Bertolonia alternifolia Baumgratz 2011
Creators: name: Bisewski, Gessica C. A.
name: Bacci, Lucas F.
name: Amorim, André M.
name: Goldenberg, Renato
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Myrtales
Melastomataceae
Bertolonia
Bertolonia alternifolia

description: 1. Bertolonia alternifolia Baumgratz et al. (2011: 273). Figures 1, 2a.
Herbs 25–35 cm tall, epiphytic, rarely terrestrial. Stem 1–4 mm wide, rounded, sparsely to moderately glandulosepunctate (trichomes less than 0.1 mm long) and moderately to densely glandulose-villose (trichomes 2–4 mm long). Leaves alternate; petioles 1.5–5.5 cm long, rounded, sparsely to moderately glandulose-punctate and moderately to densely glandulose-villose (trichomes 3–4 mm long); blades 3.4–7.3 × 2.2–5.8 cm, flat, widely ovate to circular, base cordate, apex obtuse to rounded, margins crenulate, densely ciliate, adaxial surface light green, sparsely glandulosepunctate and moderately to densely glandulose-villose (trichomes 1.5–1.7 mm long, brownish), abaxial surface vinaceous, sparsely glandulose-punctate and moderately to densely glandulose-villose (trichomes 2.1–2.5 mm long, brownish), main veins 3, plus two pairs that do not reach the leaf apex, basal. Inflorescences terminal, 6.2–10 cm long (9.6–14.3 cm long in infructescences), branches moderately glandulose-punctate and moderately glandulosevillose, sparsely glandulose-villose when old. Bracts 4–5 mm long, obovate, apex acute, margins ciliate, both surfaces glandulose-punctate and glandulose-villose; bracteoles 1.2–2.2 mm long, lanceolate, apex acute, both surfaces glandulose-punctate and glandulose-villose. Hypanthium 3.4–5.4 × 2.4–4 mm, obconic, glandulose-punctate and glandulose-villose. Sepals ovate, apex acute, margins entire, ciliate, both surfaces glandulose-punctate and glandulosevillose. Petals 11–18 × 7–10.5 mm, pink, elliptic to obovate, base cuneate, apex apiculate, the apiculum 0.6–0.8 mm long, with a caducous gland head, margins entire, eciliate, both surfaces papillose, otherwise glabrous. Stamens 9.9–11.5 mm long; filaments 5.2–6 mm long; anthers 4.2–5.5 mm long, cream colored, lanceolate, surface flat or slightly undulate, pore rounded, non-thickened margins, extrorse; connective shortly prolonged (less than 0.1 mm), unappendaged. Style 7.5–11.4 mm long, straight, glabrous. Fruits 0.6–0.8 × 1–1.2 cm. Seeds fusiform.
Examined material: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Arataca, Amorim 4981 (CEPEC!); Amorim 5299 (CEPEC!); Amorim 6408 (CEPEC!); Amorim 6 751 (CEPEC!, RB); Baumgratz 110 5 (CEPEC!); Jardim, A.B. 170 (CEPEC!, RB, UESC); Jardim, J.G. 4906 (CEPEC!); Jardim, J.G. 46 79 (CEPEC!); Lopes 1206 (CEPEC!); Thomas 14586 (CEPEC!).
Conservation Status: — Bertolonia alternifolia has an EOO of 4.193 km ² and AOO of 1.402 km ², and should be classified as “Critically Endangered” (CR), following IUCN (2017) categories. This species has been found in the “Serra do Peito de Moça” inside the “Parque Nacional Serra das Lontras” and in areas bordering the park.
Notes: — Bertolonia alternifolia is endemic to Bahia, occurring in montane rainforests and cloud forests (Fig. 3a). Collected with flowers from September to April and fruits from September to May. Bertolonia alternifolia is characterized by the branches, petioles, leaf blades, hypanthium, and sepals densely glandulose-villose (trichomes 2–4 mm long), alternate leaves, blades 3.4–7.3 × 2.2–5.8 cm, flowers with long petals (11–18 mm) and long anthers (4–5 mm) with extrorse pores. Along with Bertolonia angustipetala, B. kollmannii, and B. violacea, Bertolonia alternifolia has the smallest leaves in the genus (2.5–7.3 cm long). A recently published species from the state of Espírito Santo, Bertolonia michelangeliana Bacci & R. Goldenberg (in Bacci et al. 2017: 1670) also has alternate leaves and anthers with extrorse pores. They differ by the shorter petioles (1.5–5.5 cm long) in B. alternifolia (vs. longer, 3.2–13.6 cm in B. michelangeliana), leaves with 3–5 main veins (v s. 7–9 main veins), flowers with only glandulose-punctate pedicels and bigger petals, with 11–18 × 7–10.5 mm (vs. flowers with glandulose-punctate and also glandulose-villose pedicels and smaller petals, with 10–13 × 6–7.2 mm). For more details, see Baumgratz et al. (2011) and Table 1.
description: Published as part of Bisewski, Gessica C. A., Bacci, Lucas F., Amorim, André M. & Goldenberg, Renato, 2022, The Genus Bertolonia (Melastomataceae) In The State Of Bahia, Brazil, pp. 153-183 in Phytotaxa 548 (2) on pages 156-158, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.548.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6597678