Roupala thomesiana Moric.
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Authority
Prance, Ghillean T., et al. 2007. Proteaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 100: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Proteaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Brazil. Bahia: Jacobina and São Tomé [S. Thome], without date (fl), Blanchet 3758 [3575] (holotype, G-DEL, n.v., photo 7456 F, GH, NY; isotypes, G, K, MO, NY).
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Description
Species Description - Young branch indumentum on new growth unit short, brown-tomentose, quickly glabrescent. Older stems pale brown peeling to dark brown. Lenticels numerous, inconspicuous, minute, usually <0.2 mm diam., rarely larger, granular, plane, orange-brown. Leaves simple, chartaceous, drying purple-brown, matte, sparsely pilose above towards base of lamina when new, glabrescent. Petiole 0.7-1.7 cm long, 0.8-1.5 mm wide at midlength, 1/3 to 1/3.5 the length of the lamina, somewhat sulcate at lamina end, subterete towards base, the indumentum brown, short-tomentose (velutinous) above on new leaves, sparse beneath, glabrescent both sides. Lamina 3-5.5 × 24cm, length:breadth 1.3-1.5:1, suborbicular to widely elliptic; base cuneate and sharply decurrent; apex obtuse, frequently with a small protrusion of the apical point of the midrib; margin entire, revolute, strongly so at the base, weakly at the apex; venation fine, slightly raised above and beneath, conspicuous, semicraspedodromous, the midvein reaching the apex; lateral veins four pairs. Inflorescence axillary, unbranched, 4-12.5 × 1.5 cm, short, sparsely brown-tomentose, denser towards the peduncle; peduncle 0.6-1.5 cm long, 0.8-1.1 mm broad; sterile bracts few at the very base. Common bracts 0.6 × 0.8 mm, with a fimbriate margin of strigose hairs, few hairs to the outside. Flower-pair axis absent. Pedicels 1.5-2 × 0.4 mm, brown tomentose. Buds 1.3-1.4 mm broad at the apex, 0.7 mm broad at midlength, the indumentum sparse, rufous, appressed-puberulent. Flowers 4.5-5.5 mm long; filaments 0.2 mm long, adnate 4 mm from base of tepals; anthers 1.2-1.5 × 0.3 mm; nectary lobes 0.2-0.3 mm long, well separated; ovary hairs extending to 0.5-1 mm from the base, lower on one half than the other, short, rufous-strigose; ovules 0.6 × 0.3 mm. Fruit not known.
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Discussion
With close affinities to Roupala montana, this species has similar shaped leaves to var. impressiuscula, delicate inflorescences and small flowers as in R. montana var. paraensis, and the same color of indumentum as these varieties, yet it cannot convincingly be included within either. Further collections from Bahia and the northeast of Brazil, generally, may prove this species to be synonymous with R. montana.
This species is rather inconspicuous but may be identified by the combination of small (3-5.5 cm long) suborbicular to widely elliptic leaves with a margin that is entire and recurved all the way around.
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Distribution
Collected once in Bahia, Brazil; habitat not indicated.
Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America|