Declieuxia pruinosa J.E.Pohl ex DC.
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Authority
Kirkbride, Joseph H., Jr. 1976. A revision of the genus Declieuxia (Rubiaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 28 (4): 1-87.
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Family
Rubiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Subshrub or shrub glaucous to weakly so, 40-105 cm tall, the branches terete, weakly and irregularly striate, glabrate, with many stomata, the internodes (2-)3-11 cm long, usually much longer than the leaves. Stipules unidentate, narrowly triangular or oblong to narrowly so or very rarely linear, narrowly acute and glandular or obtuse at apex, 0.3-0.8(-5.6) X 0.1-0.5 mm, glabrous, not decurrent or very rarely, weakly decurrent not reaching the next node. Leaves opposite or rarely ternate, sessile, glabrous; blade coriaceous to subcoriaceous, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate or rarely elliptic to ovate, acute or sometimes obtuse and mucronate at apex, acute to obtuse or very rarely attenuate at base, (17-)20-60(-85) x 6.5-16(-24) mm, (1.7-)3.1-4.4(-7.1) times longer than wide, venation pinnate with (6-)7-9(-11) arcuate sometimes anastomosing lateral veins on each side, the midrib prominulous in a sulcus above and prominulous beneath, the lateral veins weakly sulcate or faintly prominulous in a shallow sulcus above and prominulous beneath, the tertiary venation closed reticulate. Inflorescences modified terminal and axillary cymes at the upper nodes, pedunculate, (2.5-)4-6(-14) x 3-5(-7) cm, with 20-150(-600) flowers, with 1-12(-40) axes, the axes terete, 10-35(-85) mm long, glabrous or glabrate; peduncle terete, 15-22(-70) mm long, glabrous or glabrate, with 2-3 dichasial or larger bracts at the apex, the larger bracts narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, acute at apex, 3.2-6 x ca 0.8 mm, glabrous. Flowers heterostylous, subpedicellate with the pedicels terete, 0.1-0.55 mm long, glabrous or glabrate, dichasial bracts narrowly triangular or narrowly oblong, acute to narrowly so at apex, 0.8-2.3 X 0.2-0.6 mm, glabrous and rarely minutely ciliate; hypanthium broadly transverse to transversely elliptic or depressed obovate in outline, 0.5-0.9 X 0.7-1.2 mm, glabrous; calyx lobes triangular to broadly so or oblong to narrowly so, acute at apex, 0.2-0.7 x 0.1-0.3 mm, glabrous; corolla blue, salverform, the tube 3.9-5.8 mm long, orifice 1.2-2 mm in diam, 0.7-0.9 mm at base, exterior glabrous, the lobes triangular, broadly ovate, or narrowly oblong, acute at apex, 1.6-3.3 x 1-1.7 mm, glabrous outside; stamens with the filaments ca 0.2 or ca 1.5 mm long, glabrous, the anthers 1.1-1.4 mm long, glabrous; style 3.7-4.3 or 5.5-6.5 mm long, glabrous. Fruit with the emargination 0.4-0.7 mm, subpedicellate with the pedicel 0.3-0.8 mm long, glabrous or glabrate, the mericarps broadly elliptic in outline, (1.6-) 1.8-2.2(-2.4) x (1.4-)1.5-1.8 mm, ca 0.6 mm thick, glabrous or minutely papillate, subrugose.
Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Known from moderate elevations in northern Minas Gerais, the vicinity of Sítio da Abadia in Goiás, and Serra do Sincorá in Bahia. Map 4.
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Discussion
3. Declieuxia pruinosa Pohl ex de Candolle, Prodr. 4: 481, 1830. Psyllocarpus pruinosus Pohl ex de Candolle, in synonymy, Prodr. 4: 481, 1830. Declieuxia glauca Martius ex Chamisso & Schlechtendal var subdecurrens Müller Argoviensis, Mart. FI. Bras. 6(5): 439, 1881. Type: Brazil, Goiás, Chapada de Nossa Senhora d’abadia, Mai 1840, Gardner 4170 (lectotype G; isotypes BR, F, G, GH, NY, W). Type: Brazil, Minas Gerais, inter Rio Jequitinhonha et Columbis, Pohl 3147 (holotype G-DC; isotypes NY, W). Since the time of de Candolle (1830), this species has been recognized as Declieuxia glauca Martius ex Chamisso & Schlechtendal. Martius’ collection of D. “glauca” cited above from Monte Sincorá, falls well within the limits of this species. Chamisso and Schlechtendal applied Martius’ name, D. glauca, to a collection made by Sellow which fits within minor variant 7 of D. fruticosa and which was obviously the basis of the description written by Chamisso and Schlechtendal. Declieuxia pruinosa is most closely related to D. fruticosa from which it is separated by its glaucous condition, internodes usually much longer than the leaves, and stipules nondecurrent or weakly so not reaching the next node.