treelet of rapid growth, ornamental in flower, the long pliant tassels of pink filaments forming a pleasing contrast with the gray foliage. In the material examined there is considerable variation in size of leaves and leaflets. The larger leaflets are commonly about 5-7.5 x 2-3.5 mm, but can attain 9-12 x 4-4.5 mm, a variation probably due to conditions of shade or moisture. Over most of its range the calyx of M. verrucosa is pubescent with simple hairs, but one collection from Chapada do Araripe in Ceará (Castellanos & Duarte 533, BRADE, NY) has a stellately lepidote calyx and a few stellae on the tip of the corolla-lobes. This may possibly represent an independent taxonomic unit.
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Distribution
Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Ceará Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America|