Urgineopsis Compton

Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Crespo, Manuel B., Alonso-Vargas, María Ángeles, Pinter, Michael, Crouch, Neil R., Dold, Anthony P., Mucina, Ladislav, Pfosser, Martin & Wetschnig, Wolfgang, 2023, A generic monograph of the Hyacinthaceae subfamily Urgineoideae, Phytotaxa 610 (1), pp. 1-143 : 116-120

28. Urgineopsis Compton

in J. Bot. 68: 107 (1930)

( Figs 69–70 ).

Typus generis:— U. salteri Compton (holotype).

Description:—Small bulbous geophyte. Bulb hypogeal, mostly solitary, inner scales white to pinkish, fleshy, compact, outer scales membranous. Roots thickened and branched. Leaf usually solitary (rarely to 3 per bulb), 4‒30 cm long, terete, dark green, commonly leathery, hysteranthous or rarely synanthous, deciduous, to 3 mm in diam., smooth, glabrous. Inflorescence a usually elongated, dense to lax raceme, 0.5‒4.0 cm long, erect; peduncle elongated, 6‒30 cm long, erect, smooth or sometimes striate-papillate at base; pedicels 0.5‒6.0 mm long, subpatent. Bracts lanceolate, acute, short, 0.5‒1.5 mm long, lowermost with short spur to 5 mm long; bracteoles absent, exceptionally present and minute. Flowers stellate, erect-patent, diurnal. Tepals 6, 5‒8 mm long, connate in distinct widely campanulate to subcylindrical tube for 1‒4 mm, free lobes patent to slightly reflexed at full anthesis, whitish, yellowish, or purplish, with darker central band more evident on abaxial side. Stamens 6, spreading and incurved distally; filaments adnate to tepals and arising from mouth of tepals tube, free portions ca. 2 mm long, white, glabrous, smooth, spreading basally and incurved distally; anthers yellow, oblong, medifixed, dehiscing along their whole length. Ovary ovate to narrowly oblong, 2.0‒ 2.5 mm long, attenuate to truncate at top, green to yellowish; style white, narrowly columnar, 2.0‒ 2.5 mm long; stigma slightly 3-lobed and papillose. Capsule ovate to subglobose, 5‒12 mm long, trigonous, loculicidal, 3 valves splitting to base, with withered perigone segments circumscissile below and forming an apical cap. Seeds ellipsoid to fusiform or pyriform, 2‒6 mm long, light brown to black, with striate to reticulate testa.

Number of species and distribution:— Urgineopsis includes seven species from coastal areas in western South Africa and western Namibia, and restricted to the Cape and Karoo-Namib Regions (sensu Takhtajan 1986) ( Fig. 71 ). For further species characterisation see Duthie (1928), Compton (1930), Adamson (1942), Adamson et al. (1944), Jessop (1977), and Manning & Goldblatt (2018).

Karyology:—2n=14 ( Speta 1998a with no reference).

History, diagnostic characters, and taxonomic relationships:— Compton (1930) described Urgineopsis based on a single species, U. salteri Compton (1930: 107) from the Cape Peninsula in southwestern South Africa. This species shows a peculiar flower morphology in which tepals are connate for ca. 2 mm at the base forming a campanulate, widely open tube; filaments adnate to tepals arising at the apex of tepal tube, spreading and slightly incurved, and the distinctly exposed ovary due to the very wide tepal tube and spreading stamens. Jessop (1977) reduced Urgineopsis to the synonymy of a widely circumscribed Drimia , arguing that the degree of fusion of tepals is not a consistent character defining genera in Urgineoideae , in which a transition of connation degrees is observed. However, as noted above, this character alone should not be used for generic circumscription in Urgineoideae due to a certain degree of homoplasy, and therefore a combination of other morphological and phylogenetic characters are considered to support the acceptance of Urgineopsis . Baker (1897), Duthie (1928), Adamson (1942), Adamson et al. (1944), and Manning & Goldblatt (2018) have described further taxa occurring in coastal areas of western South Africa, which share the same distinct flower morphology of Urgineopsis . Martínez-Azorín et al. (2019a) recently accepted seven species in Urgineopsis to extend the range of this genus to coastal Namibia.

The phylogenetic studies by Martínez-Azorín et al. (2023a) included six samples of Urgineopsis that formed a strongly supported clade placed within a large polytomy. Based on the clear morphological and phylogenetic evidence, we here accept Urgineopsis as a genus endemic to western South Africa and Namibia. The taxonomy of this genus requires further study, especially on fresh material, to evaluate the real status of some described species and populations.

Accepted species:—

Urgineopsis arenosa (Adamson) Mart. - Azorín, M.B. Crespo, M. Pinter & Wetschnig in Phytotaxa 397(4): 295 (2019) ≡ Urginea arenosa Adamson in J. S. African Bot. 8: 239 (1942), basionym ( Fig. 5.17 ). Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape. Simonstown (3418): Cape Peninsula , Red Hill , (–AB), Salter 8321 (BOL140320! holo.; NBG0073244!, K000257365!, SAM0056687! iso.).

Urgineopsis barbata (J.C.Manning & J.M.J.Deacon) Mart. - Azorín, M.B. Crespo, M. Pinter & Wetschnig in Phytotaxa 397(4): 295 (2019) ≡ Drimia barbata J.C.Manning & J.M.J.Deacon in Strelitzia 40: 47 (2018), basionym ( Fig. 70.1 ). Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Northern Cape. Oranjemund (2816): Boegoeberg , S of Alexander Bay, (–DA), only materials in flower ex hort. on 1 February 1980, M. Bayer 1013 (NBG121176! holo. [2 cross referenced sheets following Art. 8.2 Ex. 4 of the ICN, Turland et al. (2018)]).

