BRAZIL • Bahia, Ilhéus, distrito de Castelo Novo, no sub-bosque da mata, florescimento em cultivo no município de Mogi das Cruzes-SP; 29 Aug. 2018; fl.; A. Campos-Rocha 1989; holotype: UEC.

Hippeastrum curupira may be related to H. puniceum (Lam.) Voss or H. reginae (L.) Herb., from which it is distinguished by the absence of a paraperigone and having a trifid stigma (vs paraperigone of fimbriae and stigma capitate to trilobed in H. puniceum and H. reginae).

Figure 1. 

Hippeastrum curupira. A. Habit. B. Detail of leaf venation, abaxial surface. C. Flower, frontal view. D. Sepals and petals: shape and apices. D1. Upper sepal. D2. Lateral petal. D3. Lateral sepal. D4. Lower petal. E. Flower with removed perigone, showing stamens and style. F. Stigma. G. Longitudinal section of ovary and hypanthium tube. H. Cross section of the ovary. Drawn by Klei Sousa from the holotype.

Geophytic perennial herb up to 70 cm tall at flowering. Bulb subterranean, oval to spheroid; neck formed by sheathing leaf bases up to 7 cm long. Leaves 1–6, 22–72 × 2.2–5 cm, lorate, flat, slightly canaliculate proximally adaxially, erect to reclinate, apex acute, frequently asymmetric, margins flat to slightly revolute, midrib inconspicuous, dark green adaxially, pale green abaxially, occasionally with vinaceous pigmentation near the base. Inflorescence 2–3 flowered; scape 28–56 cm long × 1.6–2 cm diameter, erect, subcylindrical, laterally compressed, hollow, greenish, often with vinaceous pigmentation, glaucous; spathe bracts 2, 4.4–5 × 1.2–1.6 cm, free, lanceolate to obovate, apex acute to obtuse, reddish, marcescent; bracteoles 2–4, 2.2–3 cm long, subulate. Pedicels 3–5.6 cm long × 5–6 mm diameter at anthesis, greenish to vinaceous. Perigone 9–12.2 cm long, infundibuliform; hypanthium tube 1.4–1.8 cm long, greenish or reddish to vinaceous; paraperigone absent. Tepals in free portion bright scarlet red, internally with greenish to whitish, central stripe up to half of their length, usually absent on the lower petal; sepals (outer whorl) wider than petals (inner whorl), elliptic, apex acute with apicule subapical 1.5–4 mm long; upper 7.4–10.4 × 4.7–5.2 cm, symmetric, slightly recurvated; lateral 7.2–10.2 × 4.5–5 cm, slightly asymmetric; petals (inner tepals) slightly smaller than the sepals, lower petal narrower than the laterals, apex acute with apicule inconspicuous or absent; lateral 6.8–9.4 × 3.8–48 cm, elliptic, slightly recurvated; lower 7.4–9.6 × 2.1–3 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate. Stamens 6, of four different lengths, inserted at the mouth of the hypanthium tube, shorter than limb segments; filaments fasciculate, declinate-ascending, free portion greenish proximally, reddish distally, upper episepalous 4.8–5.2 cm long, lateral episepalous 4.8–5.4 cm long, lateral epipetalous 5.5–6 cm long, lower epipetalous 5.6–6.2 cm long; anthers 4.4–5.7 mm long after anthesis, oblong, vinaceous, pollen yellow. Ovary 1.1–1.8 cm long × 7–9.6 mm diameter, oblong to obovoid, greenish to vinaceous; ovules 30–36. Style 5.4–6 mm long, shorter than limb segments, filiform, declinate to slightly ascending, greenish proximally, reddish distally; stigma trifid, lobes 4–5 mm long, recurved, whitish. Fruit capsule globose-compressed, greenish; seeds half-discoid, flattened.

Figure 2. 

Hippeastrum curupira. A. Sepals and petals. B. Flower with removed perigone, showing stamens and style. C. Detail of anthers and stigma. D. Stigma. E. Anthers starting to dehisce. F. Detail of spathe bracts and floral buds. G. Leaf apex. H. Point of insertion of the staminal filaments. I. Longitudinal section of the ovary. J. Detail of spathe bracts and pedicels. K. Detail of leaf venation, adaxial surface. L. Fully developed leaves. M. Habit. N. Apex of the lower petal. O. Inflorescences, frontal view. A–C, E–I, K–L by Antonio Campos-Rocha; D, J, M–O by Mauro Peixoto.

