Vellozia inselbergae Mello-Silva ex Andr. Cabral. The 2021, sp. nov
Creators: name: Cabral, Andressa
name: Magri, Renato Albuquerque
name: Lopes, Jenifer De Carvalho
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Pandanales
Velloziaceae
Vellozia
Vellozia inselbergae

description: Vellozia inselbergae Mello-Silva ex Andr.Cabral, sp. nov, (Fig 1, 2, 3 and 4).   
 Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Mucuri, Fazenda das Pedras. Entrada a 13 km W de Argolo (distrito de Nova Venécia), grandes inselbergues em meio a pastos e capoeiras remanescentes da hileia baiana, 17°51’40.5”S 40°07’14.9”W, 190 m a.s.l., 18 Dec. 2016, fl. and fr., R. Mello-Silva 4040, J.C. Lopes & A. Cabral (holotype SPF!).   
 Diagnosis: — Vellozia inselbergae resembles Vellozia armata, but differs mainly by the longer leaves (15.9–21.3 cm vs. 2.5–11 cm) and pedicels (12.3–18.5 cm vs. 1.5 cm); cylindrical-ellipsoid hypanthium vs. obconic hypanthium; predominantly white and larger tepals (6.9–10.51 cm × 19.7–33.7 mm) vs. violet tepals (1.5–2.3 cm × 5 mm); 24 stamens vs. 18 stamens and; larger capsules (20.3–28 × 15.3–17.7 mm vs. 10 × 6–9 mm).   
Subshrub or caespitose herb, 0.2–1 m tall. Stems 4.5–18.5 cm long. Leaves tristichous; leaf lamina 15.9–21.3 × 0.7– 1.39 cm, linear-triangular, caudate, arcuate, involute, sparsely serrate on margins and midrib on abaxial side, abscission line absent, the old laminae marcescent and reflexed. Flowers 1–2; pedicel 12.3–18.5 cm long, sparsely covered with subulate emergences, light green; hypanthium 0.98–1.45 × 0.46–0.76 cm, cylindrical-ellipsoid, trigonous in transverse section, densely covered with subulate emergences, light green. Perianth white, very slightly purplish at the apex, sometimes light green at the proximal region; sepals 7.05–10.51 × 1.97–2.6 cm, widely oblanceolate, apex, base and midrib sparsely covered with subulate emergences on abaxial side, adaxial smooth; petals 6.9–10.41 × 2.35–3.37 cm, obovate, apex sparsely covered with subulate emergences on abaxial side, adaxial smooth. Stamens 24, unequal, 3–4 grouped, appendages absent; filaments brached or not, 15.45–22.06 mm long, white; anthers 16.45–22.72 mm long, basifixed, yellow. Style 40.7–61 mm long, greenish-white, slightly yellow at the apex; stigma 7–10 mm diam., trilobate-peltate, yellow. Capsule loculicidal, ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, 2.03–2.8 × 1.53–1.77 cm, ochre-coloured. Seeds 1.13–2.5 mm long, trapezoidal, black.  
 Leaf and pedicel anatomy (Cordeiro 3455, Queiroz 1083, Queiroz 3234, Queiroz 3825, Queiroz 6499, Rapini 1043, Mello-Silva 4040, Paula 1029): — Blades dorsiventral (Fig 3A). Abaxial furrows about one third to one fifth thickness of blade (Fig 3A, D–E). Cuticle slightly thickened on adaxial surface (Fig 3B). Adaxial epidermis 3-to 4- seriate (Fig 3A–B), abaxial epidermis uniseriate (Fig 3A,C). Stomata paracytic, confined to the furrows (Fig 3C, F). Clusters of rounded cells present in adaxial epidermis (Fig 3G, H).Aquiferous uniseriate hypodermis present on adaxial surface, extending adaxially to the bundle sheaths as aquiferous parenchyma (Fig 3A, D–E). Palisade mesophyll (3-)4 cell-layers thick (Fig 3A, D–E). Fibro-vascular bundles surrounded by a unique bundle sheath, 1–4 large vessels present in each fibro-vascular bundle (Fig 3A). Phloem strands 2, V-shaped (Fig 3A). Bundles of sclerified cells 2–5 cells thick present in the adaxial epidermis, spaced each 3–8 epidermal cells (Fig 3A, B), and 1 cell-layer thick in the abaxial one, between the furrows and the vascular bundle regions (Fig 3C). Blade borders with large and rounded fibro-vascular bundles, conduction tissues present (Fig 3E). Pedicel rounded-triangular in transverse section, fibrovascular bundles 18, belt of sclerified cells present (Fig 3I–J).   
 Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — BRAZIL. Bahia: Amargosa-Santa Teresinha, Serra do Gambá, 12 Apr. 2003, fl., Rapini 1043 (HUEFS [bc] HUEFS072446, SPF!); Castro Alves, Topo da Serra da Jibóia, ca. de 3 km da Pedra Branca, 25 Apr. 1994, fl., Queiroz 3825 (CEPEC, HUEFS [bc] HUEFS016739, K, SPF!); Idem, em torno da torre de televisão, 18 Jun. 1993, fl., Queiroz 3234 (HUEFS [bc] HUEFS013598, K, SPF!); Elísio Medrado, Serra da Jibóia, Fazenda Jequitibá, na estrada para Monte Cruzeiro, 12°52’20.6”S 39°27’34.5”W *, 435 m a.s.l., 4 Mar. 2001, fl., Queiroz 6499 (HUEFS [bc] HUEFS052024, SPF!); Mucuri, distrito de Argôlo, inselberg na Fazenda das Pedras, inselberg ao lado da sede da fazenda, 17°51’59”S 40°07’31”W, 134 m a.s.l., 4 Apr. 2016, fl., de Paula 1029 (RB, SPF!); Santa Terezinha, Serra da Jibóia, 1 Aug. 1998, fr., Forzza 938 (SPF!); Idem, próximo à torre da Embratel, 750 m a.s.l., 23 Sept. 1996, fr., Pereira-Silva 3673 (CEN [bc] CEN00030346, SPF!); Idem, Serra da Pioneira, 12°51’11”S 39°28’21”W, 14 Nov. 1986, fl., Queiroz 1083 (HUEFS [bc] HUEFS006783, SPF!); Idem, Serra da Pioneira, 3 km de P. Branca, 800 m a.s.l., 06 Jun. 1984, fl. and fr., Noblick 3301 (CEPEC, HUEFS [bc] HUEFS003456, MO, SPF!); Idem, distrito de Pedra Branca, 12°51’17”S 39°28’30”W, 750 m a.s.l., 17 Sept. 2013, fr., Cordeiro 3455 (SP, SPF!).   
 Distribution and habitat: —Distributed through the lowland inselbergs in the Bahia state, at elevations from 134 to 800 m (Fig. 4).   
 Phenology: —Flowering from March to June, November and December. Fruiting from June to September and December.   
 Conservation status:— Vellozia inselbergae has Area of Occupancy of 12 km ² and Extent of Occurrence of approximately 600 km ² (Fig. 4). Although the species occur as large populations, none of the records falls in a conservation unit. Therefore, according to IUCN (2012) criteria, the species must be considered Endangered, EN B2ab(i). The criterion B2a was chosen because the species only occurs in Inselbergs, and these rocky outcrops are geographically apart from one another. The criterion B2b(i) was selected due to the continuing decline of the Atlantic Forest vegetation, a hotspot of biodiversity, that harbor the Inselbergs (Myers et al. 2000).   
 Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the Atlantic Forest inselbergs located in the Bahia state, where the new species is endemic.   
 Discussion: —Among the currently known species of Vellozia, V. inselbergae is morphologically similar to V. armata and V. luteola (group of Vellozia luteola), sharing with both the leaf without abscission line, with blade involute, margins sparsely serrate and apex caudate (Fig. 2B), hypanthium trigonous in transverse section and densely covered with subulate emergences (Fig. 1D, 2C), stamen without appendage (Fig. 1B, 2H–J), and capsule loculicidal. However, Vellozia inselbergae can be easily distinguished from its allies by the longer pedicel (Fig. 1C, 2B, 12.3– 18.5 cm), cylindrical-ellipsoid hypanthium (Fig. 1D, 2C), predominantly white and larger tepals (Fig. 1A–C, 2D–E, 6.9–10.51 cm × 19.7–33.7 mm), 24 stamens, longer anthers and style (Fig. 1B, 2J, 16.45–22.72 mm and 40.7–61 mm, respectively), and larger capsules (20.3–28 × 15.3–17.7 mm). Table 1 summarizes the differences among these species. Vellozia inselbergae presents five of the morphological synapomorphies reported for the group of Vellozia luteola, leaf blades persistent, involute and amphystomatic, with smooth subsidiary cells, and outer integument of empty cells vanishing in the seeds. Nevertheless, it differs from the group in two characters of the pedicel, it has rounded-triangular pedicel in transverse section (Fig 3I vs. circular pedicel in cross section) with 18 fibro-vascular bundles (Fig. 3I vs. nine fibro-vascular bundles).
description: Published as part of Cabral, Andressa, Magri, Renato Albuquerque & Lopes, Jenifer De Carvalho, 2021, Vellozia inselbergae (Velloziaceae), a new species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest inselbergs, pp. 138-146 in Phytotaxa 497 (2) on pages 139-144, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.497.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/5423912