Morphological characteristics and genetic evidence reveals a new species of Manihot (Euphorbiaceae, Crotonoideae) from Goiás, Brazil

Abstract

During botanical expeditions between 2010 and 2015, as part of a taxonomic study of Manihot in the Midwest region of Brazil, approximately 500 specimens of the genus were collected. Some of these specimens presented similarities to M. irwinii. However, after careful morphological analyses, associated with genetic evidence, we propose here M. pulchrifolius as a new species. The new species is described, illustrated, and compared to M. irwinii, its most similar species. Furthermore, geographic distribution, conservation status, and period of flowering and fruiting of the novel species are also provided.