Hippeastrum curupira is known only from the type locality, north of the city of Ilhéus, in the coastal region of southern Bahia State (Fig. 3A). It grows in the shade of the Ombrophilous Dense Forest, about 140 meters above sea level, among species of grasses, Marantaceae, ferns, and climbing aroids (Philodendron spp.). In the same area, we found understory shrubs and small trees such as Heisteria sp. (Olacaceae), Miconia spp. (Melastomataceae), a palm species of the genus Geonoma Willd., and many species of Rubiaceae (e.g. Palicourea deflexa (DC.) Borhidi, Palicourea dichotoma (Rudge) Delprete & J.H.Kirkbr., and Psychotria bahiensis DC.). Other co-occurring species include trees such as Eschweilera ovata (Cambess.) Miers (Lecythidaceae), Pseudobombax grandiflorum (Cav.) A.Robyns. (Malvaceae), Guatteria spp. (Annonaceae), Inga spp. (Fabaceae), Ocotea spp. (Lauraceae), and members of Sapotaceae (Chrysophyllum spp., Pouteria spp.), as well as arborescent species of palms (Attalea sp. and Syagrus botryophora (Mart.) Mart., Arecaceae). The local climate is classified as Af type (Tropical rainforest climate) under the Köppen climate classification, characterized as hot and humid without a dry season. The annual average temperature is 23.2°C, and the minimum average temperature is registered in July (21°C), whereas February is the hottest month, with a monthly value of 24.8°C; the annual average precipitation is 1722 mm, with less than 100 mm of rainfall only in the month of August; and the annual average relative humidity is about 85% (Mendonça et al. 1996). Three species of Hippeastrum are known to occur in the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia: H. puniceum, H. reticulatum Herb., and H. striatum (Lam.) H.E.Moore. Hippeastrum puniceum is the most generalist species of the genus and is widely distributed throughout Central and South America (Oliveira 2012). On the south coast of Bahia, H. puniceum was collected in the understory of Ombrophilous Dense Forest, and in different physiognomies of restinga and mussunungas (a very specialized vegetation established on hydromorphic, dystrophic and white sandy soils, with physiognomies ranging from grasslands to forest formations; for more detailed definitions, see Meira Neto et al. 2005 and Saporetti-Junior et al. 2012). Hippeastrum reticulatum and H. striatum are species distributed mainly in the south and southeast regions of Brazil, occurring in both evergreen and seasonal forests, also reaching Argentina and Paraguay. Hippeastrum striatum can occasionally be found in open formations such as rocky outcrops. Southern Bahia represents the northernmost extent of known distribution for H. reticulatum. The region is considered one of the richest areas in the Atlantic Forest for biodiversity and is home to numerous endemic species of plants (Thomas et al. 1998; Martini et al. 2007; Murray-Smith et al. 2009; Ostroski et al. 2018), although it still represents one of the lesser known and poorly collected regions of the domain (Goldenberg et al. 2016).

Figure 3. 

A. Distribution map showing collections of Hippeastrum curupira (star) and H. laklano (triangle). Habitat and new species in the wild: B. Lagoa Encantada seen from a nearby viewpoint. C. Hippeastrum curupira at the type locality. D–E. Hippeastrum laklano at the type locality. D. Flowering plants indicated by arrows. E. Detail of inflorescence. B, C by Antonio Campos-Rocha; D by Alain Chautems; E by Mauro Peixoto.

In cultivation, Hippeastrum curupira flowers between August and early October. We do not have any data on the reproduction of the species in its natural habitat, which was collected in vegetative condition.

The specific epithet honours one of the most traditional and popular mythical characters of Brazilian folklore, the Curupira. Of indigenous origin, it is usually represented as a dwarf, with red hair and inverted feet. Curupira inhabits the interior of the most remote forests, avoiding getting close to highly disturbed or inhabited places (Cascudo 1998, 2002). The epithet is a reference to the bright scarlet red flower of the new species, unique among Brazilian species of Hippeastrum. It is also a reference to its forest habitat, as well as to its rarity. It even represents a call to protect the forest in Brazil, in a scenario of dismantling anti-deforestation policies (Menezes and Barbosa 2021; Vale et al. 2021; Agapito et al. 2022). Interestingly, the type locality is believed to be a magical place, inhabited by several characters of Brazilian mythology (Santos 2004; Sousa 2010). The specific epithet is treated as a noun in apposition, in line with Article 23.1 of the International Code of Nomenclature (Turland et al. 2018).

