Maguirellaria minutifolia (Maguire) Iamonico, 2023

Iamonico, Duilio, 2023, Maguirellaria (Caryophyllaceae), a new genus from Dominican Republic, Phytotaxa 598 (3), pp. 237-244 : 242-243

Maguirellaria minutifolia (Maguire) Iamonico , comb. nov.

≡ Stellaria minutifolia Maguire , Brittonia 10: 30. 1958.

Type (fig. 3):— DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Prov. Benefactor, Saban Nueva, ne of Rio Arriba del Norte at 6200’ alt., edge of river in grassy area, 17 September 1946, Howard & Howard 9019 [holotype: NY00073722! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/ al.ap.specimen.ny00073722); isotypes: A00037996! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.gh0003701 4?loggedin=true), BM000583340! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.gh00037014?loggedin=true), NY00073723! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.ny00073723), US00103228! (https://plants.jstor.org/ stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.gh00037014?loggedin=true).

Description: —Plants perennial with stem prostrate, up to 25 cm height, glabrous to glandular, branched, terete. Leaves lanceolate or linear, 1/4–1/2 shorter than the internodes 0.5–1.0 × (1.5–)2.0–4.0(–5.0) mm], sessile or petioled (the basal and middle ones), base cuneate, apex acute, glabrous or glabrescent on the abaxial surface (hairs whitish); stipules short, ovate, glabrescent. Inflorescence of terminal and axillary solitary flowers; pedicel 0.5–3.0 cm long; sepals 5, elliptic-ovate (about 2 × 1.5–1.8 mm), 3-veined, acute to obtuse, green; petals 4, oblanceolate (1.0–1.5 × 3–5 mm long), about 2 times longer than the sepals, bifid (lobes 1–2 mm long), white; fruit about 2 × 3 mm, about as long as the sepals.

Proposed vernacular name: —Small-leaves starwort.

Habitat: —Edges of streams in pine woods and grassy areas; altitude 1800–1900 m a.s.l.

Chorology: —Endemic to Dominican Republic, Province of Benefactor ( Liogier 1982).

Chromosome number: —Unknown

Conservation status: —This species is to be considered as DD (Deficient Data) according to the IUCN criteria ( IUCN 2016).

Selected specimens examined: — DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. La Vega. Jarbacoa, La Tucilla , in open places, 2000 m a.s.l., 15 August 1968, Liogier 12168 (NY1511624!); between Valle Nuevo and San José de Ocoa, La Nevera , in wet, open places, vould forests, 2100 m a.s.l., 18 October 1968, Liogier 13151 (NY01511625!). San José de Ocoa. La Nevera , en bosque nublado, 2100 m a.s.l., 06 April 1974, Liogier 21563 (NY01511623!). Hispaniola, en bosque nublado, subida la Cotorra, La Lagunita, 1800 m a.s.l., 15–19 June 1974, Liogier 21756 (NY02027324!; molecular voucher in Greenberg & Donoghue 2011).