Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense Di Grist., Gottschl. & Scafidi, 2018

Gristina, Emilio Di, Gottschlich, Günter & Scafidi, Filippo, 2018, Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense (Asteraceae), a new hawkweed taxon from the Pollino National Park (southern Italy), Phytotaxa 340 (2), pp. 186-190 : 186-189

Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense Di Grist., Gottschl. & Scafidi , subsp. nov. ( Fig. 1)

Type:— ITALY. Basilicata, Pollino National Park, Serra del Prete, Viggianello ( PT), 39°55’34.21” N, 16°09’33.77” E, 1917 m, carbonate stony slopes of the beech forest, 13.08.2017, E. Di Gristina & F. Scafidi (holotype: PAL 109617 !; Hb. Gottschlich 67696) .

Diagnosis:— Planta Hieracio jurassico subsp. subperfoliato similis sed foliis caulinis inferioribus magis lanceolatis, involucri phyllis pallide viridibus et acheniis stramineis differt.

Perennial, scapose hemicryptophyte. Rhizome stout, oblique or vertical. Stem erect, vertical, cylindrical, stout (1.5–3.5 mm in diam.), 20–80 cm tall, green, brownish-purple at base, striated, phyllopodous, in lower part with few, 1–1.5 mm long, whitish, soft, dentate simple hairs, sparse minute (up to 0.1 mm long) yellowish glandular hairs and sparse or no stellate hairs, above with moderately dense, 1–2 mm long, whitish, soft, dentate simple hairs, few to moderately dense, 0.1–0.2 mm long, yellowish glandular hairs and sparse stellate hairs. Basal leaves 1–2, petiolate, often withered at anthesis; petiole 3–7 cm long; lamina elliptical to oblong-elliptical or oblong-lanceolate, 4–10(–12) × 2–4 cm, attenuate, acute to obtuse, entire or slightly denticulate, with whitish, 0.3–0.8 mm long, dentate simple hairs, that are sparse above, moderately dense on margins and along midrib on lower surface, sparse minute (up to 0.1 mm long) glandular hairs and sparse or no stellate hairs. Cauline leaves 5–13, 7–15(–16) × 3–4.5(–5) cm, lower ones petiolate, lanceolate, grass-green above, sometimes purple-red spotted, light green on lower surface, acute, entire or slightly denticulate, others gradually decreasing in size upwards, ovate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, sometimes more or less panduriform, attenuate into a short winged petiole or semiamplexicaul, indumentum similar to those of basal leaves. Inflorescence more o less paniculate, branches 3–5, straight or curved, 1.5–4 cm long, each with 1–3(–5) capitula; capitula 4–15; acladium 0.5–1.5 cm long. Peduncles with 1–2(–3) linear, green or dark green bracts, 1–4 mm long, with sparse or no, 0.5–1.5 mm long, simple hairs, white distally and with a dark base, with moderately to rather dense black or black-yellowish, 0.2–0.8 mm long, glandular hairs, and with moderately to rather dense stellate hairs. Involucre almost ovoid or cylindrical, 6–9 mm long. Involucral bracts in few series, light green, linearlanceolate, 0.4–0.9 mm wide, acute to obtuse with sparse, 0.5–1.5 mm long, simple hairs, upper half white distally and with a black base, with moderately to rather dense, 0.2–0.8 mm long, glandular hairs, with black or black-yellowish glands on peduncles, and moderately dense stellate hairs at base. Corolla limb ligulate, yellow, subglabrous. Styles blackish. Margins of alveoli with broad theeth. Achenes 3–4 mm long, pale brown.

Etymology:—The epithet serrapretense refers to the name of the mountain where the plant grows.

Phenology: —Flowering late July to August ( Fig. 2). Fruiting in August.

Distribution and ecology:—In the Pollino National Park, Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense is currently known only from the Lucanian side of the Serra del Prete (39°55’12.96” N, 16°09’33.04” E). It grows on north- exposed carbonate stony slopes, between 1750 and 1950 m of elevation, inside and at the edges of the beech wood. Its population comprises about 150 individuals occurring on a restricted area of less than 1 km 2.

Conservation status:—The new taxon is currently known only from one location in the Pollino National Park. Despite its restricted range, Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense is not facing any threat in the wild and a preliminary conservation status assessment of “Vulnerable” (VU), following the IUCN criteria (2014), is appropriate.

Taxonomic relationship:— Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense belongs to the collective species H. jurassicum Grisebach (1853: 112) . This aggregate has its center of distribution in the Alps. About 50 infraspecific taxa have been described, most of them from the Western Alps. From the Central Apennine only H. jurassicum subsp. subperfoliatum (Arv.- Touv.) Greuter ( Greuter & Raab-Straube 2007: 159) is known (see the distribution map given for Abruzzo in Gottschlich 2009). Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense is similar to H. jurassicum subsp. subperfoliatum in its entire leaves, but it differs from this taxon by the shape of the lower stem leaves and the colour of the bracts and achenes ( Tab. 1). Especially the colour of achenes ( Fig. 3 ) is noticeable because the pale brown achenes do not occur in any taxa of the H. jurassicum group.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense: achenes.