Nicotiana gandarela (Solanaceae), a new species of ‘tobacco’ highly endangered from the Quadrilátero Ferrífero in Brazil

• Published in: PhytoKeys Vol. 190; pp. 113 - 129
• Main Authors: Augsten, Mariana, Meyer, Pablo Burkowski, Freitas, Loreta B., Batista, João A. N., Stehmann, João Renato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pensoft Publishers 25-02-2022
• ISSN: 1314-2011; 1314-2003
• DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.190.76111

Nicotiana gandarela
Augsten & Stehmann (Solanaceae),
sp. nov.
, a small ’tobacco’ known only from one locality at Serra do Gandarela, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically characterized by its rosulate basal leaves, red corolla with a short tube not inflated at the apex, and the peculiar habitat, a shaded site under a rocky outcrop ledge along a forested stream. Phylogenetic analyses based on a combined dataset of nuclear (ITS) and plastid (
ndhF
,
trnLF
, and
trnSG
) DNA sequences revealed that the species belongs to the Nicotiana sect. Alatae and is sister to the clade with the remaining species in the section. A key for the identification of Brazilian species of the section is given. The unusual habitat, the small population size, and the intense pressure of mining activities in the surroundings made the species assessed as Critically Endangered (CR), needing conservation efforts to avoid its extinction.