Jacquemontia verae M.Pastore, I.L.Morais & Sim.Bianch., 2025

Pastore, Mayara, Moreira, André Luiz C., Morais, Isa Lucia De, Romeiro, Luiza A. & Simão-Bianchini, Rosângela, 2025, Jacquemontia verae (Convolvulaceae): a new species from Brazilian savannas, Phytotaxa 701 (1), pp. 56-68 : 58-63

Jacquemontia verae M.Pastore, I.L.Morais & Sim.Bianch. , sp. nov. ( Figures 1 , 2 , and 3)

Type:— BRAZIL. Goiás: Quirinópolis, Serra da Fortaleza, Cerrado Rupestre, 18°20’44” S, 50°36’29” W, 681 m, 11 February 2020, I. L. Morais 5889 (holotype SP 004592! isotypes HUEG!, JAR! K!, MG!, NY! RB!).

Diagnosis: — Jacquemontia verae is morphologically similar to J. fruticulosa Hallier f. (1899: 45) and J. heterotricha O’Donell (1950a: 88) because of its subshrubby habit, 3-rayed stellate trichomes, craspedodromous leaves, lanceolate sepals with acuminate apex and rotate to infundibuliform corolla with a short tube. Jacquemontia verae differs by its greenish leaves in sicco, dichasial inflorescence, and the absence of pedunculate glandular trichomes (vs. ferruginous leaves in sicco, monochasial inflorescence, and presence of pedunculate glandular trichomes in J. heterotricha and J. fruticulosa ). In addition, J. verae differs from J. heterotricha by its tomentose (vs. hirsute) stem, and from J. fruticulosa by its short bracteoles 1.3–3 mm long (vs. 5–8 mm) ( Table 1).

Description:—Subshrubs 0.6–1.2 m tall, branched; stems erect to ascending, whitish-tomentose; trichomes 3-rayed, stellate, the rays subequal or the central ray longer; internodes 5–12 mm long. Leaves with petioles 2– 5 mm long, tomentose; leaf blades 1.3–2.8 × 0.7–1.7 cm, ovate to elliptical, base subcordate to truncate, margin entire to sinuate, apex mucronate, both surfaces tomentose, trichomes 3-rayed, stellate with subequal rays, venation craspedodromous, secondary veins 4–5 pairs. Inflorescence axillary and terminal, dichasial, more congested at the apex, 3–15-flowered, peduncles 0.7–2.5 mm long, tomentose, bracteoles 1.3–3 × 0.3–0.5 mm, linear, villous; pedicels 3–5 mm long, tomentose. Sepals equal, 4–6 × 1.4–1.8 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, villous, trichomes 3-rayed, stellate with subequal rays. Corolla 1.2–1.8 long cm, rotate to infundibuliform with a short tube, 4–9 mm long, lilac to blue, completely glabrous. Stamens subequal, filaments 5–6 mm long, anthers 0.9–1.7 mm long. Ovary ca. 1 × 0.7 mm, short-cylindrical, 2-locular, locules 2-ovulate, nectary disc present at the base of the ovary; styles entire, ca. 6 mm long; stigmas bilobed, 0.5 mm long, subglobose, flattened. Capsules 4–5 × 4–5 mm, 8-valvate, subglobose; seeds 1.8–1.9 × 1.9–2 mm, trigonous, glabrous, rough, marginal wing ca. 0.2 mm wide.

Pollen grains: —Monad, large, apolar, spherical, outline circular (figs 4A–F), pantocolpate (ca. 30 colpi), short colpus (8.7 × 4.7 µm) distributed in unconnected pentagons (figs 4E–F). Diameter of grain 67.7 ± 5.30 (60.0–80.0 µm); exine ornamentation is bireticulate and perforate, perforations in the valleys tending to faveolas organised in circular areas (fig 4G–H). In addition, the grains presented spinules on the wall of suprareticulum (figs 4C–D, G–H), apex of spinules with branches, these elements are more easily visualized under SEM (fig 4H); tectate, columellae, sexine 4 µm, nexine 1 µm.

Phenology: —Specimens were collected with flowers and fruits from February to July and in October. This allows us to infer that the species mostly flowers and fruits in the transition from the rainy to dry season.

Distribution and habitat: —This species has been only found in one locality at 620–690 m elev. in the Serra da Fortaleza, Quirinópolis, state of Goiás, Brazil ( Fig. 1 ). The predominant vegetation type in the area is “cerrado rupestre” on limestone derived soils, a rare and poorly known savannah characterized by rocky outcrops with a shrubby-arboreal stratum of average height about 2 to 4 m ( Pereira & Fernandes 2022).

