Decalepidanthus echioides (Royle ex Benth.) Dickoré & Hilger 2015

Dickoré, W. Bernhard & Hilger, Hartmut H., 2015, Decalepidanthus (Boraginaceae) includes and antedates Pseudomertensia; a synopsis of the genus, Phytotaxa 226 (2), pp. 131-143 : 134

1. Decalepidanthus echioides (Royle ex Benth.) Dickoré & Hilger , comb. nov.

Basionym:— Lithospermum echioides Royle ex Benth. in Royle (1836: 305). ≡ Mertensia echioides (Royle ex Benth.) Clarke (1883: 170) . ≡ Pseudomertensia echioides (Royle ex Benth.) Riedl in Rechinger (1967: 62). Lectotype (designated here):— INDIA. Himachal Pradesh: ‘Northwest India’, 1835, J.F.Royle s.n. (K!). A probable syntype in Royle’s herbarium lacks any specific label information (LIV photo!) and was not mentioned by Harrison (1978). Apparently, there is no extant specimen that exactly matches the protologue: ‘Soongnum in Kunawur.–Kherang Pass, R.Inglis ’.

= Lithospermum secundiflorum Jacquem. ex Decne. in Jacquemont (1844: 120, tab. 125). ≡ Eritrichium secundiflorum (Jacquem. ex Decne.) Candolle (1846: 124) . ≡ Mertensia secundiflora (Decne.) Brand (1931: 200) . Lectotype (designated here):— INDIA. Himachal Pradesh: Without locality, V.Jacquemont 1509 (P photo!; isolecto MPU). Remaining syntypes:— INDIA. à Rarang ad Zongui à Kanum [31°44’N 78°25’E], 31 July 1830, V.Jacquemont s.n. (K!); à Rarang ad Zongui, à Kanum, 3000 m, 26 July 1830, V.Jacquemont s.n. (K!).

= Mertensia primuloides var. tanneri Clarke (1883: 171) . ≡ Pseudomertensia primuloides var. tanneri (C.B.Clarke) R.R.Stewart & Kazmi in Kazmi (1970: 383). Type:— PAKISTAN. Gilgit-Baltistan: Gilgit and Astor, H.C.B.Tanner s.n. (holo K!).

= Lindelofia lahulensis Brand (1923: 170) . ≡ Pseudomertensia echioides var. lahulensis (Brand) Kazmi (1970: 374) . ≡ Pseudomertensia lahulensis (Brand) Aswal in Aswal & Mehrotra (1994: 457). Type:— INDIA. Himachal Pradesh: Südwestlicher Himalaya, Lahul, Kydang [Kyelang/Keylong], an Felsen des Nyimephed, 4200–4400 m, July 1880, A.W.Heyde s.n. (holo Herb. Bernhard Lorenz, Zittau; fide Brand 1923).

= Mertensia strigosa Melchior (1940: 113) , nom. illeg., non Mertensia strigosa Greene (1899: 88) . Type:— PAKISTAN. Gilgit-Baltistan: Nanga-Parbat-Gebiet, Gor, 2900–3500 m, 20 May 1937, C.Troll 7141 (holo B, probably destroyed).

= Mertensia chitralensis Riedl (1963b: 228) . ≡ Pseudomertensia chitralensis (Riedl) Riedl in Rechinger (1967: 62). Type:— PAKISTAN. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Chitral, Rumbur [35°46’N 71°40’E], 9500 ft. [protologue variant ’Runbur, 3200 m’], 17 May 1958, S.A.Bowes- Lyon 664 (holo BM!, iso E!).

= Mertensia efornicata Rech.f. & Riedl in Riedl (1963b: 231). ≡ Pseudomertensia efornicata (Rech.f. & Riedl) Riedl in Rechinger (1967: 60). Type:— PAKISTAN. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Chitral, Drosh (Painogh) [35°33’ N 71°48’ E], 11500 ft., 31 July 1958, S.A.Bowes- Lyon 186 (holo BM!, iso E!).

= Pseudomertensia anjumiae Kazmi (1970: 377) . Type:— PAKISTAN. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Kurram, up the Shend Toi valley, near water, 11000 ft., [23 June 1880], J.E.T.Aitchison 192 (holo BM!, iso GH photo! ‘Affghanistan’ [but referring to today’s Pakistani territory]).

Icon.: — Riedl (1963b): fig. 174; fig. 178; fig. 185. Nasir (1989b): fig. 32 K–N; fig. 33 G–H.— Fig. 1a (nutlet), 1e (habit).

Distribution: —E Afghanistan (Kunar, Laghman), N Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Kurram, Chitral, Hazara; Gilgit-Baltistan), NW India (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh)–Southwest Karakorum, Inner far west and Kashmir Himalaya.—Map: fig. 2a.

Habitat: —Elevation (1520–)2100–4270(–4480) m, submontane–subalpine, scattered, locally frequent in relatively dry areas, in open forest, steppe forest ( Juniperus semiglobosa Regel , Pinus wallichiana A.B.Jacks. , P. gerardiana Wall. ex. D.Don, Picea smithiana (Wall.) Boiss. ), scrub, steppe, among rocks, among boulders.

Notes: — Decalepidanthus echioides is locally frequent in the dry inner valleys of the northwestern Himalayas and the southwestern Karakorum (Gilgit, Hunza, Batura), where, at relatively higher altitudes, only D. primuloides extends further northwards. It occurs also on the edges of the high altitude deserts of Ladakh (‘Little Tibet’), e.g. in the Suru and lower Dras valleys, and in the inner valleys southeastwards (Lahul, Chamba, Kunawar), where it is it is the only representative of the genus. On the outer slopes of the western Himalayas, D. echioides is rare except for the upper, sheltered sections of a few valleys (e.g. upper Kaghan valley).

Despite its relatively wide and partially disjunct distribution, Decalepidanthus echioides seems to be morphologically relatively uniform. However, populations nested around Mt. Nanga Parbat and the Gilgit basin, and possibly some from the Afghan border as well, seem somewhat different. These plants are often diminutive, more densely tufted, and have relatively narrow, ± densely strigose leaves and ± infundibuliform corollas. For the time being, we refrain from attributing a taxonomic status to these plants, which possibly correspond to [ Mertensia primuloides ] var. tanneri , because most of the problematic specimens seem to still fall into the habitual variation of D. echioides . However, local hybridization with the, otherwise, well-defined D. primuloides may be involved. The status of D. rosulatus (see under Unresolved taxa) may relate to similar problems.

Figures

FIGURE 1. a–d Nutlets of Decalepidanthus species, adaxial face (left), abaxial face (right): a, D. echioides, Pakistan, Hunza, G. & S. Miehe 2811 (MSB); b, D. elongatus, Pakistan, Kaghan Valley, W.B.Dickoré 13249 (MSB); c, D. parviflorus, Pakistan, Kaghan Valley, U. Schickhoff 106A (MSB); d, D. primuloides, Pakistan, Hunza, G. & S. Miehe 3703 (MSB); e–g Habit of Decalepidanthus species: e, D. echioides, Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit District, Jutial Nala, 2620 m, 31 August 1995, W.B.Dickoré 12227; f, D. elongatus, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mansehra District, Mt. Makra W, 3840 m, 14 September 1995, W.B.Dickoré 13180; g, D. echioides, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mansehra District, Mt. Makra top, 3880 m, 14 September 1995, W.B.Dickoré 13259.