Nahuatlea purpusii (T.S. Brandegee) V.A.Funk, 2017

Funk, Vicki A., Sancho, Gisela & Roque, Nadia, 2017, Nahuatlea: a new genus of compositae (Gochnatieae) from North America, PhytoKeys 91, pp. 105-124 : 112-114

3. Nahuatlea purpusii (T.S. Brandegee) V.A.Funk comb. nov. Fig. 6

Gochnatia purpusii T.S. Brandegee, Zöe 5(11): 240. 1906.

Type.

Mexico. Puebla: Tehuacan, 1800 m, June 1905, C.A. Purpus 1164 (Holotype: UC 91904; Isotypes: BM 000947904, F 0050268, GH 00008382, NY 00169558, RSA 0001214). [Specimens at P (P00703338 & P00703339) and E (E00413001) have the correct collecting number but incorrect dates and may or may not be type material; Cabrera (1971) cites isotypes at G, MO, and MEXU that are not found in JSTOR-GP. MO has confirmed that the specimen is not in their collection but there is no information on the others.

Description.

Shrub of unknown size (one isotype has what appears to be “5– 6 m" written on the label); leaves coriaceous, petiole minute (1-2 mm), blade 1.8-3.0 × 0.5-1.4 cm, elliptical or slightly lanceolate or oblanceolate, glabrescent adaxially, white flocculent-tomentose abaxially; heads sessile, in few clusters of 8-15, clusters all at apex of branches; involucre campanulate (especially at early flowering), ca. 10 mm tall × 5-6 mm wide, bracts in 5-6 series, densely wooly abaxially; flowers 12-18 per head; corollas yellowish, ca. 8 mm long; anther base caudate, tails ca. 1 mm long, fimbrillate; pappus ca. 7.5 mm long, bi-seriate with slender bristles.

Remarks.

Cabrera (1971) and Jervis (1954) disagree somewhat on the size of the leaf blade: Cabrera lists it as 18-30 mm × 5-14 mm and Jervis has 2.0-2.5 cm × 0.5-1.0 cm. Our measurements, taken from the Holotype, fall within those given by Jervis, however, the isotypes may show the greater range given by Cabrera.

Distribution.

Mexico: known only from four collections all from Puebla.

Figures

Figure 6. Cabrera's drawing of Nahuatlea purpusii. A Habit B Head C Style D Achene with pappus E Anther F Style. [Modified from Cabrera 1971.]