Maguirellaria howardii (Maguire) Iamonico, 2023

Iamonico, Duilio, 2023, Maguirellaria (Caryophyllaceae), a new genus from Dominican Republic, Phytotaxa 598 (3), pp. 237-244 : 240-241

Maguirellaria howardii (Maguire) Iamonico , comb. nov.

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

Type (fig. 2):— DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Prov. Barahona, Monteada Nueva 2 mi sw of Polo at 3500’ alt., 21August 1946, R. A. Howard & E. S. Howard 8479 [holotype NY00073720! (image available at http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/vh/specimen-details/?irn=53060); isotypes: A00037995! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.gh00037014?loggedin=true), BM000595360! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.gh00037014?loggedin=true), JBSD062079 (non vidi, fide Castillo & García 1997: 40), LE00001730! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.gh00037014?loggedin=true), NY00073721! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.ny00073721), TEX00370776! (https://plants.jstor.org/ stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.gh00037014?loggedin=true), US00103221! (https://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/ al.ap.specimen.gh00037014?loggedin=true), USF194393! (https://api.gbif.org/v1/image/unsafe/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.plantatlas. org%2Fimg%2Fspecimens%2FUSF%2F194893.jpg)] .

Description: —Plants perennial with stem prostrate, up to 30 cm height, glabrous to glandular, branched, terete. Leaves lanceolate-linear, 1/2–2/3 shorter than the internodes [1.0–1.5(–2.0) × (8–)9–11(–13) mm], sessile or petioled (the basal and middle ones), base cuneate, apex acute, glandular-pubescent on the abaxial surface (hairs reddish); stipules short, ovate, pubescent. Inflorescence in terminal cymes or axillary solitary flowers; pedicel 1.0– 2.5 cm long; sepals 5, elliptic-ovate (2–3 × 1.7–1.8 mm), 3-veined, acute to obtuse, green; petals usually 5, oblanceolate (1.5–1.7 × 4–5 mm long), about 1/2 longer than the sepals, bifid (lobes about 1 mm long), white; fruit about 2 × 3 mm, about as long as the sepals.

Proposed vernacular name: —Howard’s starwort.

Habitat: —Open areas in forests on limestone outcrops; altitude about 1000 m a.s.l.

Chorology: —Endemic to Dominican Republic, Provinces of Barahona ( Liogier 1982) and Independencia.

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. Barahona, from Monteada Nueva to La Lanza, along trail, 31 July 1950, Howard 12241 (U1189722!); Monteada Nueva, Caña Brava, 130 m a.s.l., in cloud forest, 15 June 1968, Liogier 11623 (NY2027325!; molecular voucher in Greenberg & Donoghue 2011); Monteada Nueva, 1000 m a.s.l., 28 February 1969, Liogier 14354 (P05437031!); ibidem (NY01511601!); La Sierra de Neiba, en lugar húmedo a la orilla dela carretera Internacional, 1600 m a.s.l., 24–26 March 1975, Liogier 22765 (NY01511598!); Los Arroyos, 800 m a.s.l., 6–7 November 1976, Liogier 25856 (NY01511600!). Independencia. Pelempito, 22 May 2004, Acevo-Rdgz., Garcia & Marten 13993 (NY1511604!; molecular voucher in Sherples & Tripp 2019).