Descripcion
Monoecious shrubs up to 0.8 m tall, with woody xylopodium; stems erect, unarmed, densely hirsute with sessile glandular trichomes; internodes 3–8.5 cm. Leaves opposite, patent, petioles up to 1 cm; blade ovate-elliptic to elliptic, 2–9 × 1.5–5 cm, apex acute, sometimes acuminate, base cuneate, margin entirely crenate, revolute, both surfaces sparsely strigose to strigose, venation pinnate, sometimes acrodromous. In f lorescences frondose; flowers arranged in lateral spikes, solitary, capituliform, 1–3 cm diam., cylindrical in fruit, up to 5 cm, peduncles 1–3 cm, densely hirsute; floral bracts whorled, broadly elliptic, apex acuminate, pu berulous with pedicellate glandular trichomes, pale green, sometimes pink, 5–15 mm, basal and apical bracts free; calyx tubular, ca. 2 mm, margin bifid, hir sute, accrescent in fruit; corolla white, sometimes lilac, 8–10 mm, puberulous. Fruit rounded, ca. 2 mm diam., splitting into 2 brown cluses, enclosed by accrescent calyx.
Distribucion y Habitat
Lippia paraguariensis is distributed in northeastern Argentina (Misiones), south- central Brazil (Goias, Mato Grosso do Sul), and Para guay (Fig. 19A, white circles), where it is found in the Cerrado and Alto Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregions.
Sinónimos
Lippia paraguariensis Briq.
Ejemplares de referencia
| Colector | N° Colect. | Especie | Departamento | Provincia | Imagen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
9428 | San Pedro |
Nombre Vulgar y Usos
Tipo y Observaciones
Material Tipo: Paraguay. Concepción: Río Apa, Nov.
1902, É. Hassler 7802 (lectotype, designated by
H. N. Moldenke, Phytologia 12(5): 271. 1965, F 876609!;
isolectotypes, F 74408!, G 307868!, G 307876!, G 307877!, G
307878!, K 470852!, MPU 12504!, NY 83772!, P 753844!, SI 3566!).
Observaciones: Phenology. Lippia paraguariensis flowers and fruits
from September to February.
Taxonomic notes. Lippia paraguariensis is distin
guished by its conspicuous floral bracts and patent
ovate-elliptic leaves. See differences with L. lupulina
under the treatment of that species.
In the protologue of Lippia paraguariensis, Briquet
(1904b) mentions its morphological similarity to L. lu-
pulina but clarifies that it is possible to differentiate
the two species by the leaves (reflexed and broadly
ovate to cordate in L. lupulina vs. patent and ovate-
elliptic to elliptic in L. paraguariensis), bracts (broadly
ovate and colorful in L. lupulina vs. broadly elliptic
and pale green in L. paraguariensis), and corolla color
(pink or lilac in L. lupulina vs. white in L. paraguarien
sis). Troncoso (1961) considered L. paraguariensis a
variety of L. lupulina (var. albiflora), arguing that the
diagnostic characters mentioned by Briquet are not
strong enough to differentiate species. Salimena (2002)
did not recognize varieties under L. lupulina and stated
that the polymorphism observed might have an envi-
ronmental origin. Based on the study of many speci-
mens, in the present work we conclude that bract and
leaf morphology can distinguish these taxa as different
species and we reinstall L. paraguariensis.