Informal conservation status:—Only 13.13% of the municipality of Quirinópolis is covered by native vegetation, whereas 81.91% consists of deforested areas, primarily for agricultural purposes ( MAPBIOMAS, 2023). A single, relatively isolated population of J. verae was found along the margins of the GO-401 highway, in the steepest section leading to Serra da Fortaleza ( Fig. 1 ). Despite surveys conducted at other sites with similar vegetation and geology, where the species could potentially occur, no additional populations were found. Moreover, the confirmed occurrence site is an unprotected area, surrounded by high deforestation pressure due to expansion of livestock farming and monoculture. In November 2022, infrastructure work began on the paving of the GO-401 highway, including the levelling of the mountainous terrain to facilitate transport of agricultural production (GOINFRA, 2022). These construction activities overlap with the species’ occurrence area, causing negative impacts on the habitat of the only known population. The species’ extent of occurrence (EOO) covers just 4 km ², where 70.34% was converted for agricultural purposes and 17.65% for urban purposes ( MAPBIOMAS, 2023). The area of occupancy (AOO) is also limited to 4 km ². The population is severely fragmented and restricted to a single location, continuously undergoing a decline in both EOO and AOO, in addition to degradation in habitat quality. Therefore, J. verae should be considered Critically Endangered CR B1ab (i, ii, iii) + 2ab (i, ii, iii), according to the IUCN criteria ( IUCN 2012, IUCN 2024). As a conservation proposal, establishing protected areas in the region is essential. Additionally, collecting seeds and live plants for planting in restoration areas is advisable.

Etymology: —The specific epithet honours Vera Lúcia Gomes Klein in recognition of her numerous contributions to the advancement of Brazilian botany, mainly in Goiás state, where the new species occurs. A Botany professor, Brazilian researcher and Black woman, she began her studies in the 1980s, focusing on floristics and Plant Systematics, especially on Cucurbitaceae , and the flora of Goiás and Tocantins states.

Taxonomic notes: —This species is compared morphologically to species of Jacquemontia with a predominance of glandular trichomes combined with equal to subequal, lanceolate and apically acuminate sepals, and a rotate to infundibuliform corolla with a short tube (Pastore et al. 2017). In a phylogenetic study of Jacquemontia , five of these species emerged with strong support in the Glandular Trichome Clade (Buril 2013)— J. breviacuminata (Mart. ex Choisy in De Candolle 1845: 409) Buril in Staples et al. (2015: 221) as J. racemosa Meisner (1869: 308) , J. decumbens O’Donell (1950b: 422) , J. evolvuloides ( Moricand 1838: 47) Meisner (1869: 307) as J. agrestis (Mart. ex Choisy in De Candolle 1845: 405) Meisner (1869: 306) , J. fruticulosa , and J. sphaerostigma ( Cavanilles 1799: 481) Rusby (1899: 151) . Like J. verae , these species show pollen with bireticulate exine (figs 4G–H), an ornamentation type that is found only in these species of Jacquemontia , and likely represents a synapomorphy of this clade ( Buril et al. 2014). These species are found in open habitats in the neotropics, mainly in the Central Plateau of Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina, but J. evolvuloides and J. sphaerostigma are widely distributed in tropical America (Pastore et al. 2017, Wood & Clegg 2021, Belo et al. 2024).

The anatomy of glandular trichomes was investigated in various populations of J. evolvuloides and related species, resulting in the identification of four distinct types: I) sessile peltate-glandular trichomes, II) shortly pedunculate-glandular trichomes, III) stipitate-glandular trichomes, and IV) capitate-glandular trichomes ( Belo et al. 2023 b, 2024). However, glandular trichomes were not found in J. agrestis ( Belo et al. 2024) , J. guaranitica Hassler (1911: 193) , and J. anomala O’Donell (1950c: 460) (Pastore et al. 2017), highlighting that this character may be absent in certain species within the Glandular Trichome Clade, such as J. verae , indicating the need for further investigation into the evolution of this character in Jacquemontia . Furthermore, sessile peltate-glandular trichomes can only be observed under the microscope in some species, including J. agrestis ( Belo et al. 2023 b, 2024). Sessile peltate-glandular trichomes may be present in multiple species of Convolvulaceae , as previously recorded in Ipomoea Linnaeus (1753: 159) ( Simão-Bianchini 1998), Maripa Aublet (1775: 230) (Pastore et al. 2024), and Dicranostyles Bentham (1846: 355) ( Pastore et al. 2023).