Urgineopsis dregei (Baker) Mart. - Azorín, M.B. Crespo, M. Pinter & Wetschnig in Phytotaxa 397(4): 295 (2019) ≡ Urginea dregei Baker, Fl. Cap. (Harvey) 6(3): 467 (1897), basionym ( Figs 5.18 , 69.1–5 ). Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape. Worcester (3319): Worcester Div., Dutoitskloof , (–CC), 1840, Drège 1501 (K000257344! lecto. designated by Manning & Goldblatt 2018; S06-4415! [only the four fruiting specimens] isolecto.).

Urgineopsis exilis (Adamson) Mart. - Azorín, M.B. Crespo, M. Pinter & Wetschnig in Phytotaxa 397(4): 295 (2019) ≡ Urginea exilis Adamson in J. S. African Bot. 8: 240 (1942), basionym ( Fig. 5.19 ). Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape. Simonstown (3418): Cape Peninsula , De Klip , (–AD), February 1940, Salter 8312 (BOL140317! holo.; NBG0073245!, SAM0056685! iso.).

Urgineopsis gracilis (A.V.Duthie) Mart. - Azorín, M.B.Crespo, M.Pinter & Wetschnig in Phytotaxa 397(4): 295 (2019) ≡ Urginea gracilis A.V.Duthie in Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch 1928, 6: Sect.A, No. 2, 12 (1928), basionym ≡ Fusifilum gracilis (A.V.Duthie) Speta in Phyton (Horn, Austria) 38(1): 69 (1998) ( Figs 5.20 , 69.6–14 ). Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape. Cape Town (3318): ‘Stellenbosch flats, in low-lying, clayey area’, (–DD), March 1925, A. Duthie 1446a (NBG0197705-1! lecto. designated here: only the flowering fragments, excluding both the leafing plants and inflorescences with dehisced capsules). Note:—The lectotypification by Manning & Goldblatt (2018) is to be superseded, because the supposed holotype includes fragments from different collections.

Urgineopsis pedunculata (Adamson) Mart. - Azorín, M.B. Crespo, M. Pinter & Wetschnig in Phytotaxa 397(4): 296 (2019) ≡ Urginea pedunculata Adamson in J. S. African Bot. 10: 134 (1944), basionym. Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape. Simonstown (3418): Cape Peninsula , Kalk Bay Mountains , (–AB), M.R. Levyns sub Adamson 3483 (BOL140321! holo.).

Urgineopsis salteri Compton in J. Bot. 68: 107 (1930) ≡ Urginea salteri (Compton) Adamson in J. S. African Bot. 8: 238 (1942), in obs. ≡ Drimia salteri (Compton) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt in Strelitzia 9: 712 (2000) ( Figs 6.1 , 70.2 ). Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape. Simonstown (3418): Cape Peninsula, Muizenburg on rock slabs, (–AB), Salter s.n. BOL18861 (BOL140319! lecto. designated by Jessop in J. S. African Bot. 43: 303. 1977; K000257370! isolecto.).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Seed morphology in Urgineoideae. 1. Tenicroa multifolia (G.J.Lewis) Oberm.; 2. Tenicroa polyantha M.Pinter et al.; 3. Tenicroa unifolia (A.V.Duthie) M.Pinter et al.; 4. Thuranthos bakeri Mart.-Azorín et al.; 5. Thuranthos macrocarpum (Stedje) Speta; 6. Thuranthos nocturnale R.A.Dyer; 7. Thuranthos pauciflorum (Baker) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 8. Triandra pellabergensis Mart.-Azorín et al.; 9. Urginavia altissima (L.f.) Speta; 10. Urginavia capensis (Burm.f.) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 11. Urginavia echinostachya (Baker) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 12. Urginavia kniphofioides (Baker) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 13. Urginavia micrantha (A.Rich.) Speta; 14. Urginavia multisetosa (Baker) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 15. Urginavia simensis (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 16. Urginea fugax (Moris) Steinh.; 17. Urgineopsis arenosa (Adamson) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 18. Urgineopsis dregei (Baker) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 19. Urgineopsis exilis (Adamson) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 20. Urgineopsis gracilis (A.V.Duthie) Mart.-Azorín et al. All to the same scale in mm.

FIGURE 6. Seed morphology in Urgineoideae. 1. Urgineopsis salteri Compton; 2. Vera-duthiea capillifolia A.Patzelt et al.; 3. Veraduthiea sp. (Urginea petrophila A.Chev., nom. nud.); 4. Vera-duthiea sebiri (Berhaut) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 5. Vera-duthiea sp. (Urginea segetalis A.Chev., nom. nud.); 6. Zingela pooleyorum N.R.Crouch et al.; 7. Zulusia delagoensis (Baker) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 8. Zulusia edwardsii (N.R.Crouch & Mart.-Azorín) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 9. Zulusia lydenburgensis (R.A.Dyer) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 10. Urginea cf. aurantica H.Lindb.; 11. Urginea revoluta A.V.Duthie.All to the same scale in mm.

FIGURE 69. Urgineopsis dregei (Baker) Mart.-Azorín et al. (1–5) and Urgineopsis gracilis (A.V.Duthie) Mart.-Azorín et al. (6–14) from Duthie (1928: pl. 1, as Urginea dregei Baker and Urginea gracilis A.V.Duthie, respectively).

FIGURE 70. Species of Urgineopsis Compton displayed in horizontal rows of images. 1. Urgineopsis barbata (J.C.Manning & J.M.J.Deacon) Mart.-Azorín et al.; 2. Urgineopsis salteri Compton.

FIGURE 71. Approximate distribution ranges of accepted genera in Urgineoideae.