Viola enmae P. Gonzáles, 2016

Gonzáles, Paúl & Cano, Asunción, 2016, Two new species of Viola (Violaceae) named in honor of preceding Peruvian botanists, Phytotaxa 283 (1), pp. 83-90 : 87-88

Viola enmae P. Gonzáles , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 )

Type:— PERU: Dept. Puno: Prov. Carabaya, District of Corani, Jarapampa , 4301 m, 13°57’26.37”S, 70°39’0.95”W, 13 January 2015, P. Gonzáles 3420 (holotype: USM; isotype: MOL) .

Diagnosis: — Viola enmae resembles to Viola calchaquiensis Becker (1926: 226) by its small, crenulate and spathulate leaves, blade margins thickened and ciliate, undulate crenulations, lacking stipules, upper and lateral petals oblong-obovate and reflexed, style apex truncated with margin trilobed, but it differs in having a narrow leaf blade, blade margins bearing 2(–3) undulate crenulations per side, bracteoles with free part short, petals smaller, lateral petals smooth (non-papillose-bearded), lowermost petals somewhat emarginate.

Description: —Perennial herbs, falsely acaulescent, with short prostrate and ascending stem with rosette leaves placed only at ends of the branches, stem branches out 3–10 cm below ground and when it emerges becoming cushionforming with up to 25 coherent crowns, up to 1 cm high, (3) 5–15 cm diam. Rootstock axial, slender, 5–15 cm long, 5–8 mm thick below branch; upper, simple rootstock branched below into secondary fleshy roots to 20 cm, bearing long, white feeder roots. Caudex 3–7(10) cm long, covered by sclerified leaf scars. Rosette densely imbricate-foliate, slightly depressed at the centre. Leaves spatulate, lacking stipules, 5–6(8) mm long including petiole; blade 2–3(4) × 1.5–2(2.2) mm, thick-succulent, green to greyish-green on both surfaces, obovate-cuneate, obtuse; upper surface smooth or inconspicuously reticulate-alveolate, indumentum scattered and evenly invested, hairs minute, white papillose; lower surface glabrous to sub-glabrous; margins bearing 2(–3) undulate crenulations per side, thickened, crenulations sometime brown, spreading ciliate with short, stout, white-hyaline hairs, hairs 0.3–0.5 mm long; petiole 3.5–5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, membranous, glabrous on both sides, ciliate along margins, whitish. Flowers solitary, axial, almost entirely dark purple or light purple. Peduncle equaling or slightly longer than leaves, dark purple or whitish, glabrous except for scarce white hairs on the upper surface of apical curve; bracteoles inserted 0.2–0.4 mm above base, attached above to peduncle by membrane, free part 1–1.5 × 0.6–0.9 mm, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, sub-acute, hyaline, entire, glabrous on both surfaces, ciliate along margins. Flowers 3 × 2.5 mm long. Calyx dark purple; sepals with smooth surfaces, borders slightly membranous, 1-nerved, obtuse, inner surface glabrous, ciliate along margins and outer surface, slightly auriculate at base, the auricles rounded, 0.1–0.15 mm long, glabrous; upper and lateral sepals sub-equal in size and shape; upper sepal deltoid, 1 × 1 mm; lateral sepals ovate-lanceolate, 1.2 × 1 mm; lower sepals ovate-lanceolate, 1.5 × 1 mm. Corolla glabrous, upper and lateral petals reflexed; upper petals 2–2.3 × 0.9–1.1 mm, narrowly oblong-obovate, obtuse, outer surface dark purple with fine whitish margins, the inner surface dark purple or light purple; lateral petals 2–2.2 × 0.9–1.1 mm, oblong-obovate, with ca. 3 longitudinal veins, tip rounded, outer surface dark purple with fine whitish margins, inner surface dark purple or light purple; lowermost petal 2–2.2 × 1–1.5 mm, limb oblong-spathulate, somewhat emarginate, outer surface dark purple with fine whitish margin, inner surface white distally with basal ¾ yellow, apex rounded with margins somewhat conduplicate, outer surface glabrous throughout, inner surface papillate basally near throat; spur 1.2–1.3 × 1–1.1 mm. Stamens 0.9–1 mm long; anthers sessile, ca. 0.5–0.6 × ca. 0.5–0.6 mm, outer surface glabrous, nectar spur on bottom pair of anthers conical, longslender, 0.3–0.4 × 0.1 mm. Dorsal connective scales broadly oblong to orbicular, apex rounded or truncate, 0.6–0.7 × 0.4–0.45 mm, orange-yellow, glabrous, margins entire. Ovary glabrous. Style 1–1.1 mm long, geniculate at base, clavate; style apex truncated with margin trilobed, lobes triangular, reflexed, with no lateral appendages, stigmatic orifice apico-ventral in longitudinal furrow. Capsule glabrous, 3-valved, ovoid, 2.5–3 × 1.9–2.1 mm, sometimes with 1 valve abortive, 1 seed per valve, seeds ovoid, 1.8–2 × 1–1.2 mm, black, with lateral funiculus persistent for 0.1–0.2 mm.

