Stachytarpheta meninii (Verbenaceae), a new micro‐endemic and threatened species from the Diamantina Plateau in Minas Gerais state, Brazil

Abstract

Stachytarpheta is mainly distributed in Brazil, where the knowledge of species richness is still in progress. Here, we describe S. meninii, a new micro‐endemic species from the Diamantina Plateau, Espinhaço Range. It is a shrub that can reach up to 1.8 meters in height, with abundant pedicellate glandular trichomes, viscous, aromatic leaves, inflorescences with oblong‐triangular bracts, and blue corollas, with a tube that is barely exserted from the calyx. The new species has been recorded from two gatherings from the same locality in the municipality of Serro, Minas Gerais state, and can be considered Critically Endangered (CR). Illustrations and a distribution map are provided for the recognition of S. meninii, along with an identification key for species of the genus found in Diamantina Plateau.