Abstract
Bionia bella Mart. ex Benth. (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) is restricted to the Atlantic Forest Biome in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo. The vegetative and floral structures of the species were first described by George Bentham in 1837. The objective of the present study was to describe, for the first time, the fruits and seeds of the species, thus complementing the type material. From 2006 through 2010, we observed four populations of the species in a forest fragment near Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, located in the municipality of Araponga, in the state of Minas Gerais. Two of the four populations fruited only in 2010, and the other two populations produced no fruit during the study period. The fruits of B. bella are of the legume type, with explosive dehiscence, as in other species of the genus. The seeds are broad-elliptical, and the testa presents rugose ornamentation. Bionia bella is a good candidate for reproductive biology studies aimed at understanding reproductive difficulties in such species.
Highlights
The genus Bionia Mart. ex Benth. was established by George Bentham in 1837 and synonymized by the same author as Camptosema in 1840 (Bentham 1837; 1840)
On the basis of that result, Queiroz (2008) reestablished the genus Bionia Mart. ex Benth., with five species, recognized by the inflorescences on brachyblasts; flowers with long tubular calyces that are larger than the lobes, externally glabrous; red, glabrous petals in a straight line, and without basal auricles; heteropolar pollen; and long-stipitate ovary
This study presents the first description of the fruits and seeds of Bionia bella, 177 years after the initial study published by Bentham (1837)
Summary
The genus Bionia Mart. ex Benth. was established by George Bentham in 1837 and synonymized by the same author as Camptosema in 1840 (Bentham 1837; 1840). Bionia bella is known only from mountainous areas in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, being most often associated with the Serra da Mantiqueira Mountain Range (Queiroz 1999; 2013). The species has not been widely collected and is poorly represented in herbaria This might be attributable to its delicateness and its preference for shady environments, as well as to the fact that it is difficult to spot when not in bloom, as stated by Queiroz (1999). From the publication of the initial study on Bionia bella until the last taxonomic revision carried out by Queiroz (1999), there have been no studies describing the fruits and seeds of the species. This study presents the first description of the fruits and seeds of Bionia bella, 177 years after the initial study published by Bentham (1837). Our objective was to complement the type material, as well as to provide illustrations and images of the species
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