A new species of Spigelia L. (Loganiaceae), Spigelia genuflexa Popovkin & Struwe, sp. n., from the Atlantic forest of northeastern Bahia, Brazil, is described, being the first reported geocarpic species in the family. During fruit maturation, the basal infructescences bend down towards the ground, depositing the fruit on the surface (and burying it in soft kinds of ground cover, e.g., moss), whereas the upper ones do so slightly but noticeably. The species is a short-lived annual apparently restricted to sandy-soil habitat of the Atlantic forest of northeastern Bahia, with variable and heterogeneous microenvironment and is known from only two restricted localities. A short review of amphi- and geocarpic species is provided. A discussion of comparative morphology within Spigelia with regards to dwarfism, indumentum, and annual habit is included. A phylogenetic parsimony and Bayesian analysis of ITS sequences from 15 Spigelia species plus 17 outgroups in Loganiaceae confirms its independent taxonomic status: on the basis of sequence similarity and phylogenetic topology it is phylogenetically distinct from all Spigelia species sequenced so far.

A new species of Pouteria from the Atlantic Forest area of the northern littoral of Bahia State, Brazil, is described and illustrated. Pouteria synsepala, whose epithet refers to the basally united sepals, a feature rare in the genus, resembles P. salicifolia in its narrowly elliptic leaves, but differs by the angle of secondary veins in relation to the midrib, pentamerous flowers, and stamens adnate to the corolla tube from the base to the tube orifice. Micromorphological studies revealed different patterns of stomate and wax morphology in the two species, providing further justification for the recognition of P. synsepala.

In the process of reviewing the relevant literature revision and analysing available botanical specimens for the compilation of a checklist of Orchidaceae for the State of Bahia (Brazil), we identified some taxonomic issues that are dealt with in this paper.

The monospecific genus Discyphus, previously considered a member of Spiranthinae (Orchidoideae: Cranichideae), displays both vegetative and floral morphological peculiarities that are out of place in that subtribe. These include a single, sessile, cordate leaf that clasps the base of the inflorescence and lies flat on the substrate, petals that are long-decurrent on the column, labellum margins free from sides of the column and a column provided with two separate, cup-shaped stigmatic areas. Because of its morphological uniqueness, the phylogenetic relationships of Discyphus have been considered obscure. In this study, we analyse nucleotide sequences of plastid and nuclear DNA under maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood criteria with the aim of clarifying its systematic position and discussing its peculiar morphology in an explicit phylogenetic context. Our analyses failed to support inclusion of Discyphus in Spiranthinae, signifying instead that this genus represents an additional isolated lineage of "core spiranthids." The notable morphological disparity among such major lineages, as compared with the short internal branches subtending them in the molecular trees, would support the hypothesis that Discyphus represents a relict from an early radiation that also gave rise to Cranichidinae and Spiranthinae, putatively driven by adaptation to different pollinators given the morphological differences in floral morphology among these taxa.

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ResumenSe describe e ilustra Malanea revolutifolia, una nueva especie proveniente del bosque atlántico de Brasil, así mismo se incluye una clave para diferenciar algunas especies de Malanea que crecen en Brasil. M. revolutifolia es similar a M. forsteronioides y M. microphylla de las cuales se distingue principalmente por presentar hojas elípticas fuertemente revolutas 2,8-7,5 × 2-3,5 cm, cáliz profundamente dividido, lóbulos 3-4 mm de largo. Frutos drupas fusiformes a elípticas, pireno 5-7 × 2-2,5 mm. Palabras-clave: arbusto decumbente, bosque atlántico, Brasil, Malanea, Rubiaceae. AbstractMalanea revolutifolia, a new species from the Atlantic forest of northeastern Brazil is described and illustrated, with a key to differentiate some related Brazilian species. M. revolutifolia is similar to M. forsteronioides and M. microphylla, but is distinguished by its elliptical, strongly revolute leaves (2.8-7.5 × 2-3.5 cm), a deeply divided calyx, lobes 4, 3-4 mm long, drupes fusiform to elliptic, pyrenes 2, 5-7 × 2-2.5 mm. Key words: scandent shrub, Atlantic forest, Brazil, Malanea, Rubiaceae.Malanea revolutifolia (Guettardeae: Rubiaceae), una nueva especie del noreste de Brasil Rodriguésia 63(4): 929-932. 2012

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Goeppertia mendesiana, a new species from the Atlantic Forest of Bahia, Brazil, is described and illustrated. It resembles G. widgrenii (Körn.) Borchs. & Suárez, but differs from that species by its villose petioles and peduncles (vs glabrous in G. widgrenii) and by the absence of bracteoles and interphylls, a rare feature in the genus. The ecology, distribution and conservation status of the new species is presented, along with a key to the species of Goeppertia with ornamented leaves in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.