Campanula vicinituba Gardère, 2021

Gardère, Mathieu L., Florence, Jacques, Muller, Serge, Savriama, Yoland & Dubuisson, Jean-Yves, 2021, Codonographia Gorgonum, or the description of a pleiad of bellflowers (Campanula, Campanulaceae) from the Cabo Verde archipelago, Candollea 76 (1), pp. 13-40 : 30-32

4. Campanula vicinituba Gardère , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 , 3D , 8 ).

Holotypus: CABO VERDE. Santo Antão: Borda Perdia , paroi rocheuse sèche surplombant la Ribeira Brava, exposée ESE, 17°05'32"N 25°01'09"W, 1200 m, 30.XI.2017, Gardère 1563 ( P [ P02442771 ]!; iso- CECV!) .

Plantis altimontanis Campanulae feijoanae Gardère affinis , sed foliis superne subglabris fulgentibusque in vivo (vs. pilosa ad glabrescentia hebetataque folia), margine crenatodentata tranverse undulataque (vs. plerumque planam crenato-serrulatam marginem), corolla infundibuliforme sine constrictione (vs. corollam cum constrictione), obtrunconica basi corolla (vs. rotundata basi corollam), praecipue differt.

Sub-frutex 15–20 cm tall, tortuous, highly woody in lower part, rhizome robust producing erect stipiform stems: sterile stems, 5–10 cm long, topped by an oligophyllous rosette; floriferous stems, 10–20 cm long; glabrous to glabrescent in the woody basal parts, hispidulous to hispid toward the extremity, consisting of trichomes 0.15–0.7(–0.9) mm long. Leaves: rosette-leaves, subcoriaceous, narrowly elliptic to obovate, sometimes, (1–)1.5– 2.7(– 3.3) × (0.5 –)0.7– 1(–1.2) cm, base attenuate to cuneiform, apex ± obtuse; cauline-leaves narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic rarely elliptic, (1.5–)2–2.5(–3) × (0.4–) 0.7–1(– 1.1) cm, base attenuate to cuneiform, apex ± obtuse to acute; margin weakly revolute, undulate, serrulate; adaxial side light green and glossy in vivo, veins distinctly impressed, glabrescent or scattered by strigillose trichomes, 0.3–0.5 mm long, indument generally more pronounced around the apex, epidermis blistered in sicco; abaxial side greenish in vivo, venation whitish, strigillose to strigose indument on primary and secondary veins consisting of trichomes 0.2– 0.5 mm long and micro-hispidulous to hispidulous indument on tertiary and ultimate veins consisting of trichomes c. 0.1 mm long, lamina glabrescent. Inflorescences in monochasial pauciflorous cyme, emerging from lateral ramifications of the previous year inflorescences. Flowers erect, pedicel 1–2.5 cm long, with the same indument as the leaves; axillate by one or two bracts subopposite, narrowly elliptic, base semi-amplexicaul, apex acute, with the same indument as the leaf. Calyx : calyx-lobes triangular, 9– 12 × 3– 5 mm, erect to pressed up against the corolla, main vein in relief in vivo, margin weakly to distinctly revolute; appendages ovate, curved to reflexed, 1.5–2 mm long; lobe edges and appendages covered with an indument hispidulous to strigose, consisting of trichomes 0.2–0.6 mm long with bulbous base, median main vein glabrescent. Corolla infundibuliform, purple-blue (never white); base straight 7–8 mm large; tube ob-tronconical straight to concave 16–20 mm long, widening gradually upwards and reaching 22–25 mm large at the mouth, constrictions absent; throat flared; lobes spreading to obliquely erect, 4 × 10 mm, apex apiculate; primary external veins micro-hispidulous to hispidulous, 0.1–0.12 mm long. Stamens with glabrous filaments; anthers, 2–4 mm long. Ovary with glabrous to glabrescent roof, flat, topped by a yellowishwith nectary disk. Style thick, fleshy, 13–17 mm long, included in the corolla, stigma trifid and papillose.

Etymology. – The epithet vicinituba means the “neighboring trumpet” from the Latin vicinus, “close neighbor” and tuba, “trumpet”; the flowers closely resemble those of the bellflowers from São Nicolau which is easily visible from the rocks of Borda Perdia.

Distribution and habitat. – Campanula vicinituba is only known from its type locality: Borda Perdia, an isolated mountainous area on the far eastern part of Santo Antão at around 1200 m elevation and regularly covered by fog. This microendemic species is strictly chasmophyte and colonizes dry cliffs exposed ESE above Ribeira Brava along with Aeonium gorgoneum J.A. Schmidt (Crassulaceae) , Phagnalon melanoleucum Webb (Asteraceae) and Polycarpaea gayi Webb (Caryophyllaceae) .

Notes. – The flower of C. vicinituba is very close to C. fransinea , the corolla shapes of both species are infundibuliform but for C. vicinituba the corolla appears to be slightly more flared and shorter than C. fransinea . However, C. vicinituba can be identified easily by the indument of its primary and secondary venation and those of its margins of calyx-lobes which consist of bulbous and appressed trichomes. Furthermore, C. vicinituba presents a tortuous habit and leaves adaxially glabrescent and glossy, characters unique among CVB species; its flowers are always purple-blue.

Additional specimens examined. – CABO VERDE. Santo Antão: Borda Perdia , 1200 m, 1.XII.2015, Gardère 1035–1037 ( P); sine loco, “in rupestribus ins. S. Antonii”, III.1851, Schmidt s.n., ( HBG p.p.) .

Figures

Fig. 1. – Distribution map of the seven Cabo Verdean Campanula L. species illustrated by their flower in lateral view.

Fig. 3. – SEM micrographs of abaxial surface of leaves. A. Campanula jacobaea C. Sm. ex Webb; B. C. bravensis (Bolle) A. Chev.; C. C. feijoana Gardère; D. C.vicinituba Gardère; E. C. monteverdensis Gardère; F. C. fransinea Gardère; G. C. cochleromena Gardère. [A: Gardère 1428; B: Gardère 1615; C: Gardère 959; D: Gardère 1035; E: Gardère 612; F: Gardère 1096; G: Gardère 1120]

Fig. 8. – Campanula vicinituba Gardère. A. Habit; B. Rosette-leaves; C. Flowers in face view; D. Flower in lateral view. [A–D: Gardère 1563] [Photos: M.L. Gardère]