Quararibea alversonii (Malvaceae; Malvoideae), a new species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract

We describe Quararibea alversonii, a new species endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, which was found in the course of our review of Quararibea in Brazil. The new taxon is similar to Q. amazonica, mainly in calyx morphology, but it is distinguished by the presence of domatia, pedicel length, petal width, morphology of staminal columns and styles, as well as fruit shape. Here, we present a morphological description, taxonomic comments, photographs, distribution map, assessment of conservation status, and a comparative analysis between the new species and Q. amazonica, the only other member of the genus that also presents a costate calyx.