Ismene parviflora Meerow & A.Cano, 2019

Meerow, Alan W. & Cano, Asuncion, 2019, Taxonomic novelties in Amaryllidaceae from the Department of Ancash, Peru, and a new combination in Clinanthus, PhytoKeys 131, pp. 115-126 : 119-122

Ismene parviflora Meerow & A.Cano sp. nov. Figs 1 D–F , 5

Diagnosis.

Ismene parviflora differs from all other species of the genus by the small flowers (<4 cm long), that are loosely funnelform, terminating with a ventricose limb, but not infundibular to the degree of I. vargasii and I. morrisonii (subgen. Pseudostenomesson Meerow), the latter species to which it approaches in size. All other species of Ismene have large, crateriform flowers (subgen. Ismene) or large, zygomorphic flowers (subgen. Elisena) .

Type.

Perú, Ancash: Prov. Recuay, Dist. Cotaparaco, Sector Santa Cruz,, 2332 m, rocky slope with shrubs and silty soil, 6 Mar 2007. M. Morales & E. Jara 767 (holotype: USM!).

Description.

Terrestrial geophytic plant from subterranean bulb. Bulb not seen. Leaves 2, oblanceolate-lorate, ca. 15 × 150-170 mm, bright green, glabrous, slightly canaliculate, obtuse, tightly sheathing proximally and forming a green aerial pseudostem 40-60 mm long, synanthous. Inflorescence pseudo-umbellate, borne on a naked scape; scape ancipitous, solid, 200-250 × ca. 18 mm, terminated by 2 ovate-lanceolate green bracts that persist at anthesis, over-topping flowers by several cm, bracts 50-55 × 7.5-9.6 mm, acute. Flowers 3-5, mostly perpendicular to scape, loosely funnelform-tubular, shortly pedicellate, pedicels 2-3 mm long; perigone 35-37 mm long, consisting of 6 tepals in two whorls, fused proximally into a tube that is cylindrical for proximal 20 mm, ca. 1.5 mm wide, then dilating to 3.5 mm at throat; tube curved proximally; limb slightly ventricose, apically ca. 10 mm wide, tepals loosely concrescent, not spreading significantly; outer tepals elliptical, concave, mostly green abaxially, white towards apex, adaxially white with green veins in distal ½ -2/3, green below, 13.5-14.0 × 4.5-5.0 mm, apiculate; inner tepals ovate-elliptical, less concave than outer, 13.0-13.5 × 5.0-5.2 mm, minutely apiculate, colored like outer. Stamens 6, fused into green staminal cup 6.5-7.5 × 3.5-3.7 mm, cylindrical in proximal 6 mm, abruptly ampliate in its distal 1 mm to ca. 4 mm, coarsely and unevenly dentate at rim; free filaments inserted ca 2 mm below rim of cup, filiform, white, incurved, ca. 1 mm long; anthers oblong, closely appressed to each other but not connivant, 3.5-4.5 mm long, pollen yellow. Style exerted 10-15 mm past the limb apex, 40-45 mm long, white, filiform; stigma capitate, papillose, white, 2-3 mm wide. Ovary globose, ovules 1 or 2 per locule, basal. Capsule and seed not seen.

Distribution and ecology.

Ismene parviflora is known only from the type locality ( Fig. 3 ), in seasonally dry vegetation.

Phenology.

Plants were collected in flower in March.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is from Latin and refers to the small size of the flowers.

Preliminary conservation status.

Since nothing is known of the distribution of this species beyond the type locality, it is best to place it in the category Data Deficient ( IUCN 2012, 2017). The type specimen label says it was abundant at the collection site.

Notes.

Ismene parviflora has greatest affinity morphologically to the two members of Ismene subgen. Pseudostenomesson (Velarde) Meerow, I. vargasii (Velarde) Gereau & Meerow and I. morrisonii (Vargas) Velarde, but the unique morphology of the new species make it difficult to assign I. parviflora to I. subgen. Pseudostenomesson with confidence at this time. Ravenna (1988) disagreed with the transfer by Velarde (1949) of Stenomesson morrisonii Vargas to Pseudostenomesson Velarde, but based on the same information ( Vargas 1943), we believe it belongs with I. vargasii in I. subgen. Pseudostenomesson . In particular, the photo in Vargas (1943) shows the typical foliar morphology of Ismene , i.e. the aerial pseudostem formed by the tightly sheathing leaf bases. The two species of subgen. Pseudostenomesson are found in the Departments of Junin ( I. vargasii ) and Apurimac ( I. morrisonii ), and, unlike I. parviflora , have larger, fully infundibular, and completely green perigones.

Figures

Figure 1. A-C Clinanthus inflatus. Photos by anonymous source, used with permission. A Inflorescence in habitat B bouquet of cut inflorescences C habit in nature D-F Ismene parviflora, photos by Asuncion Cano D-E flowers F habit in cultivation.

Figure 3. Map of northern Peru showing type localities of Clinanthus inflatus (white circle) and Ismene parviflora (black square). Inset: map of South America with Peru filled in black.

Figure 5. Ismene parviflora. Drawing by Klei Sousa. A Habit B whole flower C whole flower cut open to show staminal corona and ovule number.