Ceropegia lodarensis (Lavranos) Bruyns var. lodarensis

Alharbi, Samah A. & Al-Qthanin, Rahmah N., 2021, Taxonomic revision of Ceropegia sect. Huernia (Asclepiadoideae, Apocynaceae) in Saudi Arabia with three new combinations, PhytoKeys 174, pp. 47-80 : 47

4.1 Ceropegia lodarensis (Lavranos) Bruyns var. lodarensis Figs 10 , 11 ; Map 4

Huernia lodarensis ≡ Huernia lodarensis Lavranos , J. S. African Bot. 30: 87 (1964). Type : Yemen - Lodar (Lawdar) • J. J. Lavranos 1900 (holotype: K [fl in spirit: 24982.000]); 13°52.6751'N, 45°51.7598'E; alt. 900 m; 19 Aug 1962 .

Huernia collenetteae = Huernia collenetteae Plowes, Asklepios 114: 8 (2012). syn. nov. Type: Saudi Arabia - Asir • I. S. Collenette 1176 (clonotype: SRGH [ DP6868 ]); between Abha and Jabal Sawdah; 18°14.425'N, 42°25.2244'E; alt. 2650 m .

Huernia saudi-arabica = Huernia saudi-arabica D. V. Field, Kew Bull. 35(4): 754 (1981). Type: Saudi Arabia - Asir • I. S. Collenette 549 (holotype: k! [ K000911103 ]); between Abha and Jabal Sawdah, 12 km NW Abha; 18°15.7389'N, 42°23.1535'E; alt. 2650 m.; 31 Mar 1978 .

Description.

Branches 30-90 mm long; tubercles 4-10 mm long (including leaf-rudiment), 1.5-5 mm broad at base. Inflorescence bearing 2-10 flowers developing in gradual succession from short peduncle, sometimes 3 flowers developing simultaneously, flowers with no foetid odour, rarely with faint unpleasant smell; pedicel 8-20 mm long, 1-2.5 mm thick, ascending holding flower facing upwards, tapering sometimes towards the point of flower attachment; sepals 8-18 mm long, 1-2.5 mm broad at base, attenuate. Corolla 30-50 mm diam., campanulate; outside smooth, cream-speckled with pale maroon spots uniformly scattered or concentrated on the upper half of corolla tube, sometimes spots become darker especially on the upper half; inside cream with irregular-shaped short maroon lines and dashes changing to concentric broken lines in lower half of tube or uniformly coloured with purplish-red, sometimes deep coloured areas concentrated between the lobes or corolla entirely uniformly coloured with purplish-red; papillae up to 3 mm long and 1.2 mm base width; tube 7.5-15.5 mm long, 11-22 mm broad at mouth, pentagonal; lobes 9-22.8 mm long, 9-14.25 mm broad at base, spreading to spreading with recurved apex or sometimes reflexed, deltoid, caudate to acute or acuminate, concave at tip, intermediate lobes 1.5-4 mm long. Outer corona lobes (5-10 mm diam.) discrete to 5 rectangular lobes; inner lobes 3-6 mm long, 1-1.5 mm at base.

Distribution in Saudi Arabia.

Scattered over a wide area, extending from Al Habala in SW of the country to Al-Hadda in Al-Taif in the Western Region.

General distribution.

Arabian Peninsula ( Saudi Arabia and Yemen) and Africa ( Ethiopia; Bruyns, P. V. 8432, E; http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/ E 00995868)

Habitat and ecology.

It occurs at 900-2650 m alt. in granitic outcrops mainly under shrubs. Flowering: mostly Aug-May

Diagnosis.

Ceropegia lodarensis var. lodarensis is most similar to C. khalidbinsultanii , but differs in having a larger campanulate corolla with compressed conical papillae (up to 1.2 mm broad at base), sometimes uniformly coloured with purplish-red, flower with no or only faint bad smell and has shorter tubercles on the branches.

Etymology.

Lodarensis for the occurrence at Lodar (Lawdar) in Yemen ( Eggli and Newton 2004).

Preliminary conservation status.

Ceropegia lodarensis var. lodarensis should be assessed as Near Threatened ( NT) in Saudi Arabia due to species’ AOO of 3,900 km 2 and EOO of 12,509.959 km 2 and the current threats of tourism, overgrazing, infrastructure and housing development.