Critically Endangered CR B1ab(iii)+B2ab(iii); D. Hippeastrum curupira should be categorized as Critically Endangered (CR), based on the subcriteria B1ab(iii)+B2ab(iii), because of the number of known localities (1), and declining habitat quality, as well as criterion D, because of its small population size. About ten adult individuals were found in a small forest fragment, with several signs of recent disturbance, including cutting some trees. The forest fragment is located on private property and is surrounded by larger fragments in different successional stages. This area is located within a federal conservation unit, named EPA (Environmental Protection Area) of the Lagoa Encantada and Rio Almada, covering over 150,000 hectares of protected land (State of Bahia 2003). The southern coast of Bahia, despite having a long history of logging activity, started with the extraction of brazilwood in the precolonial period, remained one of the most preserved areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest until the beginning of the 1970s, when an intense deforestation cycle began (Thomas et al. 1998; Landau et al. 2008). Current research shows that the extent of native forest cover in the south coast of Bahia may be as low as 5% of its original area, with about 2% of the remaining fragments larger than 400 hectares (Landau et al. 2008).

BRAZIL – Bahia • Ilhéus, distrito de Castelo Novo, no sub-bosque de remanescente de Floresta Ombrófila Densa; 140 m; 3 Aug. 2019; st.; A. Campos-Rocha et al. 2607; UEC • Ilhéus, distrito de Castelo Novo, no sub-bosque de remanescente de Floresta Ombrófila Densa; 145 m; 3 Aug. 2019; st.; A. Campos-Rocha et al. 2608; UEC.

Hippeastrum curupira has a unique flower among the Brazilian species of Hippeastrum, mainly because of its colour and shape. It appears related to H. reginae, being distinguished by the absence of paraperigone and trifid stigma (vs fimbriate paraperigone and capitate to lobate stigma in H. reginae). The new species also shares some affinities with H. puniceum, from which it can be readily distinguished by having bright scarlet red coloured tepals, internally with a greenish-white central stripe for up to half of their length (vs tepals salmon or orange, rarely pink, internally yellowish to green at their base and forming a circular pattern in H. puniceum). Furthermore, H. curupira has a hypanthium tube up to 1.8 cm long, paraperigone absent and stigma trifid (vs hypanthium tube over 2 cm in length, paraperigone fimbriate and stigma capitate to trilobed in H. puniceum).

BRAZIL • Santa Catarina, Santa Terezinha, Taipas; 17 Apr. 2008; fl.; J.H.A. Dutilh s.n.; holotype: UEC-174153.

Hippeastrum laklano is morphologically related to H. striatum (Lam.) H.E.Moore, from which it is readily distinguished by its paraperigone with conspicuous fimbriae and dark-vinaceous area at the base of the tepals (vs paraperigone absent and tepals greenish at the base in H. striatum).

Geophytic perennial herb up to 75 cm tall at flowering. Bulb 6–8 cm long × 3.8–5.6 cm diameter, subterranean, oval; neck formed by sheathing leaf bases up to 4.5 cm long. Leaves 1–8, 24–58 × 1.4–2.8 cm, lorate, canaliculate proximally adaxially, becoming flattened above, reclinate, apex acute, asymmetric, margins slightly revolute to revolute, projecting midrib on the abaxial surface, dark green adaxially, pale green abaxially, occasionally with vinaceous pigmentation on the margins and near the base. Inflorescence 2–6 flowered; scape 35–55 cm long × 1–1.5 cm diameter, erect, subcylindrical, laterally compressed, hollow, greenish, sometimes with vinaceous pigmentation, glaucous; spathe bracts 2, up to 6 cm long, free, lanceolate to obovate, apex acute, greenish, marcescent; bracteoles 2–7, subulate. Pedicels 2.4–5.6 cm long × 2–4 mm diameter at anthesis, green, triangular to obtusely triangular in cross section, elongating as fruit matures. Perigone 5–6.6 cm long, infundibuliform; hypanthium tube 0.4–0.7 cm long, greenish proximally, vinaceous distally; paraperigone of fimbriae, partially connate. Tepals in free portion coral red, dark vinaceous adaxially at their base and forming a circular pattern at the throat, with cream coloured stripes for half their length; sepals (outer whorl) wider than petals (inner whorl), apex acute with apicule subapical 1–2.5 mm long; upper 5.2–6.2 × 1.6–2.1 cm, oblanceolate, symmetric, slightly recurvated; lateral 5–6 × 1.2–1.7 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, slightly asymmetric; petals (inner tepals) slightly smaller than the sepals, lower petal narrower than the laterals, apex acute with apicule inconspicuous or absent; lateral 4.9–5.6 × 1.1–1.7 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, slightly recurvated; lower 5–5.6 × 0.8–1.2 cm, narrowly elliptic. Stamens 6, of four different lengths, inserted at the mouth of the hypanthium tube, shorter than limb segments; filaments fasciculate, declinate-ascending, reddish in the free portion, whitish at apex, upper episepalous 2.3–3 cm long, lateral episepalous 2.4–3.2 cm long, lateral epipetalous 3.2–4 cm long, lower epipetalous 2.6–3.3 cm long; anthers 4–5.5 mm long after anthesis, oblong, cream, pollen golden-yellow. Ovary 0.7–1.2 cm long × 4–5 mm diameter, obovoid, green; ovules 32–40. Style 5–5.5 cm long, slightly shorter or similar in length to the limb segments, filiform, declinate to slightly ascending, reddish; stigma trifid, lobes 2–3 mm long, recurved, whitish. Fruit 1.2–1.8 cm long × 2.2–2.6 cm diameter, capsule globose-compressed, greenish to straw coloured; seeds 0.85–1.2 × 0.65–0.9 cm, half-discoid, flattened.

