Echeveria cerrograndensis A.Vázquez, 2014

Nieves-Hernández, Gregorio, Vázquez-García, J. Antonio, Muñiz-Castro, Miguel Ángel & Cházaro-Basáñez, Miguel, 2014, Echeveria cerrograndensis (Crassulaceae) a new species from eastern calcareous Sierra de Manantlán, Colima, Mexico, Phytotaxa 172 (3), pp. 247-255 : 248-253

Echeveria cerrograndensis A.Vázquez & G. Nieves sp. nov. ( Figures 1–4 ).

Type:— MEXICO. Colima: Municipio Minatitlán, Lagunitas-El Terrero , 19°25’8.79’’N, 103°55’7.07’’W, 2200 m, 19 February 2005 (fl, fr), G . Nieves Hernández, Miguel Cházaro, Julia Etter , Raúl López , Ignacio Contreras s.n. (holotype IBUG) .

Diagnosis:— Echeveria cerrograndensis is morphologically close to E. fulgens in having an evident stem, obovate leaves, erect pedicels and reniform nectaries, but it differs from the latter in having smaller habit, margin straight vs undulate; glaucous to pale green vs yellowish green to dark red; lower number of flowers per branch (1–)3–5(–6) vs 12 or more; smaller total number of flowers (4–11 vs up to 24); inflorescence 10–15 vs up to 90 cm long; corolla none bicolored vs bicolored; thecae and nectaries dark red vs yellow; and base of carpels mostly white vs yellow.

Rupicolous perennial rosette; stem single, erect to decumbent, 2–5 cm long, 1.5 cm diam., pale brown with darker leaf scars ( Figure 2 ). Rosettes 8–11 cm in diam., lax, closed in winter ( Figure 3 ). Leaves (3–)4–6 × 2.5–3.5 cm, basally 1.2–1.5 cm wide, 2 mm thick in the middle, broadly obovate, cuneate at the base, apiculate at the apex, concave, glaucous to pale green, margin straight, entire, pinkish. Floral stem 1–2, erect, 11–22(–35) cm long, including the panicle, 2.5 mm thick in the base, pinkish green; shaft leaves 1.5–3.5 × 0.8–1.3 cm, obovate, pinkish at the margin; panicle, 4–11 flowers, usually two branched, (1–)3–5(–6) flowers per branch ( Figures 2 & 4 ); pedicels straight 8–16 mm long; bracteoles lanceolate, 0.5–1.3 × 0.2–0.5 cm, green to with age; sepals subequal, lanceolate, straight, 0.8 × 0.3 cm; corolla urceolate pentagonal at the base, 1.2 × 1.1 cm; petals 5, 1.2 × 0.5 cm, ovate, concave, acute at the apex, pink throughout, darkened at the tip with age; pinkish white inside; nectaries renniform, dark red 0.2 × 0.1 cm; stamens with white filaments, 5 epipetals 0.9 x 0.1 cm and 5 antisepals, 1 × 0.1 cm; thecae dark red before opening, 0.2 cm long; ginoecium 1.1 × 0.6 cm, white at the base; pistils 1.1 × 0.3 cm, pinkish white at the base and red to dark red toward the apex; stigma black ( Figure 4 ).

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Apparently endemic to the Cerro Grande massif in the eastern Sierra de Manantlán, in Colima state, in Western Mexico (is likely to also be in the Jaliscan part of the Cerro Grande) ( Figure 5 ), growing on karstic topography at 2200 m in elevation, in montane cloud forest including Ferocactus reppenhagenii G.Unger ( Unger 1974: 50) , Sedum sp. , and Salvia vazquezii Iltis & González ( Iltis et al. 2012: 343). Flowering from January to February and fruiting from February to March.

Eponimy:— The specific epithet refers to Cerro Grande, the type locality, a 30 km long calcareous massif in the eastern portion of the Sierra de Manantlán , Jalisco-Colima, Mexico .

