Salvia semiscaposa Epling ex Fragoso & Mart.Gord., 2015

Fragoso-Martínez, Itzi, Martínez-Gordillo, Martha & Luna, Efraín De, 2015, Salvia semiscaposa (Lamiaceae) a new species from Nanchititla, Mexico, Phytotaxa 219 (1), pp. 58-68 : 60-61

Salvia semiscaposa Epling ex Fragoso & Mart.Gord. sp. nov. (figs. 2, 3)

Salvia scaposae affinis sed foliis subsessilis, ovatis obovatis ad medium attenuatum usque ad basim, corollae infero labio longiore.

Type:— MEXICO. Estado de México, por la carretera a Cañadas de Nanchititla, cerca de 6 km al W, antes de la desviación al parque, 1765 m, 18°52’46.3’’N, 100°23’13.8’’W, 10 November 2011, Fragoso-Martínez & Martínez-Gordillo 17 (holotype FCME!, isotype MEXU!).

Decumbent perennial herbs; 0.5–1 m tall, with several stems arising from a woody caudex; stems appressed-hirsute; internodes shortened towards the base, 1.5–8.5(–10) cm long. Leaves developed towards the base, subsessile, petioles 0.1–0.7 cm long, appressed-pubescent; basal leaf blades ovate, upper leaf blades obovate, 2.5–8 × 1–2 cm, apex obtuse, base attenuated, margin crenate, both surfaces appressed-hirsute, lower surface pale. Inflorescences terminal, spiciform, simple or in fascicles of three, sometimes the inflorescence can be secund; peduncles 2–10.5 cm long; spikes 4–15(–20) cm long, verticillasters 0.5–2 cm apart. Bracts minute, 1.5–3.5 × 0.9–1.2 mm, foliaceous, ovate, deciduous early at the development of the inflorescence. Flowers 6–10 per whorl, pedicels 2–5 mm long, divaricate to reflexed, appressed-hirsute. Calyx bilabiate, purple, tube 3.5–5 mm long, appressed-hirsute; calyx lobes obtuse-apiculate, posterior lobe 3-veined, slightly shorter than the anterior ones, lobes 1.5–2.5 mm long. Corolla lilac or purple, tube straight, same size or slightly longer than the calyx tube, 5.5–7 mm long; posterior lobe of the corolla galeate, with the external surface pubescent, 2–3 m long; anterior lobe 5–7(–8) mm long, reflexed. Stamens included; filaments 1.2–2.4 mm long; connectives 1.5–2 mm long, with an acute ventral tooth; thecae 0.75–1.5 mm long. Style 7.5–9.5 mm long, pubescent near the branches, anterior branch rounded at the tip and concave; posterior branch curled backward, longer than the anterior. Mericarp ovoid, smooth, 1.5–2 mm long.

Distribution and habitat:— Salvia semiscaposa is endemic to Mexico and is known only from the Sierra de Nanchititla, Estado de México, near the state limits with Guerrero and Michoacán ( Fig. 4 ). This mountain range extends to Guerrero, where this species might inhabit as well. It has been collected in oak forests, pine-oak forests, and xeric shrub lands, usually found on moderately exposed slopes, occurring at 650–2000 m elevation. In all the localities visited, the abundance of this species was moderate to high.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting from September to January.

Etymology:— “ semiscaposa ” is the epithet that Epling assigned to this taxa on his unpublished manuscript, it is related to the habit of the plant, which is not entirely scapose because the stems are long but decumbent ( Figs. 2A , 3A ), conversely to the erect stems in Salvia scaposa .

Additional specimens examined:— MEXICO, Estado de México: por la carretera a Cañadas de Nanchititla , cerca de 6 km al W, antes de la desviación al parque, 1765 m, 18° 52’46.3’’N, 100°23’13.8’’W, 10 November 2011, Fragoso-Martínez & Martínez-Gordillo 18 ( FCME!) ; arroyo en la primera puerta del camino del Parque Ecológico Sierra de Nanchititla, que va hacia el mirador de la Cañada , 1665 m, 18°51’23.9’’N, 100°25’30.3’’W, 10 November 2011, Fragoso-Martínez & Martínez-Gordillo 19 ( FCME!) ; alrededores del mirador a la cascada del parque ecológico Sierra de Nanchititla , 1503 m, 18°49’21.8’’N, 100°25’32.3’’W, 10 November 2011, Fragoso-Martínez & Martínez-Gordillo 26 ( FCME!) ; por la carretera que va de Cañadas de Nanchititla a Villa Luvianos, ca. 2 km al E de la desviación al parque, 1795 m, 18°52’10.5’’N, 100°24’48.3’’W, 11 November 2011, Fragoso-Martínez & Martínez-Gordillo 31 ( FCME!) ; ca. 6.4 km al E de la desviación al Parque Sierra de Nanchititla, por la carretera a Villa Luvianos , 1779 m, 18°52’47.5’’N, 100°23’5.8’’W, 11 November 2011, Fragoso-Martínez & Martínez-Gordillo 32 ( FCME!) ; ca. 19–20 km al E de la desviación al Parque Sierra de Nanchititla, por la carretera a Villa Luvianos , 1800 m, 18°52’55.779’’N, 100°18’14.8428’’W, 11 November 2011, Fragoso-Martínez & Martínez-Gordillo 52 ( FCME!) ; 8 km del Salitre , 1900 m, 18°52’54.5’’N, 100°18’52.1’’W, 6 December 2012, Fragoso-Martínez et al. 123 ( FCME!) ; 3 km antes de llegar al Salitre desde Nanchititla , 1700 m, 18°53’17’’N, 100°17’39’’W, 6 December 2012, Fragoso-Martínez et al. 127 ( FCME!) ; Cerro de La Culebra, Luvianos, Progreso , 1300 m, 7 September 1954, Matuda et al. 31507 ( MEXU!) ; La Junta, Dto. Valle de Bravo , 650–900 m, 11 September 1954, Matuda et al. 31640 ( MEXU!) ; Cañada de Nanchititla , 1800 m, 4–12 December 1954, Matuda s.n. ( MEXU!), 31980 ( MEXU!) ; 52 km al SW de Nanchititla , 2000 m, January 1973, Medrano et al. 5046 ( MEXU!) ; Sierra de Nanchititla a lo largo de cañada, 1930 m, 20 January 1973, Medrano et al. 5162 ( MEXU!) ; 1.7 km antes de la entrada al parque estatal Sierra de Nanchititla , 1813 m, 18°52’16.9’’N, 100°24’52.7’’W, 21 November 2012, Rojas et al. 2424 ( FCME!) ; La Cascada, parque estatal Sierra de Nanchititla , 1490 m, 18°49’24.6’’N, 100°25’31.8’’W, 21 November 2012, Rojas et al. 2480 ( FCME!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Salvia semiscaposa. A) Branch with inflorescence. Flower: B) Lateral view; C) Dissected calyx with style, gynobase and gland; D) Dissected corolla with gubernaculum and staminodes. Illustration drawn from the holotype (FCME) by Teresa Jiménez.

FIGURE 3. Salvia semiscaposa. A) Plant habit, B) Leaf blade detail, C) Inflorescence detail. (Photographs by I. Fragoso).

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Salvia semiscaposa in Mexico.