Calea pruskiana V. R. Bueno & G. Heiden (Bueno & Heiden 2022

Calea pruskiana V.R.Bueno & G.Heiden Fig. 2C, 9 Calea pruskiana V.R.Bueno & G.Heiden (Bueno & Heiden 2022: 576). – Meyeria pruskiana (V.R.Bueno & G.Heiden) Pruski (Pruski 2023: 98). Type material BRAZIL – São Paulo • Campos do Jordão, Trilha do Rio Sapucaí, Parque Estadual de Campos do Jordão; 4 Feb. 1988; fl., fr.; M.J. Robim & J.P.M. Carvalho 530; V.R. Bueno det. 2023; holotype: UEC [101499]; isotype: SPSF [11784]. Selected material examined BRAZIL – Minas Gerais • Delfim Moreira, estrada entre a fazenda Boa Esperança e a fazenda do Onça; 20 Mar. 2011; fl., fr.; A.L. Gasper et al. 2746; V.R. Bueno det. 2023; BHCB [147566], FURB [36216]. – São Paulo • Horto Florestal, trilha do Rio Sapucaí; 6 Jul. 1992; fl., fr.; E. Martins et al. 26471; V.R. Bueno det. 2023; UEC 69774 • Parque Estadual de Campos do Jordão; 18 Mar. 1975; fl., fr.; L.E. Melo-Filho & M. Emmerich 4090; V.R. Bueno det. 2023; R [136970]. Description Shrubs, 0.45–1.3 m tall. Stems cylindrical, striate, densely or sparsely hispid, non-glandular, castaneous, with internodes 7.6–29.4 mm long. Leaves decussate, petiolate, petiole 0.7–2.8 mm long; blades 1.15– 2.43(–3.12) × 0.92–2.3 cm, generally broadly ovate, often ovate, sometimes very broadly ovate, coriaceous, green, commonly slightly discolorous, often concolorous, base subcordate, often rounded, apex generally acute, sometimes attenuate, venation acrodromous basal, secondary veins conspicuous; margins slightly revolute, thin, green, commonly oligoserrate, sometimes multiserrate, rarely pauciserrate, (3–)5–13 teeth, 0.5–2.4 mm long, usually along the margins, sometimes from the base to the middle; abaxial surface hispid, hispidulous or densely hispid, veins densely hispid or hispidulous, glandular-punctate or densely glandular-punctate, adaxial surface scabrid or glabrous, margins scabridulous, non-glandular. Capitulescence commonly cymose dichasiform, rarely solitary capitulum, generally slightly branched, sometimes branched, axis 1.74–7.68(–22.24) cm long, branching to 2 nd –3 rd order ramifications, rarely 4 th order, 2–10(–16) secondary stems; peduncle 0.17–6.84 cm long, commonly sparsely hispid to hispid, sometimes hispidulous, non-glandular. Capitulum heterogamous, radiate, involucrum 6.6–12 × 8.6– 14.8 mm, hemispherical or campanulate. Phyllaries 5-seriate, conspicuously striate, margins entire, thin; outermost series of phyllaries apex acute, foliaceous, green, 5–7-striate; first series of phyllaries 7.5–9.9 × 3.5–7.2 mm, shorter than or equal to involucre, longer or equal than second series, commonly elliptic, often widely elliptic, rarely lanceolate, margins entire, generally middle revolute, rarely apex revolute, commonly hispid to hispidulous, often puberulous to glabrescent, generally glandular-punctate, often sparse glandular-punctate; second series (5–)7.6–10 × 3.4–6.2 mm, commonly elliptic, often oblanceolate, apex obtuse, margins apex usually revolute, sometimes middle revolute, pubescent to puberulous or hispid to sparse hispidulous, commonly glandular-punctate, sometimes sparse glandular-punctate; third series 6.2–8.1 × 3.5–4.4 mm, oblong or ovate, apex obtuse, margins generally flat, often apex revolute, sparsely hispidulous or sparsely pubescent, glandular-punctate or non-glandular, foliaceous or scarious with apex foliaceous, green or yellowish green with green apex, 5–10-striate; innermost series scarious, yellowish green to yellow, glabrous, apex erose; fourth series 7–10.2 × 4.2–5.7 mm, commonly oblong to obovate, sometimes widely oblong, apex rounded or obtuse, 12–13-striate; fifth series 9–11.1 × 2.3–5 mm, usually obovate, sometimes oblanceolate, apex commonly rounded, often obtuse, 10–12-striate. Receptacle slightly convex, holopaleaceous; paleae 8.7–9.3 × 1.3–1.9 mm, longer than corolla disc, oblong to oblanceolate, apex long-acuminate, conduplicate, light