Augustea suffruticosa (Griseb.) Iamonico, 2015

Iamonico, Duilio, 2015, Augustea (Polycarpaeae, Caryophyllaceae), a new genus from South America, Phytotaxa 236 (1), pp. 71-78 : 72-75

Augustea suffruticosa (Griseb.) Iamonico , comb. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Basionym: Polycarpon suffruticosum Grisebach (1874: 77 − 78) .

Type:— ARGENTINA. Cordoba: December 1870, Lorentz 411 (lectotype, designated here; GOET!, http://plants.jstor.org/stable/ history/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.goet000638)

= Polycarpon suffruticosum var. virens Grisebach (1874: 78) . ( Fig. 2 )

Type:— ARGENTINA. Cordoba: Ascochinga, April 1871, Lorentz 410 (lectotype, designated here; GOET!, http://plants.jstor.org/ stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.goet000639) .

= Polycarpon australe Britton in Morong & Britton (1892: 53, as “ Polycarpa australi s”). Type:— PARAGUAY. Central Paraguay, Pilcomayo river , 1888 − 1890, Morong 933 (lectotype, designated here: MO!, http://www.tropicos.org/Image/82822; isolectotypes: PARAGUAY. Central Paraguay, Pilcomayo river , 1888 − 1890, Morong 933 ( NDG!, http://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap. specimen.ndg16761; NMHN!, http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/botany/?ti=3; US!, http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/botany/?ti=3).

Description: ―Shrubs (chamaephytes) up to 27 cm, woody at the base, branched, branches usually glabrous, finely ridged. Leaves in whorls of 4 (sometimes 6), subsessile, the middle and upper leaves with blade usually lanceolate 3.0 − 8.0(− 13.0) × 10.0 − 40.0 mm, apex acute, base cuneate, the lower leaves often oblong-spathulate, with the apex obtuse to rounded; blade glabrous (pulverulent when young). Inflorescence terminal, dichotomous cymes, 4(− 6) branched; bracts ovate, scarious. Flowers subsessile; sepals 5, ovate (1.8 − 2.8 mm long), obtuse or acute, 3-nerved, keeled, hyaline on margins; petals 5, obovate (1.3 − 2.0 mm long), shorter than the sepals, obtuse, entire, white; stamens 3, perigynous; style 1, stigmas 3. Fruits (capsule) ovoid, 2.0 − 2.7(− 3.0) × (3.0 −) 4.5 − 5.5 mm, longer than the calyx, opening by non-involute valves; seeds (15 −)25 − 35, lunate-fusiform, nearly smooth on the surface, brown.

Iconography: ― Volponi (1998: Lám 7).

Phenology:— Flowering October to April.

Habita t:—Human-made habitats especially meadows and fields, 500–1500 m.

Distribution: ―Northern Argentina ( Zuloaga & Morrone 1997), southern Bolivia ( Tropicos 2014, Martha & Terán 1998), Paraguay (Gereau & Marticonema 1995, Tropicos 2015).

Notes:— Grisebach (1874: 77 − 78) provided a detailed diagnosis and description with the provenance (“ Cordoba ”) and the habitat (“ in campi ab urbe meridionalibus ”). Furthermore, a new variety ( var. virens ) was described from “ Cordoba, pr. Ascochinga ” with the following short diagnosis: “ …laete virens, haud pulverulentum, folii longioribus acutis (majoribus 1½ ′′ longis, 3 ′′′ latis), floribus lateralibus longius pedicellatis, petalis paullo minoribus ”. There are two specimens at GOET (000638, 000639). The first has eight plants (probably the same collection) collected by Lorentz in Cordoba (in December 1870). The new species was discussed by Grisebach (l.c.) as part of his study on the “ Plantae Lorenzianae… argentinischer Pflanzen des Professor Lorentz zu Cordoba ”, so we have no doubt that this sheet is part of the original material used by Grisebach. Fortunately, the plants have features that match the diagnosis and description, so we here designate the specimen no. 000638 at GOET as the lectotype of the name Polycarpon suffruticosum . The second specimen (no. 000639) has two pieces of a same plant collected by Lorentz in Ascochinga (April 1871). The morphology of this matches the diagnosis of the var. virens , and it is here designated as the lectotype of the variety name . The examination of exsiccata referred to A. suffruticosa s. lat. permitted me to verify that the diagnostic characters provided by Grisebach for var. virens do not have taxonomic value; the morphological variation is continuous. As a consequence, var. virens should be considered as heterotypic synonym.

Gereau & Marticonema (1995) synonymized the name Polycarpon australis Britton in Morong & Britton (1892: 53) on the basis of the protologue and a specimen (at MO) that was indicated as “ an isotype …(Morong 933, MO) ” ; they also reported “ holotype, NY not seen ”. Although Britton in Morong & Britton (1892: 53) cited the specimen number “ 933 ”, we found six sheets, at MO (one specimen), NDG (one), NMNH (two) and US (two), collected by Morong in the Pilcomayo River (locus classicus) ; all these specimens are numbered as “ 933 ”. These sheets are syntypes (art. 9.5), and lectotypification is necessary. As a consequence, I here designate the specimen at MO (2116073) as the lectotype of the name Polycarpon australe , whereas the other specimens are then isolectotypes .

Additional specimens examined:— ARGENTINA. Córdoba: Rio Zeballos ; Sierra chica de Córdoba, 18 January 1878, Galander s.n. (K-000471722). Chubut: Estacion Sarmiento , an der Eisebahn, 18 May 1875, Berg 219 ( LP) ; Formosa: 15 May 1884, Balansa 4588 ( P) ; Tucumán: campo de la cercanias de la ciudad, 24 April 1887, L. 27 ( P). Santiago del Estero: La Banda, Clodomira-Resuello, 28 Otober 1946, Luna Risso 73 ( P). Salta: Orán , 23 December 1946, Malvárez 400 ( P) ; Catamarca: La Paz, Aibas , 24 December 1946, Brizuela 487 ( P) ; Catamarca: La Paz, Pampa Pozo , 09 February 1947, Brizuela 882 ( P) . BOLIVIA. Chuquisaca: Luis Calvo , El Salvador, Pensiero & Marino 4329 (MO-1987800) . PARAGUAY. Itapúa: Encarnación , 11 May 1884, Balansa 4588 (BM-000549660). Central Paraguay: terrains humides, prés du débarcadére de Limpio, August 1875, Balansa 2278 ( P; G-00106825) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Polycarpon suffruticosum Griseb. (GOET).

FIGURE 2. Lectotype of Polycarpon suffruticosum var. virens Griseb. (GOET).