Paepalanthus modestus (Eriocaulaceae), a new dimerous species from Goiás, Brazil, with notes on leaf and scape anatomy

Abstract

Paepalanthus modestus, a new species of Eriocaulaceae with dimerous flowers, is described and illustrated. The species is placed in P. [unranked] Dimeri based on floral and vegetative characters. A detailed comparison with P. harleyi and P. oxyphyllus is given. The hemispherical mature capitula, the relatively short involucral bracts slightly surpassing the floral disc, and the vestiture of leaves, scapes, and floral parts distinguish P. modestus. Large populations of the species occur on rocky soils in the municipalities of Alto Paraíso de Goiás and Teresina de Goiás, Brazil. Some of these populations were found in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, and the species is considered endangered according to the IUCN criteria. Anatomical details of leaves and scapes, along with photos and comments on etymology, morphological variation, and ecological aspects related to fire tolerance are provided.

The Paepalanthoideae (Eriocaulaceae) of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Brazil: taxonomic novelties, identification key, and illustrated list of species

“…Diphyomene, and P. ser. Dimeri (Trovó et al 2013(Trovó et al , 2015a(Trovó et al , 2017(Trovó et al , 2020Trovó 2018;. Interestingly, the only recorded Comanthera is dimerous and endemic to Chapada dos Veadeiros (Echternacht et al 2015).…”

“…The diversity is, however, poorly known, being documented in general lists or isolated efforts focused on small groups (Munhoz & Felfili 2006;Trovó et al 2013;Trovó 2018). New taxa published in the last decade point to the high potential of the area for taxonomic novelties (e.g., Echternacht et al 2015;Trovó et al 2015aTrovó et al , 2017Trovó 2018;Watanabe et al 2015aWatanabe et al , 2015bWatanabe et al , 2016.…”