Bauhinia cupulata Bentham (1870: 188)

Amorim, Daniele Dos Santos De & Pessoa, Edlley, 2025, Bauhinia s. s. (Fabaceae-Cercidoideae) from Baixada Cuiabana, Mato Grosso, Brazil: a neglected center of diversity for the genus, Phytotaxa 681 (2), pp. 146-166 : 154-155

5. Bauhinia cupulata Bentham (1870: 188) ( Figure 3D )

Type:— Brazil. Piauí: Margens do Rio Gurgea , August 1839, G. Gardner 2529 [lectotype: first step designated by Vaz (2011), second step designated here, K000056835 photograph!; isolectotypes: BM000535632 photograph!, E00414211 photograph!, F001577 photograph!, G00388749 photograph!, G00388748 photograph!, K000056834 photograph!, K000056836 photograph!, NY00003461 photograph!, P00798582 photograph!, W18890018605 photograph!, W0030144 photograph!]

Shrubs or treelets, 1.5–7.0 m alt. Branches unarmed, extrafloral nectaries present. Stipules ovate, persistent. Leaves unifoliolate, petiole 0.6–2.5 × 0.1–0.2 cm; leaf blade 2.8–15.3 × 3.7–14 cm, bilobed, base truncate, cordate to subcordate, apex of lobes obtuse, leaflets ovate. Inflorescence terminal, peduncle 1.0– 1.5 cm long; rachis 1.5–6.0 cm long, floral bracts ovate, 0.1–0.2 cm long. Flowers 6–10 per inflorescence; pedicel 0.5–1.5 cm long; developed floral bud 5.5–8.0 cm long, smooth, clavate; hypanthium 1.0– 1.5 cm long, tomentose internally; sepals 3.7–6.2 cm long; petals 4.0–7.5 × 0.1 cm, clawed, linear, apex acute, fertile stamens 10, homomorphic, filaments 2.5–7.3 cm long; gynoecium, stipe 3.0–6.0 cm long, ovary 0.5–2.0 cm long, tomentose, style 3.0– 5.5 cm long, stigma clavate. Fruits, 12.5–20.0 × 1.5–2.0 cm.

Examined material: — Brazil. Mato Grosso: Barão de Melgaço, Baía do Acorizal , 14 September 2007, (bd., fr.), R. R. Silva 1385, 1389 & J. E. da Silva ( HCF, UFMT) ; Chapada dos Guimarães, Distrito de Água Fria , 14 November 2012, (fr.), D. C. S. Matínez s/n ( UFMT 40697 ) ; Chapada dos Guimarães, Salgadeira , 12 August 1997, (bd., fr.), G. Hatschbach 66740 et al. ( MBM, RB) ; Cuiabá , Rio dos Peixes, 13 October 1997, (bd.), S. Cruz s/n & I. Lopes ( UFMT 16649 ) ; Cuiabá, Fazenda 4 Furnas , 30 August 1996, (bd., fl.), M. Macedo 4643 & J. Urbano ( UFMT) ; Nobres, Sesc Serra Azul , trilha do buritizal, 10 November 2023, (fl., fr.), D. S. Amorim 242 et al. ( UFMT) ; Poconé, estrada de Poconé, Km 6, 1 jun. 1978, (fr.), M. Macedo 734 et al. ( UFMT) ; Rosário Oeste, ca. de 72 km de Rosário Oeste, estrada entre Riolândia (Frieira) e Marzagão , córrego Monjolinho , 7 October 1997, (fr.), V. C. Souza 20239 et al. ( ESA, UFMT) .

Distribution: This species occurs in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela ( POWO 2023). In Brazil, it is distributed in the North (PA and TO), Northeast (BA, MA and PI) and Central-West (GO and MT) regions ( Vaz & Santos 2023). It is found in the Amazon Forest, Caatinga and Cerrado domains ( Vaz & Santos 2023), in phytophysiognomies like ciliary forests, alluvial forests and forest fragments.

Taxonomic comments: It belongs to Bauhinia sect. Pauletia ser. Cansenia . This species is characterized by its leaves with villose abaxial face with very prominent veins, ovoid extrafloral nectaries and bracts and internally tomentose hypanthium. The hypanthium and abaxial leaf indument are the main characters that differ B. cupulata from B. longifolia . According to Vaz & Tozzi (2003a), Bauhinia cupulata forms a complex with B. bombaciflora Ducke (1922: 104) , sharing with it the panicle-like inflorescence, internal indumentum of the hypanthium and cupuliform bracteoles.

Bentham (1870) described B. cupulata based on material collected by Gardner in Piauí, Burchell in Goiás and Pohl in an unspecified location, but he does not indicate which sample would be the holotype. When visiting K in 1984, Richard P. Wunderlin physically annotated the sample G. Gardner 2529 as lectotype, which was made effective by Vaz (2011). However, we found three specimens from the collection G. Gardner 2529 at K, without the lectotype indication, making a second-step typification needed. Thus, we here designate the specimen K000056835 as lectotype, as it has been annotated by Wunderlin and accepted by Vaz (2011).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Leaf morphology of species found in Baixada Cuiabana. A: Bauhinia brevipes Vogel (M. Macedo s.n. et al.); B: Bauhinia caloneura Malme (V.C. Souza 20022 et al.); C: Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud. (F.F. Xavier s.n.); D: Bauhinia cupulata Benth. (M. Macedo 4643 & J. Urbano); E: Bauhinia curvula Benth.(R.R. Silva s.n. & C. Spiller); F: Bauhinia longifolia (Bong.) Steud.(D.S. Amorim 219).