Solanum paraibanum is a new species from the wet forest of northeastern Brazil; it is found only in Joao Pessoa, State of Paraiba. The new taxon is described and illustrated, and its closest relationships are discussed. A distinct species of the scandent and prickly section Micracantha Dunal of Solanum L. was noted from recent collections made by the author in Joao Pessoa, State of Paraiba, and is described here. It is apparently rare and has been collected only three times. Its closest relationships are with a small group of species of this section restricted to the northeast of Brazil. Solanum paraibanum Agra, sp. nov. TYPE: Brazil. Paraiba: municipio de Joao Pessoa, Cidade Universitaria, 6 km Sudeste do centro, 7?06'S, 34?53'W, 30-45 m, 10 nov. 1989, Agra 1101 (holotype, JPB; isotypes, PEUFR, MO). Figure 1. Frutex scandens. Folia lanceolata sinuato-angulata, breviter petiolata, scabra supra strigosa, subtus pilis stellatis pulverulento-punctata. Inflorescentia scorpiodeo-cymosa, simplex, interaxillaris; pedicello 1.0-1.2 cm longo; calycis laciniis 0.8-1.0 cm longis, lineari-lanceolatis revolutis; corolla violacea, profunde lobata, extus stellatotomentosa. Scandent shrub 4-10 m high, with a fuscous pubescence, armed with short, yellow, recurved prickles of various sizes up to 0.4 cm. Stem terete, dark brown hispid-pubescent with mostly sessile pauciradiate stellae bearing greatly prolonged 3-4-celled midpoints, sparsely armed with small, broad-based, ferruginous prickles to 0.2-0.3 cm that are recurved at the apex. Leaves petiolate; petiole terete, to 1-3.5 cm long, stellate-scabrous, the hairs and prickles similar to those of the stems, but more compact; leaf blades chartaceous, ovate-lanceolate, the larger 8-15 cm long, 3.5-8.0 cm broad, acute at apex, broadly cuneate at base, usually sinuatelobed, the lobes 3-4 pairs, acute, above stellatehispid, the hairs sessile with greatly prolonged midpoints, sparsely prickly on the principal veins, beneath stellate-pubescent, the hairs sessile, porrectstellate, 6-8-celled; sparsely armed on the midrib or minor veins, the prickles yellowish, short and recurved at apex. Infiorescences lateral, extra-axillary monochasial, unbranched, remote from the leaves, some of the distal flowers with reduced gynoecia; pedicels 0.6-1.0 cm long, becoming longer and stouter in fruit, stellate-pubescent and prickly with hairs similar to those of the branches and leaves and small, yellow prickles, ca. 0.1-0.15 cm at anthesis, enlarged in fruit, ca. 2-2.5 cm long, 0.30.5 cm wide, with small prickles and pubescence similar to those of peduncle and branches. Flowers heterostylous, the basal (two or more) with elongate and functional styles ca. 1.2-1.5 cm long, exceeding the anthers, broad and glabrous to a clavate stigma; the distal flowers with short thick and abortive style and stigma. Calyx densely stellate-pubescent, armed with short, acute, yellow prickles, deeply lobed about 34 the length, the tube ca. 0.1 cm, the lobes linearlanceolate and revolute. Corolla blue or violet, deeply parted, the lobes gradually recurved, narrowly lanceolate, 1.0-1.5 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm wide above the tube, the tube short, 0.1-0.2 cm long, densely NOVON 2: 179-181. 1992. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.198 on Fri, 17 Jun 2016 06:50:57 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms