[Botany] Alseis sertaneja (Rubiaceae: Condamineeae), a new species endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region

Alseis sertaneja is described, illustrated, and its diagnostic characteristics and morphological affinities are presented. The new species has whitish to greyish external bark, deciduous and bullate leaves, a congested inflorescence, and occurs in the Caatinga in the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil. A new synonym and lectotype for A. involuta K. Schum., a closely related species, are also provided. 

Key Words: Bahia, Caatinga, lectotype, nomenclature, taxonomy.

Description
Trees or treelets up to 6 m tall, monoecious; external bark whitish to greyish, internal bark orangish, branches cylindrical with a smooth surface, easily broken into splinters, young branches with vertical
growth. Bracts 7 – 8 × 4 – 5 mm long, triangular to deltoid with simple trichomes, grouped at apex of
branches. Leaves opposite, decussate, deciduous; petioles 4 – 10 mm long, rugulous, with simple trichomes; leaf blades 4.5 – 13.5 × 1.8 – 6.5 cm, obovate to elliptic, bullate, adaxial surface glabrous or with sparse, simple trichomes, abaxial surface with simple trichomes, slightly discolorous in vivo and in sicco, the apex acute, margin slightly revolute in sicco, the base decurrent to attenuate; veins brochidodromous, midvein, secondary and tertiary veins impressed on the adaxial surface and prominent on the adaxial surface in vivo and in sicco, secondary veins 10 – 12 on each side, slightly
arcuate near the blade margin, 3.5 – 5 mm apart from each other. Inflorescences terminal and axillary in uppermost leaves, produced immediately before new leaves, spiciform, congested, with c. 40 flowers; peduncle 1.5 – 2.5 cm long; stipules 4, surrounding the inflorescence, 6 – 7 × 6 mm, decussate, lanceolate to ovate, concave, the outer surface sericeous; bracts 4 – 6 × 0.5 – 0.8 mm, lanceolate to filiform, the outer surface sericeous. Flowers bisexual, subssesile; hypanthium globose, hypanthium and calyx up to 2.5 mm long, green, calyx lobes 5, 0.5 – 0.7 mm wide, lanceolate, sericeous on the outer surface, persistent when senescent; corolla tubular, 2 – 3 × 1 – 1.5 mm, 2/3 connate at the base, the lobes 5, lanceolate to obovate, with simple trichomes at the apex on the outer
surface, trichomes on the central portion on the inner surface; stamens 5, 4 – 5 mm long, adnate to petals at the base, the filaments wider at the base with simple trichomes on the central portion, the anthers c. 1 mm long, dorsifixed, bithecate; ovary bilocular, numerous ovules per locule; styles c. 4 mm long, 1=3 bifid, covered with simple trichomes. Fruits septicidal capsules, 4 – 8 × 2 – 3.5 mm, clavate, rugulous, dehiscent up to the middle portion, splitting at the apex into two forked valves, purplish red when immature, simple trichomes present, hyaline. Seeds numerous, 0.5 – 0.7 mm long, amorphous to lanceolate, irregularly winged. Figs 1, 2

Reference: Lucas Cardoso Marinho & Jomar Gomes Jardim. 2016. Alseis sertaneja (Rubiaceae: Condamineeae), a new species endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region. KEW BULLETIN (2016) 71:53 DOI 10.1007/S12225-016-9670-5