Ethnobotany:— It is occasionally used as ornamental by the local people, and known as “flor de piedra” and “flor de peña” (rock flower); like most succulent species, it has a potential as an ornamental species.

Conservation status:— E. cerrograndensis is locally abundant nearby the El Terrero village, but its known extent of occurrence is less than 140 km 2. Fortunately, is under protection at the Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlán.

Additional specimens examined:— MEXICO. Colima: Municipio Minatitlán, Lagunitas-El Terrero, 19°25’47.22’’N, 103°55’18.59’’W, 2200 m, 19 February 2005 (fl, fr) Vázquez et al. s.n. (photographs-IBUG). Minatitlán , Colima, Lagunitas – El Terrero, 19°25’8.79’’N, 103°55’7.07’’W, 2200 m, 24 February 2013 (fl, fr) Cházaro et al. 10600 ( IBUG, ENCB, XAL) .

Discussion:— Echeveria cerrograndensis belongs to series Gibbiflorae (Baker)A. Berger (1930: 474), sensu Moran (1974), a group consisting of medium to large size stemmed plants, lacking pubescence, with a cimose paniculated inflorescence with cincinate lateral branches ( Uhl 2002, Kimnach 2003, Meyrán-García & López-Chávez 2003, Carrillo-Reyes et al. 2009). However, E. cerrograndensis is a rather small plant. The caulescent habit with cymosepaniculate inflorescence and lateral cincinate branches suggested a close morphological relationship to Echeveria fulgens , of series Gibbiflorae ( Moran 1974), actually a complex that might contain several species ( Uhl 2002, Pilbeam 2008). A close examination of the flowers allowed us to conclude that we were dealing with an undescribed taxon here described as a new species. Echeveria cerrograndensis is also morphologically close to E. roseiflora sharing with the latter the non bicolored corolla, red thecae, red nectaries and length of pedicels. However, it differs from the latter in having shorter leaves 3–6 vs. 6–10 cm; broadly obovate vs. oblanceolate-spatulate, leaf margin straight and pinkish vs. crenulated and reddish; shorter inflorescence 11–22(–35) vs. 50–54 cm; smaller total number of flowers 4–11 vs. 18–20; shorter corolla 11–12 vs. 14–16 cm, pedicels straight vs. recurved ( Table 1). The following key can be used to determine the species of the Echeveria fulgens complex.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Echeveria cerrograndensis. A. Inflorescence with last fresh flower. B. Inflorescence with developing fruits and shaft leaves. C–D. Flower variability. E–G. Dissected flower showing corolla, one sepal (some sepals missing) pistils, stamens, pedicel, and dark nectaries. H. Panicle. I. Habit J. Habitat and stemmed rosettes. K. Rosette variability. Drawing by Daniel Barba.

FIGURE 2. Echeveria cerrograndensis. Habit variability. Photographs A and B by Gregorio Nieves; C by Rodolfo Sánchez; D by Antonio Vázquez.

FIGURE 3. Echeveria cerrograndensis. Rosette variability. Photographs A and B by Rodolfo Sánchez; C by Gregorio Nieves; and D by Antonio Vázquez.

FIGURE 4. Echeveria cerrograndensis.A–B. Flower variability.C. Dissected flower showing corolla, one sepal, pistils, stamens and dark red nectaries at the base of the ovary. D–F. Panicle variability. Photographs A–D and F by Antonio Vázquez; E by Gregorio Nieves.

FIGURE 5. Species distribution of the Echeveria fulgens complex. Echeveria cerrograndensis (, star), E. fulgens (○, circle), E. roseiflora (+, plus sign), E. perezcalixii (, gray rhombus), E. purhepecha (, square), E. munizii (, triangle), E. sp. (, black rhombus). Unknown locality of E. fulgens collected in Durango by Palmer [06/635-812 (NY), the same flowered at New York, 09/25951 (US)] (○*, circle and asterisk).