Additional specimens examined (paratype):— Perú: Dept. Puno, Prov. Carabaya, District of Corani, Jarapampa, suelo calcáreo arenoso en medio de césped, 4412 m, 13°57’25”S, 70°39’0”W, 28 March 2014, P. Gonzáles 3096 (USM, MOL).

Eponymy:— This novelty is named in honor of Dr. Enma Cerrate (Professor at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos), who was responsible for much of the training and supervising of Peruvian botanists in the past few decades.

Distribution and habitat:— Endemic to Peru, known only from the type locality in Jarapamapa, Carabaya province on the eastern Andean flanks of the Puno department, growing in patches of sandy soil above 4300–4400 m elevation on sparsely vegetated ( Fig. 3A ), undulating plains, associated with Nototriche pellicea and V. ferreyrae .

Ecology:— Flowering between January–March; fruiting period February-April.

IUCN Red List Category:— Viola enmae is only known from the type collection and is therefore given the assessment of Data Deficient (DD) according to the UICN (2001) criteria. However, we believe it should be considered critically endangered (CR), as it is known only from a single locality (Criterion B1a) with a continuing decline of its quality of habitat inferred for the present mining exploration (Criterion B2c).

Taxonomic affinities:— Viola enmae resembles to V. calchaquiensis by its small, crenulate and spathulate leaves, blade margins thickened and ciliate, undulate crenulations, lacking stipules, upper and lateral petals oblong-obovate and reflexed, style apex truncated with margin trilobed, but it differs in having a narrow blade (1.5–2.2 mm) vs. wider (3 mm), margins bearing 2(–3) undulate crenulations per side vs. 3–4, bracteoles with free part short (1–1.5 mm) vs. long (4 mm), petals smaller (2–2.3 mm) vs. larger (5 mm), lateral petals smooth vs. papillose-bearded, lower petals somewhat emarginate vs. deeply emarginate. Furthermore, Viola enmae is morphologically close to Viola philippii Leybold (1959: 681) and resembles this species by its very small and spathulate pubescent leaves with long hairs, but differs in having shorter flowers (3 mm) vs. longer (5–6 mm), leaf blade surface smooth or inconspicuously reticulate-alveolate vs. conspicuously reticulate-alveolate, blade margins bearing 2(–3) undulate crenulations per side vs. 3–5 flat crenulations and stipules lacking vs. stipules inconspicuous.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Viola enmae. A. Habit. B. Leaf (abaxial). C. Leaf (adaxial). D. Expansion of blade, showing crenulate-undulate border and pubescence. E. Lateral view of flower. F. Frontal view of flower. G. Frontal view of flower with lower petal extended and showing part of androecium and gynoecium. H. Lateral view, showing the immature fruit. I. Fruit, showing two valves. J. Frontal view of seeds. K. Lateral view of seeds.

FIGURE 3. A. Type locality and habitat of Viola ferreyrae and V.enmae. B. Plant of Viola ferreyrae camouflaged in sandy soil. Photo by P. Gonzáles.