Desmodium sclerophyllum Benth., Fl. Bras.
Creators: name: Lima, Laura Cristina Pires
name: Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci De
name: Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo
name: Lewis, Gwilym Peter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Desmodium
Desmodium sclerophyllum

description: 25. Desmodium sclerophyllum Benth., Fl. Bras. 15(1): 102. 1859. Meibomia sclerophylla (Benth.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 198. 1891. Lectotype (designated here):— BRAZIL. Santa Rosa, September 1839, G. Gardner 2821 (lectotype K000328111!, isolectotype BM!). Remaining syntypes: Brazil. Paranagoa, September 1839, G. Gardner 2534 (BM!, K!); Morro de Manoel Gomes, J.B.E. Pohl 1501 (K!, W![2 sheets]); Mato Grosso: Cuiabá, L. Riedel 810 (K!, LE!); Vila Maria, H.A. Weddell 3305 (P![2 sheets]); Guyana. R.H. Schomburgk 657 (K!, OXF!). Fig. 27.   
Erect, slightly branched shrub or subshrub, 0.5–2 m tall, without a xylopodium; stems not virgate, slender or not, cylindrical, striate, glabrescent or sparsely puberulous-uncinate or hirsute, not glaucous; internodes 2.5–4 cm long. Stipules 5–7 × 1.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, semi-amplexicaul, inserted obliquely at the base of the leaf petiole, free from each other, apex caudate, margin straight, glabrescent, veins conspicuous, early caducous. Leaves unifoliolate; petiole 3–7 mm long, cylindrical, sulcate, densely or sparsely tomentose and uncinate; stipels 4–6 mm long, subulate, margin straight, glabrescent, persistent; leaflet concolorous, chartaceous or coriaceous, venation eucamptodromous, primary, secondary and tertiary veins prominent on the abaxial surface, indumentum pubescent on the primary, secondary and tertiary veins on the abaxial surface, adaxial surface glabrescent, uncinate hairs covering both surfaces, leaflet 5–11.5 × 0.7–3.5 cm, lanceolate, linear, oblong or ovate, base oblique or obtuse, apex acute, obtuse, subacute or retuse. Inflorescence a terminal paniculate; the main axis longer than the adjacent leaves, 25–78 cm long, densely puberulous-uncinate, 2 flowers per node; primary bract 3–4 mm long, lanceolate, margin ciliate, puberulous on the outer surface, caducous, veins conspicuous on the outer surface; secondary bract 1–2 mm long, narrowly triangular, margin ciliate, sericeous on the outer surface, caducous, veins inconspicuous on the outer surface; pedicel 2–5 mm long, sparsely puberulous-uncinate. Flowers 4–6 mm long; calyx bilabiate, tube campanulate, 0.5–1 mm long, tomentose and puberulous-uncinate on the outer surface; upper lip bifid, slightly fused, the 2 teeth joined for a ca. ¾ of their length, acute, ca. 0.1 mm long; lower lip trifid, lateral tooth lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm long, central tooth lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm long; corolla purple or violet, standard 5–6 × 3–5.5 mm, orbicular, apex obtuse or retuse, maculate at the base, claw 0.5–1 mm long; wing petals 4.5–6 × 1.5–2 mm, oblong, apex obtuse, without callosities, claw 0.8–1 mm long; keel petals 4.5–6 × 1.5–2 mm, narrowly obovate, apex subacute, with callosities, claw 2–3 mm long; androecium monadelphous, 4–6 mm long, vexillary stamen partially fused with the other from the base 1.5–2.5 mm long; ovary 2–4 mm long, glabrous or puberulous, stipe 0.5–1 mm long, glabrous. Loment 1.2–3.5 cm long, stipe 1–2 mm long, puberulous-uncinate or glabrescent, isthmus central, both margins sinuate; articles uniform 4–6, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, orbicular, not tortuous, indehiscent, subcoriaceous, veins conspicuous, puberulous-uncinate or glabrescent. Seed 2 × 1 mm, oblong, hilum subcentral.  
