Agarista boliviensis (Sleumer) Judd
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Authority
Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Ericaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Bolivia. Santa Cruz: Valley of Comarapa, 26 Oct 1928, Steinbach 8568 (holotype, B, destroyed; frag, of holotype, US; isotypes, BM, n.v., E, F, G, n.v., GH, K, LIL, n.v., MO, NY, S, UC; photos of isotype at F, G, GH).
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Synonyms
Leucothoe boliviensis Sleumer
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Description
Species Description - Shrub or small tree to ca. 7 m tall, slightly rhizomatous; twigs glabrous to moderately pubescent, with nonchambered to obscurely chambered pith; buds to ca. 1 mm long, leaves re volute. Leaves coriaceous, ovate, 2-7.5 × 0.9-3.2 cm, base cuneate to rounded and often slightly asymmetric, apex acuminate, margin entire and minutely undulate to smooth, ± plane to very slightly revolute at extreme base, adaxial surface glabrous or with a very few hairs, especially near margin, but very sparsely to moderately pubescent on midvein, abaxial surface glabrous, but very sparsely to moderately pubescent along midvein, with inconspicuous to conspicuous glandular dots along midvein; petiole (3.5-)5-17 mm long, slender and often flexuous. Inflorescences axillary racemes to 1-4 cm long; rachis moderately pubescent with ± whitish hairs; pedicels 4-9 mm long, sparsely to moderately pubescent; bracteoles 2, opposite to alternate, from basal to within lower 1/3 of pedicel, narrowly triangular to linear (ovate), to ca. 1.7(-8) mm long; floral bracts to ca. 1.5 mm long. Flowers with triangular calyx lobes, with acuminate apices, 0.9-2 × 0.5-1.7 mm, abaxial surface glabrous to moderately pubescent; corolla cylindrical, white, 6-11 × 2-5 mm, glabrous; filaments 3.5-7 mm long; anthers 1-1.2 mm long; ovary glabrous to moderately pubescent, especially near apex. Capsules subglobose to ovoid, 3-4.5 × 4.3-7 mm, placentae subapical; seeds 1.4-2.6 mm long.
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Discussion
Agarista boliviensis is most closely related to A. eucalyptoides, from which it is easily distinguished by its more consistently ovate leaves and its inflorescence axes with whitish (vs. ferruginous) hairs. Both taxa are distinctive due to their moderate-sized leaves with often elongate and flexuous petioles. The two species are completely allopatric since A. eucalyptoides is limited to southeastern Brazil and Uruguay.
Recently collected specimens from the Sierra de Zapla in northwestern Argentina, province of Jujuy, show some differences from more northern populations of this species. These populations can usually be differentiated from Bolivian plants by their sparsely to moderately pubescent twigs (vs. glabrous to sparsely pubescent); leaves with the midvein ± moderately pubescent (vs. only very sparsely pubescent); petioles 3.5-10 mm long and not or only slightly flexuous (vs. 6-17 mm long and frequently flexuous); leaf margins entire and smooth to obscurely undulate (vs. usually entire and undulate, but rarely only obscurely undulate); and inflorescences 0.5-4(-6) cm long (vs. 0.5-2.5 cm long). The Sierra de Zapla plants have been illustrated by Cabrera (1983). Formal taxonomic recognition of these populations is probably unwarranted due to the degree of overlap in the above-listed characters and because an extremely similar pattern of variation is shown by A. eucalyptoides (see Judd & Hermann, 1990). -
Objects
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Distribution
Bolivia and NW Argentina (see Legname, 1978; Cabrera, 1983). Mountainous areas; ca. 1200-2500 m elev. Flowering September through November.
Bolivia South America| Chuquisaca Bolivia South America| Potosí Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America| Tarija Bolivia South America| Argentina South America| Jujuy Argentina South America|