Arachis woodii (Leguminosae): a new species from the bolivian Pantanal

Abstract

Based on the analysis of materials collected in botanical expeditions conducted since 2000 in underexplored regions of Bolivia, in this study we present a novel species to science: Arachis woodii. This species has been collected a few times from a single location in the western edge of the Pantanal swamps, where it thrives in black shallow soil over rock outcrops. While the morphology of its vegetative organs resembles, to some extent, that of A. glandulifera and species of the K genome, a set of features differentiates it. Arachis woodii exhibits large, somewhat dorsiventrally flattened fruits with a prominent somewhat recurved beak, akin to classical elf shoes. The exocarp is dark brown and deeply reticulated. Additionally, the bristles on the lower surface of the leaflets lack a disc of glandular tissue at the base, a trait clearly distinguishing it from A. glandulifera. Chromosomal and molecular marker analyses indicate that this species does not align with any of the genome types described so far in section Arachis.