ABSTRACT Nicotiana azambujae is an endemic species from Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, that was described in 1964 and has not been seen since then. During fieldwork, we found a population in Alto Matador, about 70 km from the presumable type collection, after 73 years of its last known collection. Thus, we bring the first in vivo pictures of this species, assess its conservation status, update the morphologic description and discuss its habitat preferences. Also, we discuss a possible mistake in the type of voucher label from the originally collected locality.

Abstract Fern spores play a vital role in dispersal. The unique features of spores, such as size, thickness, and ornamentation can aid in taxonomic decisions and division of groups. Moreover, certain species of ferns possess green spores containing chlorophyll, an uncommon feature that can reinforce the evidence of relatedness within a specific group. Lomaria spannagelii is a Neotropical species endemic to Brazil, and, even though green spores have been reported in its sister species, Lomaria nuda and Lomaria discolor, the presence of these spores has not yet been investigated in L. spannagelii. In this study, we investigated the morphology of L. spannagelii spores and sporangia, and, additionally, we determined the chromosome count of the species. Our results showed that the analyzed species has green spores, a characteristic shared with L. nuda and L. discolor, and has 2n = 64 chromosomes. This discovery provides new insights into this fern genus and emphasizes the importance of spore color and chromosome count in systematic and evolutionary studies of ferns.

Resumo Os esporos de samambaias desempenham um papel vital na dispersão. As características únicas dos esporos, como tamanho, espessura e ornamentação, podem auxiliar nas decisões taxonômicas e na divisão dos grupos. Além disso, certas espécies de samambaias possuem esporos verdes contendo clorofila, característica rara que pode reforçar a evidência de parentesco dentro de um grupo específico. Lomaria spannagelii é uma espécie Neotropical endêmica do Brasil e, embora esporos verdes tenham sido relatados em suas espécies irmãs, Lomaria nuda e Lomaria discolor, a presença desses esporos ainda não foi investigada em L. spannagelii. Neste estudo, investigamos a morfologia dos esporos e esporos de L. spannagelii e, adicionalmente, determinamos a contagem cromossômica da espécie. Nossos resultados mostraram que a espécie analisada possui esporos verdes, característica compartilhada com L. nuda e L. discolor, e possui 2n = 64 cromossomos. Esta descoberta fornece novos insights sobre o gênero e enfatiza a importância da cor dos esporos e contagem de cromossomos em estudos taxonômicos e evolutivos de samambaias.