Jacquemontia verae is morphologically closer to J. heterotricha and J. fruticulosa ( Table 1). Jacquemontia fruticulosa is recorded in Paraguay and Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul), with the nearest population lying approximately 600 km to the south of Serra da Fortaleza, and J. heterotricha occurs in Argentina and Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, Goiás), with the closest record in Goiás state about 500 km to the north of Serra da Fortaleza ( Fig. 1 ).

Jacquemontia villosissima Ooststroom (1936: 218) , from Brazil and Bolivia ( Moreira et al. 2018), is also compared to J. verae for its erect to ascending habit, congested inflorescence, as well as equal, lanceolate, and apically acuminate sepals. However, J. villosissima has hirsute indumentum, forked trichomes, leaves with cuneate base, sessile and glomeruliform inflorescence (vs. tomentose indumentum, 3-rayed, stellate trichomes, leaves with subcordate to truncate base, pedunculate and dichasial inflorescence in J. verae ).

The subglobose stigmas of J. verae are slightly distinct from those of most Jacquemontia species, which are usually described as ellipsoid. However, subglobose or ovoid stigmas similar to those recorded in J. verae have also been observed in J. evolvuloides , J. decumbens , J. tamnifolia ( Linnaeus 1753: 162) Grisebach (1864: 474) , J. solanifolia ( Linnaeus 1753: 161) Hallier f. (1893: 542) , and J. abutiloides Bentham (1844: 34) ( Figs. 2 C-H, 3G). Additionally, in J. nodiflora ( Desrousseaux 1792: 557) G. Don (1838: 283) the stigmas are filiform ( Belo et al. 2023a). This variation in the shape of the stigma has not been adequately considered when characterizing Jacquemontia . The style and stigma shape are diagnostic characters that contribute to recognizing taxa and supporting phylogenetic data within Convolvulaceae . Variations have also been observed in species and some genera, such as Dicranostyles ( Austin 1973; Pastore et al. 2023), highlighting the importance of investigating gynoecium evolution within the family.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— BRAZIL. Goiás: Quirinópolis, Serra da Fortaleza, Cerrado Rupestre , 18°20’59.41” S, 50°36’24.62” W, 632 m, 19 June 2019 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 5506 ( JAR) ; 18°21’00” S, 50°36’22” W, 629 m, 19 June 2019, (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 5509 ( HUEG, JAR) ; 18°21’00” S, 50°36’21” W, 627 m, 11 June 2019 (fl.), I. L. Morais 5512 ( HUEG, JAR,) ; 18°20’50” S, 50°36’31” W, 676 m, 07 July 2019 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 5513 ( JAR, SP) ; 18°20’59” S, 50°36’23” W, 632 m, 07 July 2019 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 5514 ( JAR, SP) ; 18°21’00” S, 50°36’22” W, 629 m, 11 May 2020 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 6129 ( JAR) ; 18°20’44” S, 50°36’29” W, 680 m, 25 Oct. 2021 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 6811 ( HUEG, JAR, RB) ; 18°20’51” S, 50°36’32” W, 674 m, 01 Feb. 2022 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 7004 ( BHCB, HUEG, JAR, RB, UB) ; 18°21’00” S, 50°36’22” W 629 m, 18 March 2022 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 7082 ( JAR) ; 18°21’01” S, 50°36’23” W 625 m, 09 April 2022 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 7127 ( JAR) ; 18°21’01” S, 50°36’23” W 625 m, 09 April 2022 (fl., fr.), I. L. Morais 7128 ( JAR) ; 18°20’51”S, 50°36’35”W, 633m, 25 Oct 2021 (fl., fr.), J. Paula-Souza et al. 11998 ( FLOR) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of Jacquemontia verae. A. Distribution of J. verae and closely related species. B. Distribution of J. verae in Serra da Fortaleza. C. Vegetation type. D. Habit with flowers. E. Habit with fruits.

FIGURE 2. Jacquemontia verae. A. Habit. B. Indumentum of the abaxial surface of the leaf. C. Gynoecium. D. Flower, side view. E. Corolla, front view. F. Stamens. G. Base of filaments with glandular trichome. H. Stigmas. I. Immature capsule. J. Mature capsule. K. Seed. Photos by Isa Lucia de Morais and plate by J. Francisco Morales.