Zornia crinita Vanni, Darwiniana

Zornia crinita (Mohlenbr.) Vanni, Darwiniana 33 (1–4): 1–20. 1995. Zornia diphylla var. gracilis f. sericea Chodat & Hassl., Bull. Herb. Boissier II, 4: 888. 1904. Zornia pardina var. crinita Mohlenbr., Webbia 16 (1): 86–87. 1961. Fig. S1 Type: PARAGUAY. Arroyo Primero: Apa, 1901–1902, Hassler 8435 (holotype G–00400380!; isotype BM–000081079!). Shrub to ca. 50 cm tall. Stems decumbent, branched, villous. Leaves with 2 leaflets, petiolate. Leaflets 3–40 × 3.5–9 mm, ovate to lanceolate, sericeous. Stipules elliptic to lanceolate, 7–9 veined. Inflorescences spiciform, axillary, 20 cm long. Bracteoles 8–14 × 3–6 mm, elliptic, 5–9 veined, punctate, sericeous, green. Loment with 4–7 articles; articles 2 × 2 mm, not reticulate-veined; bristle-like trichomes 1 mm long. Distribution and habitat: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela. It occurs in high elevation areas (approx. 1050 m), in the Montane Grassland and Savanna. Conservation Status: Vulnerable (VU). Zornia crinita has a disjunct distribution. Its area of occupancy is limited to only 240,000 km ², while its extent of occurrence stretches across a vast 6,874,510.630 km ². Notes: Zornia crinita was synonymized under Z. pardina var. crinita (Govaerts et al., 2021). Zornia crinita shares morphological similarities with Z.pardina, but Z.crinita is a species characterized by densely villous stems and branches vs. glabrous branches in Z. pardina. Also, the loment has bristle-like trichomes 1 mm long in Z. crinita (vs. bristle-like trichomes absent in Z.pardina). Furthermore, previous taxonomic and phylogenetic studies confirm that both species are well delimited (Fortuna-Perez et al., 2013, 2015, 2021). In this study, we accept Z.crinita as a distinct species, rather than as a variety of Z. pardina. Representative specimens examined: ARGENTINA. Corrientes: Dep. Mburucuyá, s.d., T.M. Pedersen 4491 (P). BOLIVIA. Sara: Santa Cruz, 22 February 1921, J. Steinbach 5357 (F). BRAZIL. Acre: Rio Branco, 26 August 1943, A. Ducke 1602 (US); Mato Grosso: Barra do Garças, 13 January 1968, D. Philcox & J. Bertoldo 4007 (P); Mato Grosso do Sul: Amambaí, 1979, W.G. Garcia 13686 (UEC); Minas Gerais: Serra da Anta, ca. 5km NW of Paracatú, 04 February 1970, H.S. Irwin 25952 (NY); Roraima: Rodovia Boa Vista, Alto Alegre, km 19, Boa Vista, 24 November 1981, L. Coradin 4924 (BOTU). BOLIVIA. Santa Cruz: Chiquitos, 22 February 2006, J.R.I. Wood 22255 (K). FRENCH GUIANA. Waramadong: s.loc., 7 October 1938, A.S.Pinkus 20 (M). PARAGUAY. Caaguazú: 1905, E. Hassler 9122 (P); VENEZUELA: s.loc., 7 April 1921, M. Grisol (P).