Mimosa lanata

  • Title

    Mimosa lanata

  • Authors

    Rupert C. Barneby

  • Scientific Name

    Mimosa lanata Benth.

  • Description

    452. Mimosa lanata Bentham, J. Bot. (Hooker) 4: 379. 1841.-"Brazil, Sello."-Holotypus, Sello s.n., K (hb. Benth.)!; isotypi, +B = F Neg. 1333; F (fragm. e B)! K (hb. Hook.)! P!

    M. lanata sensu Bentham, 1875: 405, 1876: 338; Glaziou, 1906: 179; Burkart, 1979: 188 + map (Sta. Catarina).

    Slender erect, simply virgate or awkwardly few-branched, functionally herbaceous, often distantly foliate subshrubs ±1-1.5 m tall, densely softly pubescent throughout with extremely fine flagelliform setae to ±1-2.5 mm, the setae of stems and peduncles retrorsely appressed but with spreading or curly (in age deciduous) tip, those of lf-axes antrorse-spreading, the unfolding lvs and young capitula densely softly orange-brown- lanate, the lfts beneath their silky vesture discolorous, darker above, the small globose capitula solitary in the axil of coevally expanding lvs, usually non-pseudoracemose. Stipules broadly ovate-triangular or broadly lanceolate 2-7 x (1.2-) 1.5-2.5 mm, densely lanate-setulose dorsally, brown glabrous striate within, persistent. Leaf-stalks including (or consisting of) hard pulvinus 1.5—7 mm; pinnae 1-jug., the rachis 3.5- 5.5(-6.3) cm, the interfoliolar segments 1-2 mm; lfts 26-35-jug., decrescent at each end of rachis, in outline narrowly oblong or oblong-elliptic from deeply semicordate base, obliquely apiculate, those near mid-rachis 4-10.5 x 1.4-2.2 mm, 3-4.7 times as long as wide, dorsally 2-3-nerved from pulvinule, the midrib only a little displaced, the inner (or only) posterior nerve produced ± to mid-blade, the venation often concealed by vesture. Peduncles (1.3—)2—5 cm; capitula without filaments 4.5-7.5 mm diam., prior to anthesis concealed in a silky cloak of fine orange setae; bracts linear-elliptic or-spatulate 1.8-3.3 x 0.3-0.6 mm, dorsally beyond middle lanate-setulose; flowers 4-merous 4-androus, mostly bisexual; calyx paleaceous-pappiform 1.3-1.7 mm, the lobes cleft nearly to base into lustrous setae; corolla narrowly funnelform 2-2.4 mm, the dorsally puberulent, scarcely callous lobes 0.4-0.65 x 0.3-0.4 mm; filaments pink or lilac, free almost to very base, exserted 4-5 mm; ovary at anthesis glabrous; ovules 4-5. Pods± 10-20 per capitulum, sessile, in profile narrowly oblong ±10-15 x 3-4.5 mm, 2-4(-5)-seeded, the replum 0.5-0.7 mm wide, short-apiculate, densely hispid along back and sides with stout erect tapering lustrous setae 1-3 mm mixed with shorter fine ascending setulae, the stiffly papery valves concealed by a coat of fine, forwardly appressed setae, when ripe breaking up into free-falling, individually dehiscent, rhombic articles ±3 mm long; ripe seeds not seen.

    In moist campo, in brejo, at edge of campo thickets or gallery woodland, and in capoeira, ±700-950 m, discontinuously dispersed from upper rio Itararé near 24°S in s. S. Paulo, Brazil s. through e. Paraná, w. of the Atlantic watershed, to the basin of rio Canoas near 27°50'S in s.-e. Sta. Catarina, and disjunctly n.-e. in S. Paulo to Sa. da Bocaina near 22°45'S.—Fl. (VIII-)X-II.