Additional specimens examined.

Saudi Arabia - Asir • I. S. Collenette 1280 (k [fl in spirit: 44272.000] & E) ; Al Habala , 50 km SE of Abha; 18°1.6787'N, 42°51.3655'E; alt. 2384 m; 06 Apr1979 .

Saudi Arabia - Al-Baha • I. S. Collenette 7785 (k [fl in spirit: 57339.000]); Jabal Shada, SW of Al Baha; 19°50.9947'N, 41°19.0693'E; alt. 1933 m; 07 Apr1991 ; I. S. Collenette 8267 ( K [fl in spirit: 59350.000]); same data as for preceding; 15 Sep1992 .

Saudi Arabia - Al-Taif • I. S. Collenette 815 ( K!, herbarium specimen); Wadi Ammak near Al Hadda; 21°20.9808'N, 40°17.7485'E; alt. 2100 m ; I. S. Collenette 2227 ( K [fl in spirit: 44371.000, 53692.000]); Al-Hada; 21°20.8387'N, 40°17.152'E; alt. 2000 m; 1981 ; I. S. Collenette 2633 ( K [fl in spirit:45473.000, 45894.000, herb. material sub DP6599 & sub Leach 17652]); SW of Al Hadda, off Taif to Abha Road; 21°18.4696'N, 40°22.1371'E; alt. 2100 m; 07 May 1981 ; I. S. Collenette 5780 ( K [fl in spirit: 35856.000]); Between Al Hadda and Harithi; 21°5.7571'N, 40°55.0155'E; alt. 1620 m; 23 Mar1986 ; S. A. Alharbi S1 b ( UQU); Wadi Thee Gazal , Ash Shafa; 21°5.4656'N, 40°21.7937'E; alt. 2057 m; 29 Dec 2010 ; S. A. Alharbi S2 b ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 09 Dec 2010 ; S. A. Alharbi S3 b ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 23 Jan 2011 ; S. A. Alharbi S4 b ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 29 Dec 2010 ; S. A. Alharbi S5 b ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 23 Nov 2010 ; S. A. Alharbi S6 b ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 02 Oct 2011 ; S. A. Alharbi S9 b ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 23 Nov 2010 ; S. A. Alharbi S9 a ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 05 Jan 2011 ; S. A. Alharbi S18 a ( UQU); same data as for preceding; 21°5.5702'N, 40°21.785'E; 17 Dec 2010 .

I. S. Collenette 1523 ( E [fl in spirit]); A. J. Bntler AJB 13 ( E [fl in spirit]).

Figures

Map 4. Distribution of Ceropegia lodarensis var. lodarensis in Saudi Arabia.

Figure 10. Ceropegia lodarensis var. lodarensis A ex J Lavranos 1789, sub DP 3604, Yemen, (H. lodarensis, Type) B Alharbi S 6 B (H. collenetteae) C Alharbi S 9 B (H. collenetteae) D ex Collenette 549 sub DP 6865, Jabal Al Sawdah, (H. saudi-arabica, Type) E Alharbi S 2 B (H. collenetteae) F Alharbi S 18 a (H. collenetteae) G Collenette 2227, Al-Hadda, (H. collenetteae) H ex Collenette 8232 sub DP 8126, (H. saudi-arabica) I Alharbi S 4 B (H. collenetteae) J ex Collenette 1176 sub DP 6868, Jabal Al Sawdah, (H. collenetteae, Type) K maroon uniform colour of corolla tube in ex Collenette sub DP 6594, Abha, (H. saudi-arabica) L concentric broken maroon lines of corolla tube in Alharbi S 6 B (H. collenetteae). (A) reproduced from Plowes (2014); (D, G, H, J, K) reproduced from Plowes (2012); (B, C, E, F, I, L) photo by the first author from Wadi Thee Gazal, Ash Shafa.

Figure 11. Ceropegia lodarensis var. lodarensis A branch B side view of dissected flower C face view of gynostegium D side view of gynostegium E papillae inside corolla in mouth of tube F pollinarium. Drawn from (A) S. A. Alharbi S 2 B; (B-F) S. A. Alharbi S 6 B, Wadi Thee Gazal, Ash Shafa.