Hippeastrum laklano is known only from a single locality in the North Plateau of Santa Catarina State, close to the border between the municipalities of Santa Terezinha and Itaiópolis (Fig. 3A). The region is characterized as a transition zone between Dense and Mixed Ombrophilous Forest (Leite 2002). The word “taipas” written on the holotype label means a traditional type of wall or its construction process (Ferreira 1986), referring to the species’ habitat, which was found on a steep rocky wall near a waterfall (Fig. 3D). Co-occurring species included ferns and herbaceous plants, such as Ctenanthe sp. (Marantaceae), Commelina sp. (Commelinaceae), Peperomia urocarpa Fisch. & C.A.Mey. (Piperaceae), and Sinningia macropoda (Sprague) H.E.Moore (Gesneriaceae), plus some shrubs and small trees. The local climate is of the Cfbl type, according to the Köppen classification, defined as mild temperature and fully humid with warm summers. The precipitation is 1800 mm annually, with the highest average monthly occurring between December and March, and the lowest occurring between June and August; the annual average temperature is around 18°C, with a maximum average of 26°C in the summer and a minimum average of 7°C in the winter (Corrêa 2005). Four more species of Hippeastrum have known records for the northern region of Santa Catarina, found mainly in the Ombrophilous Dense Forests of the mountainous regions; H. aulicum (Ker Gawl.) Herb., H. glaucescens (Mart.) Herb., H. puniceum, and H. striatum. Hippeastrum aulicum is a species distributed in the Atlantic Forest of southern and southeastern Brazil, more frequent in mountainous and humid forests, near the coast or in coastal regions, and occurring in seasonal forests in the interior of the state of Paraná (Oliveira 2012). It is usually an epiphyte or understory species, growing in litter-rich rocky outcrops or trees, rarely in more open humid areas. Hippeastrum glaucescens is a species widely distributed in Brazil through the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, reaching neighbouring localities of Argentina and Paraguay (Oliveira 2012). It is more frequent in higher altitude regions, in open or partially shaded habitats, amid rocky outcrops or in grassland formations. For information on distribution and habitat of H. puniceum and H. striatum see the subsection Distribution and habitat of H. curupira.

Hippeastrum laklano was found with flowers and immature fruits in early March. Specimens in cultivation flowered from January to April, and they were shown to be self-compatible.

Figure 4. 

Hippeastrum laklano. A. Habit. B. Leaves (abaxial surface). C. Detail of leaf venation. D. Spathe bracts. E. Flower, frontal view. F. Flower, lateral view. G. Sepals and petals: shape and apices. H1. Upper sepal. H2. Lateral petal. H3. Lateral sepal. H4. Lower petal. I. Flower with removed perigone, showing stamens and style. J. Stigma. K. Longitudinal section of ovary and hypanthium tube. L. Cross section of the ovary. M. Capsule. N. Seed. Drawn by Klei Sousa from A. Campos-Rocha 3355 and A. Campos-Rocha 3356.

