Micromeria rupestris (Webb & Berthelot) Puppo, 2015

Puppo, Pamela & Meimberg, Harald, 2015, New species and new combinations in Micromeria (Lamiaceae) from the Canary Islands and Madeira, Phytotaxa 230 (1), pp. 1-21 : 9

Micromeria rupestris (Webb & Berthelot) Puppo , comb. et stat. nov. Fig. 6

Basionym:— Micromeria varia Bentham (1834: 374) subsp. rupestris (Webb & Berthelot) P. Pérez (1978: 182) . Micromeria varia Bentham (1834: 374) f. rupestris (Webb & Berthelot) Christ (1888: 133) ; Micromeria thymoides (Solander ex Lowe) Webb & Berthelot (1844: 71) var. rupestris Webb & Berthelot (1844: 71) ; Satureja ericifolia (Roth) R.H. Willemse (1991: 83) subsp. rupestris (P. Pérez) R.H. Willemse (1991: 84) ; Satureja varia Webb & Berthelot ex Briquet in Engler & Prantl (1896: 299) subsp. rupestris (P. Pérez) A. Hansen & Sunding (1993: 7) . Lectotype:— SPAIN. Canary Islands, “in rupibus Lancerotta septentriorum”, J. M. Despréaux #28a (designated by P. Pérez 1978: 183, FI000234!, labeled “ Micromeria thymoides ”, left hand individual in lower part of sheet).

Small subshrub 5–20 cm height, highly branched; branches short, curved inwards, semi prostrated, basal parts of branches glabrate, shedding bark, younger parts densely strigose to tomentose. Leaves sessile or inconspicuously petiolated, petiole less than 1 mm long.; blades herbaceous, 3–7 × 1–3 mm, green sometimes tinged with purple, minutely pubescent on both surfaces, shortly strigose on midrib abaxially, basal blades ovate, slightly revolute, upper blades linear, revolute. Cymes densely covering the tip of the branches, almost sessile to pedunculated, peduncle up to 2 mm long. Calyx green, puberulent to shortly strigose, 2.5–3.5 mm long, calyx apices shortly lanceolate, densely white-ciliate. Corolla dark purple, 3–4 mm long, barely exerted. Anthers purple, barely exerted. Style barely exerted.

Specimens Examined: — SPAIN. Lanzarote : Alrededores de las Peñitas del Chache, 25 March 1976, P. Pérez & J. R. Acebes s.n. ( TFC) ; Altos del Bco. de la Madre del Agua, 23 February 1994, Wolfredo Wildpret de la Torre et al. s.n. ( TFC) ; San Bartolomé , Tomaren, 24 February 1995, J. A. Reyes-Betancort s.n. ( TFC) ; Tinajo , Caldera Blanca , 24 April 1996, J. A. Reyes-Betancort s.n. ( TFC). Fuerteventura: Mª de Tindaya , La Oliva, 29 March 1975, P. Pérez & J. R. Acebes s.n. ( TFC) ; Risco del Carnicero , 30 March 1975, P. Pérez & J. R. Acebes s.n. ( TFC) ; Mª de los Cardones , Gran Tarajal, 31 March 1975, P. Pérez & J. R. Acebes s.n. ( TFC) ; Entre Picos de la Zarza y de la Palma, Jandía , 31 May 2003, Stephan Scholz s.n. ( TFC) ; Castillejo Alto , Jandía, 17 April 2003, Stephan Scholz s.n. ( TFC) .

Geographical Distribution: —This species is only present in the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and its distribution is scattered in small populations throughout the islands.

Notes: — Pérez de Paz (1978) designated subsp. rupestris as the subspecies of M. varia present in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Molecular evidence ( Meimberg et al. 2006, Puppo et al. 2015) has shown that M. varia (sensu Pérez de Paz 1978) is polyphyletic so this new combination and status is proposed to elevate the former subsp. rupestris to species level.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Micromeria rupestris flowering branch (A), leaf axial and abaxial (B) and flower, frontal and side view (C). Drawn by P. Puppo from P. Pérez & J.R Acebes s.n. (TFC).