yellow. Ray florets 10–15, pistillate, corolla liguliform, yellow, 14.7–17 mm long, tube 2.4–3.2 mm long, limb 11.5–14.3 × 3.5–5.7 mm, generally obovate, often oblong to lanceolate, apex commonly obtuse, sometimes 2–3-lobulate or rounded, 4–5 veins; abaxial surface commonly glandular-punctate, sometimes densely glandular-punctate, surface adaxial glabrous; style branches 1–1.2 mm long, yellow. Disc florets 40–50, monoclinous, corolla tubular, yellow, 5.3–6.7 mm long, tube 2–2.5 mm long, lobes 1.1–1.7 mm long, glabrous; anthers 2.8–3 mm long, light yellow, anther appendages apically ovate; style branches 1.2–1.5 mm long, linear. Cypselae 3.1–3.5 mm long, prismatic or obconical, nigrescent, ray cypselae 3-angled, disc cypselae 4-angled, glabrous to pilose, often sparsely pilose or glabrous, ribs densely pilose; pappus generally bitypic, sometimes monotypic, monolength and bilength, sometimes exclusively monolength, free, scales 10 (1–3 distinctly longer, when bilength), mostly 0.7–1.5 mm long, longer scales 1.3–2.5 mm long (when present), generally narrowly elliptic, often oblong or oblanceolate, apex obtuse or acuminate, margins entire, apex erose. Distribution, habitat and phenology Calea pruskiana occurs only in two municipalities: Campos do Jordão (São Paulo State) and Delfim Moreira (Minas Gerais State) in Southeastern Brazil (Fig. 9). It grows in high-elevation grasslands in the Atlantic Forest and is generally found in recently burned areas, along roadsides, riverine vegetation, and in humid soil; it occurs at elevations at 1400–1500 m. Calea pruskiana probably blooms and fructifies in the first semester, except May. February and March are the months with the highest number of materials collected. Informal conservation status Critically Endangered (CR) B1ab(iii). No new collections of C. pruskiana have been recorded since the original description (Bueno & Heiden 2021), so the EOO of 39.135 km ² and the AOO of 24 km ² are maintained. Of these two, the suggested status due to the EOO value is adopted for the species. Of the eleven recorded collection points, six are from a protected area: Parque Estadual de Campos do Jordão. However, the combination of agricultural activities, urbanization, and logging represents serious threats to this species (Bond & Parr 2010; Andrade et al. 2016). The populations are severely fragmented (B condition a), and there is a continuing decline inferred in habitat quality (B condition b), particularly concerning given that this is the species with the smallest AOO in the group. Therefore, we propose that this species should be considered Critically Endangered. Remarks Calea pruskiana is morphologically similar to C. triantha, but differs in the subcordate or rounded base (vs cordate); slightly branched capitulescence (vs profusely branched), mostly longer phyllaries: first series 7.5–9.9 mm long (vs 6–8 mm), second series 7.6–10 mm long (vs 5.1–7.8 mm), fifth series 9–11.1 mm long (6.6–8.2 mm), first series with apex acute (vs obtuse); and generally longer ray corolla 14.7–17 mm long (vs 8–13.6 mm). Another similar species is C. subintegerrima; C. pruskiana is distinguished from it by abaxial surface leaf hispid to hispidulous or densely hispid (vs commonly glabrous, often strigose, rarely sparsely hispidulous); usually sparsely hispid to hispid, sometimes hispidulous to hispid peduncle (vs commonly strigose, often strigose to sparsely hispidulous), generally longer first series of phyllaries 7.5–9.9 mm long (vs 4.5–7.7 mm), with acute apex (vs generally rounded, sometimes obtuse), second series of phyllaries pubescent to puberulous or hispid to sparsely hispidulous (vs commonly sparsely strigose, often glabrous), frequently longer paleae 8.7–9.3 mm long (vs 5.5–8.4 mm); more ray florets per capitulum 10–15 (vs 6–10), cypselae 3.1–3.5 mm long (vs 2.4–2.9 mm), and densely pilose ribs (vs commonly hirsute, sometimes sparsely hirsute).