Nolletia vanhoepeniae P.P.J.Herman, 2013

Herman, Paul P. J., 2013, Cypsela morphology in the genus Nolletia (Asteraceae, Astereae) and a revision of the genus, Phytotaxa 122 (1), pp. 1-44 : 29-31

9. Nolletia vanhoepeniae P.P.J.Herman sp. nov. ( Fig. 12 )

Similar to N. gariepina but leaves linear, not narrowly obovate; outer female florets filiform, not shortly radiate and cypselae covered with circular epicarpic cells, not oblong and arranged in parallel rows.

Type:— BOTSWANA. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, 8.8 km W of Mosemane Camp Site on route to Nossob on Mabuasehube Wilderness Trail , Duneveld , (QDS: 2521 AB Kwai Pan ), 14 May 2010, Koekemoer 3899 (holotype PRE!, isotypes PRU, US) .

Iconography: — Kellerman et al. (2005, Fig. 5.13 , p. 228, as N. gariepina ).

Scattered to densely leafy dwarf shrub, up to 0.4 m high. Stems woody below, herbaceous upwards, spreading pubescent. Leaves alternate, sessile, linear to very narrowly obovate, 10–23(–30) × 0.5–1.5 mm; apex acute to obtuse; base sometimes slightly broadened; margins entire; spreading pubescent on both sides. Capitula heterogamous, disciform, 8–10 mm in diameter, mostly arranged in loose corymbs or solitary at ends of branches, pedunculate. Peduncle spreading pubescent. Involucre campanulate. Involucral bracts imbricate, in 3 or 4 rows, green, apices sometimes purplish, persistent and recurved in old inflorescences; outer bracts ovate to narrowly oblong, 1.5–2.0 × 0.4–0.5 mm, acute, spreading pubescent; middle row narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate, 2.2–3.0 × 0.5–0.8 mm, acute to acuminate, margin narrowly membranous, slightly fimbriate in upper part, spreading pubescent along central portion; inner row narrowly obovate, 2.8–3.5 × 0.8– 1.0 mm, acute, margin narrowly membranous, slightly fimbriate in upper part, glabrous or spreading pubescent along central upper portion. Receptacle epaleate, foveolate. Outer female florets 23–26, arranged in 1 row, fertile, filiform; tube 1.0– 1.5 mm long, shorter than style furcation, with glandular hairs, 1–5-toothed; corolla yellow. Style 1.5–2.0 mm long, bifurcate; style branches linear, 0.5–1.0 mm long, rounded to acute; stigmatic areas along margin, confluent at apex. Pappus and cypsela as in disc florets. Disc florets 31–56, regular, bisexual, fertile; tubular below, tube 2.0– 2.5 mm long, with glandular hairs, 5-lobed, lobes 0.4–0.5 mm long; corolla yellow, sometimes with purplish apices. Anthers 1.0– 1.4 mm long; with ovate apical appendages; base shortly calcarate, ecaudate; filament collars with thickened cell walls. Style 1.5–2.5 mm long, bifurcate; style branches 0.5–1.0 mm long, with deltoid-penicillate apical appendages; stigmatic areas along the margin, not confluent at apex. Cypsela honey-brownish, with faint marginal line, obovoid, 1.0–1.5 × 0.5 mm ( Fig. 1H ), shiny because of circular epicarpic cells, covering surfaces of cypselae, each with short twin hair ( Fig. 2F, G ), apices of twin hairs acute but subequal in length. Pappus of caducous, barbellate bristles, 2–3 mm long. Flowering time: (December) February to March (June).

Distribution and habitat: — Namibia, Botswana, Northern Cape ( Fig. 11 ), growing in sand, often over calcrete. The conservation status of this species is not currently known.

Discussion: —In June 2000 the late Prof. Theuns Naude (Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Pretoria) submitted a plant specimen that caused poisoning amongst cattle for identification. It was at that stage misidentified as Nolletia gariepina ( Du Plessis et al. 2004, Kellerman et al. 2005). It is here described as a new species. Not well represented in herbaria and previously misidentified as N. arenosa or N. gariepina .

Etymology: —Named for Mrs Estelle van Hoepen , who was in charge of the identification service for a very long time at the National Herbarium, Pretoria (PRE) and acting curator for a short while during the early 1980’s.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cypselae of Nolletia species as seen under the stereomicroscope: (A) N. gariepina (Warren 78, PRE); (B) N. tenuifolia (Giess 10863, PRE); (C) N. ciliaris (Jacot Guillarmod 377, PRE); (D) N. jeanettae (Bester 8534, PRE); (E) N. welmaniae (Winter 7649, PRE); (F) N. rarifolia (Van Hoepen 1825, PRE); (G) N. ruderalis (Compton 27385, PRE); (H) N. vanhoepeniae (Koekemoer 3899, PRE); (I) N. zambesica (Maguire 1693, PRE); (J) N. chrysocomoides (Merxmüller & Giess 3579, PRE); (K) N. annetjieae (Van Rooyen 3714, PRE). Photographs by P.P.J. Herman.

FIGURE 2. Scanning electron micrographs of cypsela features in Nolletia: (A) obovoid cypsela of N. gariepina (Dinter 3577, PRE); (B) oblong epicarpic cells arranged in regular rows and twin hairs on the cypsela of N. tenuifolia (Dinter 7889, PRE); (C) oblong epicarpic cells arranged in regular rows and twin hairs with acute apices on the cypsela of N. gariepina (Zietsman & Zietsman 794, PRE); (D) oblong epicarpic cells arranged in regular rows and twin hairs with broadened apices in cypsela of N. annemarieae (Moss & Jacobsen K180, PRE); (E) obovoid cypsela in the dried state of N. chrysocomoides showing the ‘pocked’ surface (Germishuizen 7763, PRE); (F) circular epicarpic cells each with a twin hair on the cypsela of N. vanhoepeniae in the dried state (De Beer B5, PRE); (G) circular epicarpic cells each with a twin hair, in N. vanhoepeniae in the rehydrated state (De Beer B5, PRE); (H) paired circular to elliptic epicarpic cells with one twin hair between each pair, scattered over the cypsela surface in N. annetjieae in the dried state (Leistner 1581, PRE). Photographs by P.P.J. Herman.

FIGURE 5. Known geographical distribution of N. annemarieae (̝) and N. gariepina (●).

FIGURE 11. Known geographical distribution of N. ruderalis (̝) and N. vanhoepeniae (●).

FIGURE 12. Scanned image of the holotype of N. vanhoepeniae P.P.J.Herman (Koekemoer 3899, PRE).