Markea atlantica (Solanaceae): a New Species of Tribe Juanulloeae Disjunct from its Core Distribution

Abstract—

Markea atlantica (Juanulloeae, Solanaceae), an endemic species of the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by its hemiepiphytic habit with stems climbing by adventitious roots, few flowers (1‐3) arranged in subsessile and condensed cymes, bell-shaped yellow-greenish corollas with purple stripes in the inner surface, and stamens reaching the upper part of the corolla tube. The geographic distribution of the new species is also distinctive. While the other species of the genus are mainly found in the equatorial Amazonian region, M. atlantica is restricted to the coastal Atlantic forests of Brazil. Such a disjunction seems to reflect past connections between Amazonian and Brazilian Atlantic forests. A key for the Brazilian species of Markea is presented.