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| Wedelia figueiredoana V.R.Bueno, in Bueno, Rodrigues, Sousa, Souza, Marzinek et Marques, 2024. |
Abstract
We describe one new species from Ceará state, Brazil: Wedelia figueiredoana. It is morphologically associated with W. bonplandiana, but distinguished by 0.25–1.05 cm leaf blade width (vs. 1.5–2.6 cm), linear to narrow oblong leaf blade (vs. elliptic to spatulate), 3-seriate involucre (vs. 2-seriate), and cypselae 3.9–4 mm long (vs. 6–7 mm). An anatomical analysis of cypselae is provided, and we propose a more accurate terminology to describe similar wings to Wedelia species. We also provide a scientific illustration of the new species, photos of habitat, a map of its geographic occurrence, and its taxonomic affinities are discussed with a taxonomic key to the Wedelia species with the apically pronounced wings in the cypselae.
Key words: Auricular projections, Cerrado, Compositae, fruit anatomy
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| Wedelia figueiredoana sp. nov. A linear blade leaf B head (top view) C flowering branch D head and phyllaries (side view) E habit. |
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| Wedelia figueiredoana sp. nov. habitat A enclaves of Cerrado B Wedelia figueiredoana in the ferrugineous soil C floral visitor in the W. figueiredoana D prostrate habit E solitary herbaceous individual of W. figueiredoana. |
Wedelia figueiredoana V.R.Bueno, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Wedelia figueiredoana morphologically resembles W. bonplandiana by 0.25–1.05 cm leaf blade width (vs. 1.5–2.6 cm), linear to narrow oblong leaf blade (vs. elliptic to spatulate), 3-seriate involucre (vs. 2-seriate), and cypselae 3.9–4 mm long (vs. 6–7 mm).
Etymology: The epithet “figueiredoana” is in honor of Dr. Marlene Feliciano Figueiredo, born in 1963, a dedicated educator at Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú (UVA). Her dynamic engagement in teaching, research, and outreach, notably the Pensando Verde project, has left an indelible mark. Noteworthily, she was pivotal in founding and curating the Herbário Francisco José de Abreu Matos–HUVA (1998–2004), a vital botanical resource in Northwest Ceará. In botanical research, Figueiredo specializes in phanerogam taxonomy, floristics, ethnobotany, and seed germination ecophysiology, fostering a deep understanding of Northwestern Ceará’s intricate flora through her mentorship.
Vinicius R. Bueno, Leonardo S. Rodrigues, Francisco Diego Sousa, Izaías C. Souza, Juliana Marzinek and Danilo Marques. 2024. Wedelia figueiredoana (Asteraceae, Heliantheae), A winged cypselae New Species of Wedelia for Brazil. PhytoKeys. 249: 37-49. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.249.135699