The specific epithet is a noun in apposition and refers to the Laklãnõ people, member of the Southern Jê linguistic family, who inhabited vast areas of southern Brazil, including almost the entire northern plateau of Santa Catarina (Santos 1973). With the arrival of European settlers in the region, particularly between the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Laklãnõ were severely decimated through actions supported by government authorities and private colonization companies (Santos 1973; Selau 2006; Wittmann 2007). The only known place of occurrence of the new species is located close to the limits of the Ibirama-Laklãnõ Indigenous Territory, where the main remaining Laklãnõ community is confined. Established in 1926 with an area of 20,000 hectares that would never be delimited, the indigenous land was expanded to around 37,000 hectares in 1999, and declared permanent indigenous possession by an ordinance of the Ministry of Justice four years later (Santos 1973; FIOCRUZ 2022). However, the indigenous land continued to suffer constant invasions by settlers and loggers, intensified from the 1950s, mainly for the purpose of exploiting its natural resources, which would result in the depletion of the juçara-palm (Euterpe edulis Mart.) and timber reserves (Santos 1973; Namem 1994; Nigro 2004). The Federal Supreme Court of Brazil is judging two lawsuits filed by the state government and environmental agency demanding the annulment of the Laklãnõ land demarcation process (FIOCRUZ 2022). One of the lawsuits was declared of general repercussion and will serve as a guideline for the federal government and all instances of justice with regard to demarcation procedure, placing the Laklãnõ people and their struggle at the heart of this issue in the country today (Silva and Souza Filho 2021; FIOCRUZ 2022). Laklãnõ is a self-denomination that gained momentum among indigenous people from the 1990s onwards, as part of an effort to revitalize their language, as opposed to the name Xokleng, that would have a pejorative meaning and would represent the colonizer’s view of the community (Gakran 2005, 2020). According to the Laklãnõ language, the word “laklãnõ” means “those of the sun clan” or “those who are descendants of the sun” (Gakran 2005).

Figure 5. 

Hippeastrum laklano. A. Sepals and petals. B. Apex of the upper sepal. C. Apex of the lateral sepal. D. Flower with removed perigone, showing stamens and style. E. Detail of anthers and stigma. F. Detail of paraperigone. G. Anther. H–I. Stigma at different developmental stages. J. Inflorescence, top view. K. Leaf apex. L. Detail of leaf venation, abaxial surface. M. Detail of the spot at the base of the tepals. N. Inflorescence, frontal view. O. Longitudinal section of the ovary. P. Fully developed leaves. Q. Base of leaves and inflorescence. R. Bulb and bulblet. S. Habit. T–U. Detail of spathe bracts and bracteoles. V. Immature capsule. W. Mature capsule exposing the seeds. X. Seeds. Y–Z. Seedlings. A–L, N–Z by Antonio Campos-Rocha; M by Mauro Peixoto.

Critically Endangered CR B1ab(iii)+B2ab(iii); D. Hippeastrum laklano should be considered critically endangered (CR) according to the subcriteria B1ab(iii)+B2ab(iii), due to the number of locations (1) and decline in habitat quality, and criterion D, due to the low number of known individuals. The new species was collected in its natural habitat in 2006, and since then a few specimens have been kept under cultivation on private property in the state of São Paulo. We do not have updated information on this population and locality of occurrence. Although the European colonization of the North Plateau of Santa Catarina started in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, most of its forests would remain preserved until the beginning of the 20^th century (Carvalho 2012). With the construction of railroads and highways throughout the region, logging activities intensified, resulting in an almost 50-year cycle of deforestation (Valentini 2009; Carvalho 2012). The original vegetation cover in this region is now reduced to small, isolated forest fragments, restricted mainly to riverbanks or steeper areas, and surrounded by agriculture, pastures and homogeneous planted forests (Scariot and Reis 2010; Schaadt and Vibrans 2015). In recent years, Itaiópolis has led the deforestation ranking in Santa Catarina several times (Soethe and Carvalho 2012).

BRAZIL – Santa Catarina • Santa Terezinha, em cultivo no estado de São Paulo; 29 Jan. 2022; fl.; A. Campos-Rocha 3355; UEC • Santa Terezinha, em cultivo no estado de São Paulo; 24 Mar. 2022; fr.; A. Campos-Rocha 3356; UEC.

Hippeastrum laklano presents some similarities in floral morphology to H. striatum, from which it can be distinguished by having a shorter hypanthium tube (representing about 1/10 of the total length of perigone), conspicuously fimbriated paraperigone, and the dark vinaceous spot at the base of the tepals adaxially (vs tube representing about 1/5 of the total length of perigone, paraperigone absent and tepals cream to greenish at the base adaxially in H. striatum). A few populations of H. striatum are known to have a dark spot at the base of the tepals, although their colour and position are different from those of H. laklano. In addition, the flowers of H. laklano usually have a shorter perigone than those of H. striatum (5–6.6 cm vs 5.5–12.5 cm). Hippeastrum laklano can also be compared to H. santacatarina (Traub) Dutilh, a red-flowered species endemic to southern Brazil. However, H. santacatarina is a more robust species, typically found in marshy and swampy fields, and flowering mainly in spring, while H. laklano is a saxicolous plant and flowers in autumn in the wild. Furthermore, in H. santacatarina the hypanthium tube represents about 1/7 of the total length of perigone and the tepals are whitish at the base adaxially, with a whitish central stripe but without spot.