 Selected specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Acre: Rio Branco: Turumú, Serra de Praracuá, February 1909, fl., E . Ule 7936 (G, K, L). Goiás: Mara Rosa: fazenda Santo Antônio, localidade denominada Pedra Preta, 25 June 1998, fl., fr., M. A . da Silva et al. 3858 (IBGE, UEC). Mato Grosso: Barra do Garças: fazenda Brasil, 26 March 1967, fl., fr., G. F . Arbocz et al. 3612 (ESA, UFMT); Pontes e Lacerda: MT 174, km 181, sentido Pontes e Lacerda a Cáceres, 18 April 2009, fl., fr., L. C. P . Lima et al. 605 (HUEFS). Mato Grosso do Sul: São Gabriel do Oeste: Reserva Legal da fazenda Bonito, 12 April 2009, fl., fr., L. C. P . Lima & M. P. Andrade 585 (HUEFS). Minas Gerais: Campina Verde: fazenda Jaraguá, 25 February 1949, fl., A . Macedo 1729 (SP); Ituiutaba: Santa Terezinha, 5 April 1950, fl., fr., A . Macedo 2240 (BM, SP). Pará: Estreito-Marabá: Estreito-Marabá km 2, 9 April 1974, fl., G. S . Pinheiro & J. F. V. Carvalho 635 (RB). Piauí: Alto Longa: Posto Experimental de Área Seca, 10 May 1978, fl., fr., J. J . Viana 153 (RB). Rondônia: Porto Velho: ca. 300m à esquerda do km 15 da BR-202 direção Vila do Surumu- Normandia, 1 January 1995, fl., I. S . Miranda 658 (INPA). Roraima: s. mun.: s. loc., s.d. fr., R. H . Schomburgk 484 (BM). São Paulo: São Paulo: em Matão, 1965, fl., fr., Coleção viva IRI 1196 (UB).   
 Distribution and Ecology:— Tropical South America in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela (Schubert 1945, Ducke 1949, Lima et al. 2010) and newly recorded for Bolivia and Paraguay. In Brazil D. sclerophyllum occurs in the States of Acre, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Piauí, Rondônia, Roraima, and São Paulo, associated with wet habitats in grasslands and forests.   
 Conservation Assessment:— Least Concern (LC), not endangered (IUCN 2001).   
 Phenology:— flowering and fruiting from February to December.   
 Etymology:— from the Greek sclero (= hard), and the Latin folium (= leaf), most probably a reference to the coriaceous leaves.   
 Common Name:— carrapicho; carrapicho-de-rato.   
 DESMODIUM (LEGUMINOSAE, PAPILIONOIDEAE) IN BRAZIL   
 Phytotaxa 169 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press • 77 78 • Phytotaxa 169 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press   
 LIMA ET AL.   
 Taxonomic notes:— unifoliolate leaves, a pubescent indumentum on the tertiary veins of the abaxial surface of the leaflets, flowers 4–7 mm long, a vinaceous coloured corolla, a glabrous or puberulous ovary, and orbicular fruit articles with inconspicuous veins and a puberulous-uncinate indumentum are characters that assist in the recognition of D. sclerophyllum. Desmodium sclerophyllum is morphologically similar to D. distortum, D. pachyrhizum, D. platycarpum, and D. polygaloides due to the leaflet shape (ovate or linear), but it can be distinguished from these species mainly by indumentum characters.   
 The specimen Gardner 2821 deposited in the Kherbarium is selected as the lectotype of Desmodium sclerophyllum because it best agrees with the species protologue, in accordance with article 9.2, note 2 of the ICBN (McNeill et al. 2006).
description: Published as part of Lima, Laura Cristina Pires, Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci De, Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo & Lewis, Gwilym Peter, 2014, A Taxonomic Revision of Desmodium (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) in Brazil, pp. 1-119 in Phytotaxa 169 (1) on pages 77-79, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.169.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10089817