Skip to main content

Canastra glory bush (Pleroma canastrense) and viscous glory bush (Pleroma viscosa) from Serra da Canastra

Canastra glory bush (Pleroma canastrense) and viscous glory bush (Pleroma viscosa) from Serra da Canastra 1

NEWS - Canastra glory bush (Pleroma canastrense) and viscous glory bush (Pleroma viscosa) from Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were established as new species that have stamens with short pediconnectives and inconspicuous ventral appendages.

P. canastrense has brown leaf blades, broadly ovate to rounded ovate, entire and depressed margins, with 11-17 basal acrodromous veins, stamens with short pediconnectives and inconspicuous ventral appendages along with white petals as distinguishing features from other Pleroma.

P. canastrense resembles P. wurdackianum (R.Romero & A.B.Martins) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang and both have shrubby or shrubby habitats. However, P. wurdackianum has pink petals (vs. white in P. canastrense), hypanthium, and leaf blades with rounded glands (vs. glabrous).

P. canastrense is also similar to P. integerrimum (R.Romero & A.B.Martins) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. However, P. integerrimum differs in having brownish-green and uniform leaf blades (vs. brownish and colorless in P. canastrense), glabrous at the edges (vs. striated).

P. canastrense also resembles P. gertii. However, P. gertii has elliptical, elliptical-lanceolate or oblong to oblong-lanceolate leaves (vs. broadly elliptical to orbicular in P. canastrense) with 7-9 basal acrodromous veins (vs. 11-17) and purple petals (vs. white).

The plant flowers from April to August and fruits from June to October. The specific epithet refers to the restricted occurrence of this species in the Serra da Canastra hill area, where it is probably endemic. The beautiful population with white flowers is found only in campo rupestre with an area of occupancy of 48 km2.

Despite its restricted distribution in the Serra da Canastra, researchers propose it as "Least Concern" (LC) according to the IUCN category (2012, 2022) because most individuals are in a conservation unit with full federal protection established almost 50 years ago, without significant threats to the population.

Canastra glory bush (Pleroma canastrense) and viscous glory bush (Pleroma viscosa) from Serra da Canastra 2

P. viscosa has a thickening of younger branches, leaf blades, bracteoles, hypanthia and sepals caused by globular glands, prominent secondary veins on the abaxial surface of the leaf blade and stamens with very short pediconnectives (about 0.2 mm) as distinguishing features from other Pleroma species.

P. viscosa resembles P. gertii. However, P. viscosa has leaf blades covered with brownish glands (vs. yellowish green in P. gertii), which give a glutinous appearance especially on the adaxial surface (vs. not glutinous). Secondary veins are prominent on the abaxial surface of the leaf blade (vs. inconspicuous).

P. viscosa resembles Pleroma minus (R.Romero & A.B.Martins) P.J.F.Guim. & Michelang. However, P. minus has a glabrous or sparsely setose stem at the base (vs. rounded glands in P. viscosa), ascending leaves (vs. horizontal), smaller leaf blades 0.8-4.5 × 0.5-2.5 cm (vs. 2-8 × 3-6 cm), petioles about 2 mm (vs. 3.3-11 mm), petals rounded at the apex and ciliated at the margin (vs. rounded or slightly recessed, glabrous or slightly ciliated).

The plant flowers from January to July and fruits from April to October. The specific epithet refers to the lumpy appearance due to the rounded glands on the younger branches, on both sides of the leaf blade, bracteoles, hypanthium, and sepals.

P. viscosa is known only from the Serra da Canastra National Park, where it is probably endemic. Population in campo rupestre and area of occupancy of 32 km2. However, researchers proposed an initial category of “Least Concern” (LC) according to the IUCN (2012, 2022) because they did not identify a sustained decline in the occupancy of the P. viscosa population over the past 30 years.

Original research

Romero R, Pereira Silva R, Guimarães PJF (2024). Two new Pleroma species and an updated key: Melastomateae from the Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil. PhytoKeys 247: 11-27, DOI:10.3897/phytokeys.247.130040

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...
Read more

Lolot (Piper sarmentosum)

Lolot pepper ( Piper sarmentosum ) is a species of plant in Piperaceae, perennial herb, erect or lodging, creeping rhizome, up to 120 cm long, branched, enlarged branches, cylindrical stems, brown or green, often grooved, growing on the forest floor and shade. P. sarmentosum has leaf stalks up to 15 cm long, up to 13 cm wide, green, alternately arranged, heart-shaped, pointed tips and flat margins. The leaves have 5 main veins from the base of the blade, linear and slightly curved to the tip, glands on the upper surface and many fine pinnate veins. The upper side is shiny green, the lower side is pale green. The flowers are white. The fruit grows in the upper armpit of the leaf, is slightly oval and green. The leaves are used as a medicine for asthma, malaria, stomach ache, tinea versicolor, toothache, difficulty urinating, aches and pains, maintaining stamina, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and so on. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiosperma...
Read more

Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica)

Cogon grass ( Imperata cylindrica ) is a species of plant in the Poaceae, an annual grass, sharp leaves, long and scaly shoots, creeping underground, white or purplish flowers, very adaptive and grows in all climates. I. cylindrica has sharply pointed shoot tips that emerge from the ground, up to 3 meters high, short stems, rising above the ground surface. Leaves are long ribbon-shaped, pointed tip, narrow base, up to 100 cm long, very rough and sharply serrated edges, long hairs at the base and wide veins. Inflorescences in panicles, up to 28 cm long, spikes long-haired and white to 1 cm. The seeds spread quickly with the wind or via rhizomes that quickly penetrate the soil. This species grows in tropical to subtropical areas, elevation up to 2000 meters, temperature 20-40C, rainfall 500-3500 mm/year, pH 4-7.5, lots of sunlight to a bit of shade. This plant dominates open land, former forests, dry rice fields, roadsides and so on. This plant contains mannitol, glucose, sacharose...
Read more