Passiflora loefgrenii (Passifloraceae), a New Species in Subgenus Passiflora from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Abstract

A new species of Passiflora from the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest in the state of Sdo Paulo is described and illustrated. Passiflora loefgrenii is placed in subgenus Passiflora Lobatae. It is vegetatively similar to P. amethystina Mikan and R eichleriana Masters, the three species occurring sympatrically. Passiflora loefgrenii differs from these species primarily by flower character. At the type locality Passiflora loefgrenii is pollinated by hermit hummingbirds and large bees. The Passifloraceae were last studied comprehensively by Killip (1938). In his work, 45 species in subgenus Passiflora (subg. Granadilla sensu Killip) were described as occurring in Brazil. The subgenus Passiflora usually has large and verticillate floral bracts, showy flowers with campanulate or short-tubular calyx tubes, and coronas with at least three series of appendages. In recent studies, six new species of subgenus Passiflora have been described from Brazil (Sacco, 1966a, b, 1968, 1973, 1980). Fieldwork at (now Intervales State Park) in 1991 yielded the new species described here. Intervales State Park (Fig.1) is a 46,000-ha reserve in the state of Sdo Paulo, Brazil, and, along with Carlos Botelho, Alto do Ribeira, and Xitue reserves, comprises more than 130,000 ha of continuous Atlantic rainforest in the Serra de Paranapiacaba. While examining Passiflora collections at the SP herbarium, I found a specimen collected in 1894 by Albert Loefgren on the margins of the Ribeira River, situated in the lowlands in the vicinity of the reserves cited above. Nowadays the Ribeira region is mostly occupied by extensive plantations. This plant, identified by H. Harms as R amethystina, belongs in fact to the new species collected in 1991 at Intervales. The new species is dedicated to Albert Loefgren, the Swedish naturalist who worked in Brazil for 44 years and first collected this plant. Passiflora loefgrenii Vitta, sp. nov. TYPE: Brazil. Sao Paulo: Guapiara, Fazenda Intervales, estrada Sede-Carmo, na beira da mata, Sep. 1991, F A. Vitta & L. C. Passos 010 (holotype, SPF; isotypes, K, UEC). Figure 2. Passiflora ad Lobatae pertinens; stipulae reniformes; glandulis nectariferis stipitatis sex per paria dispositis instructus; lamina trilobata, lobis ovatis; pedunculi 11-20 cm longi; bracteae ellipticae, verticillatae; flores speciosi 9-11 cm diam.; hypanthium campanulatum; sepala extus vinosa, intus purpurea, manifeste