Calendula suffruticosa subsp. fulgida (Raf.) Guadagno (1922: 64)

Gonçalves, Ana Carla, Ouhammoud, Ahmed, Amirouche, Rachid, Santos, Conceição, Figueiredo, Estrela & Silveira, Paulo, 2023, A taxonomic revision of Calendula (Asteraceae) in Morocco, including some taxa from Algeria and Tunisia, Phytotaxa 605 (1), pp. 1-83 : 46-47

11e. Calendula suffruticosa subsp. fulgida (Raf.) Guadagno (1922: 64) ; Ohle (1974: 265); Fennane & Ibn Tattou (1998: 24); Ibn Tattou & Fennane (2009: 29); Dobignard & Chatelain (2011: 189); Gonçalves et al. (2014: 272). Calendula fulgida Rafinesque (1810: 82) . Type:— ITALY. Sicily, Palermo, Escarpments da Monte Pellegrino (ex ipsissimo loco Rafinesquiano), 4 June 1847, Kralik s.n. (neotype P! [P04277642], designated here).

Description:––Perennial herbs. Stems (41) 46.8–71 (89) cm long, prostrate to decumbent, with glandular and non-glandular pubescence, mostly white-arachnoid towards the base. Basal leaves (6.2) 7.5–9.9 (10.8) × (1.4) 1.5–2 (3.3) cm, (0.1) 0.2–0.2 (0.3) mm thick, oblanceolate to spatulate, apex obtuse, or sometimes ± acute, margins sub-entire to sinuate-dentate, with glandular and non-glandular pubescence, white-arachnoid especially in the margins and midrib. Capitula solitary, (2.3) 2.6–3.2 (3.4) cm diameter. Outer achenes rostrate (17) 21.5–26.5 (29) × (1.2) 1.8–3.4 (3.8) mm, straight or slightly curved, with conspicuous dorsal spines averaging 2 mm long, sometimes with one teeth, at the base and/or at the apex; or bialate rostrate (15) 18.3–23.5 (29) × (7.5) 9.7–13 (15.2) mm, with a rostrum (5.3) 8.6–14.4 (15.2) mm, middle achenes cymbiform (5) 6.8–9.3 (11.7) × (6.5) 7.5–9.2 (11.5) mm, with ventral wings smaller than the lateral ones; inner achenes vermiculate-alate 5–6.2 (6.7) × (2.3) 2.5–3.4 (3.5) mm; or vermiculate-exalate (3.7) 3.8–4.2 (4.5) × (0.8) 1.3–1.5 mm, both circular. Figure 17 .

Habitat and distribution:—Limestone rocks/cliffs, at c. 50–1200 m, in sub-humid Mediterranean bio-climate. In Morocco subsp. fulgida is distributed in the Béni Snassen Mountains. Elsewhere it is known to occur in Italy, Sicily and Malta ( Greuter (2006 + [2017]).

Conservation status:— Data Deficient (DD) . This taxon is under numerous threats, especially due to climate change (extreme weather), and development (tourism, leisure activities). In Morocco, subsp. fulgida is known from three populations in the Béni Snassen Mountains, but there may be others in this region. The number of mature individuals is estimated to be <250 based on field observations. Although the EOO is 11.26 km 2 (and would qualify for CR), and the AOO is 12 km 2 (and would qualify for EN) we propose that the status is DD because there is inadequate information to assess the extinction risk based on distribution and/or number of populations.

Chromosome number:— 2n = 32.

Genome size:—3.06 ± 0.21 pg.

Notes:— Calendula fulgida was described in 1810 by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783–1840), a botanist (and polymath) who at the time has based in Sicily. Regrettably, most of Rafinesque’s herbarium is not extant. His early collections were lost in a shipwreck in 1815, when he was moving from Sicily to the U.S.A. ( Rafinesque 1836). So, the type of C. fulgida Rafinesque (1810: 82) has not been found and it is likely that it was lost in the referred shipwreck. Therefore, we designate a specimen collected by Kralik as neotype, which originates from the type locality.

Additional collections:— MOROCCO. Oriental: Berkane, Montes de Beni Snassen , estrada Zegzel entre Tazarhine e Takerboust, 54m [34°50’01” N, 2°22’17” W], 11 May 2014, P . Silveira & A. C. R. S . Gonçalves 3335 ( AVE!); Berkane, Montes de Beni Snassen, estrada Zegzel proximo do Oued Zegzel , 260m [34°52’40” N, 2°21’20” W], 11 May 2014, P . Silveira & A. C. R. S . Gonçalves 3336 ( AVE!) .

Figures

FIGURE 17. Variability of achene morphology of Calendula. A. C. suffruticosa subsp. trialata (Silveira & Gonçalves 3267, AVE); B. C. suffruticosa subsp. marsaensis (Silveira & Gonçalves 3268, AVE); C. C. suffruticosa subsp. lusitanica (Silveira & Gonçalves 3269,AVE); D. C. suffruticosa subsp. dersana (Silveira & Gonçalves 3262, AVE); E. C. suffruticosa subsp. hosmarensis (Silveira & Gonçalves 3261, AVE); F. C. suffruticosa subsp. riffensis (Silveira 3341, AVE); G. C. suffruticosa subsp. tazaensis (Silveira & Gonçalves 3334, AVE); H. C. suffruticosa subsp. boccoyana (Silveira & Gonçalves 3266, AVE); I. C. suffruticosa subsp. boccoyana (Silveira & Gonçalves 3340, AVE); J. C. suffruticosa subsp. guruguensis (Silveira & Gonçalves 3265, AVE); K. C. suffruticosa subsp. fulgida (Silveira & Gonçalves 3335, AVE). Rostrate achenes: A1, 2; B1, 2; C1, 2; D1, 2; E1, 2; F1-3; G1, 2; H1, 2; I1, 2; J1, 2; K1-4. Bialate achenes: A3; B3, 4; C3, 4; D3; E3; F4, 5; G3-5. Cymbiform achenes: D4-6; E4, 5; F6, 7; G6, 7; H3, 4; I3, 4; K5, 6. Sub˗cymbiform achenes: B4, E4, E5, J3, J4. Trialate achenes: A4, 5; B5; J3, 4. Exalate achenes: C5, 6. Vermicular-alate achenes: F8; G8; I5; K7. Vermicular-exalate achenes:A6, B6, 7; C7; D7, 8; E6; F9; G9, 10; H5; I6; J5; K8.All achenes in side view, except: A3-5, B3-5, C3-6, D3, D5, E3, E4, F4-7, G3-6, H3, I3, J3, K2, and K5 in ventral face view, and D6, G7, H4, I4, J4, K1, and K6 in ± dorsal face view. Scale bars = 1 cm.