Cassia neesiana var. neesiana

Title

Cassia neesiana var. neesiana

Authors

Howard S. Irwin, Rupert C. Barneby

Scientific Name

Cassia neesiana Mart. ex Benth. var. neesiana

Description

58a. Cassia neesiana Martius ex Bentham var. neesiana. C. neesiana Martius ex Bentham, 1870, 1.c. — " . .in Serra S. Antonio et in campis a fluvio S. Francisco occidentem versus consitis, prov. Minas Geraes et Bahia: Martius. . ." — Holotypus, Martius 1568 labelled "in Serra de S. Antonio, prope Bananal praedium, Aug. 1818, M (2 sheets)! = F Neg. 6249 = NY Neg. 8894.

Lfts to 11-20(-21 )-jugate, (3-)5-13(-14) mm, the upper surface either dull or sublustrous; racemes at full anthesis immersed in or scarcely overtopping the foliage. — Collections: 20.

Cerrado, commonly on rocky slopes or about outcrops, 800-1220 m, locally plentiful along the crest and both slopes of Sa. do Espinhaço between Bananal and Montes Claros to the n. and Belo Horizonte to the s. (± lat. 16-20° S) in centr. Minas Gerais.

The var. neesiana is evidently plastic in some characters of stature and foliage. Some specimens from Sa. do Cipo are remarkable for the relatively many and small, lustrous leaflets, but do not differ otherwise from sympatric plants with fewer leaflets. Bentham's record of C. neesiana from Bahia is based on a misidentified specimen of C. oligosperma and a misunderstanding of geography.