Notes on Lesquerella (Cruciferae) in Mexico

EOLETIN DE LA SOCIEDAD BOTANICA DE MEXICO No. 23

NOTES ON LESQUERELLA (CRUCIFERAE)

IN MEXICO

Reed C. Rollins.

43

:'.\Iost of tl1e twelve species of Lesquerella orclinarily attributecl to !\f(·xil'o are fountl in the i1orthea<:tern put of the conntl'y (Payson, 1922;

H oll i ns. 1!)40, 1941, 1955). T\\'o spet:ies, L. Palmeri vV ats. and L. penin-sularis \Viggins, occur in Baja California. Othená:;e the genus is c on-<:entratrcl in thc rnonntain, foothills, and high plains of the states of < 'oa li 11i1 :1, N11rvo ].Jrón, San ].Ju is Potosí, Za ca tecas a 1H1 Gnanajuato, with 011(' sprc·irs, L. argentea (Schauer) \Vats., founcl in Hidalgo and anothcr, L. pueblensis Payson, oe<:11ni11g in Puebla and Oaxaca.

'l'lir 1irnrston<· so!ls 1·l1at abou11L1 in the Sierra :\fadre Oriental provide idral liabitat:-; for Lesquerella antl the g-Pnus is r:onsiderably cleveloped 111on· 01· lcss throughont the length of this mountain chain. The physio-¡:;rnphic complexity of tl1e eastern Sierra pro,·ides a11 ample number of ll!l'l'errl!t biologieal nit·hPs for spec-iation in LeE'querella to have been

r•·a~onably intense in the are<:. How man>· spel'ies of Lesquerella exist i11 J\f(~xieo is still 11ot k110\\'11 br1·ausr rnan.v parts of thr countl'y where 11iis grnns is likel.v to oc<:ur haYe not been aclrquatrl>r rxplorrd. N•arly ,.,·er>· r·ollec1·io11 of spee;imens 01' an>· size made in an appropriate place has 1111<.lrsnibr<l sprt·irs in it. Tt is the pnrposr of thr lWesent paprr to p11~ 011 rPcord two sn('h 1rnclesl·ribrd 'JW<'iPs \\·hi··h have coine to my llttrntion in connection with a broacler study of the genus Lesquerella.

Lesquerella Mirandiana Rollins, sp. nov.

Prrennial, densely puhest·Pnt \Yitli stt>llatr tr:eliomes; stems severa] from a thickenecl eauc1ex, m·i,;ing laterall.r below terminal rosette of 1°avrs, clrcnmbent to rrrct, simple. clensel.v pube,r:ent with appres:;;etl "trllatr f·t·it·hornes, 1.5 - 4 clrn. long: basal len Yes petiolate, oblanceolate, obtnse, entire or rarrly somr\\'hat sinnatP. densely pubrscent with np-¡wrr;sed stellar, 2 -5 cm. long. 5 -10 mm. wide fonning a terminal rosette; Ullllinc 1eavrs prtiolate to srssilt', rntire to barrl» ;11Hl sparsrly dentatP, oblm1ceolah~ to iinarly linear, llrnsel_,. pnbrscrnt, lo\Yrr cauline lraves 1wtiolate, petiole graclnally 1·ethwPcl npwanl, the n1w1· canline leaves sessile :rnrl wi1·h a. <'nneate basr, 1 -2 (·Jll. long-, 4-1.0 mm. ,,·illt'. sepals densely

pulwsce11t:, oblong, nol)sac(··atr, :3 -4 mm. long; iwtnls spatulate, light la,·rnt1r1· to whitish; filamrnts not dilated at base; infructescence ]ax. oftrn somewhat elollgatecl, 5 -15 rrn. lo11g; peclii'rls rrcurvrd to some -wlrn t sigmoid, clensely pnbesccnt, 5 -8 mm. long; ~iliqnes sessile, ncarly DOI: 10.17129/botsci.1049

_______________

Rollins R.C. 1958. Notes on Lesquerella (Cruciferae) in Mexico. Boletín de la Sociedad Botánica de México23: 43-47.

44 BOLETIN DE LA SOCIEDAD BOTANICA DE MEXICO No. 23

globose, at right angles to rachis, to pendant or rarely somewhat as-ceding glabrous, on exterior and interiot, 5 - 7 mm. in diameter; sep-tum en tire; styles sleneler, 2.5 -3.5 mm. long; ovules 8 -10 in each lo-culus, funiculi slender, attached to septum by at leas half their lengths,

extending nearly to base of replum 011 each si ele; seeds brown, p!ump, compressed parallel to the flattened part of the cotyJeclons, wingless,

orbicular, ca 1.5 mm. in diameter; cotyledons aceumbent. Plate T, fig. 2, 2A, 2B.

Herba perennis; caulibus decumbentibus vel raro erectis simplicibus 1.5 - 4 dm. longis; folüs indumento argenteo-stellato tectis; radicalibus petiolatis integris vel raro plus minusve sinuatis obtusis 2- 5 cm. longis, 5 - 10 mm. latis; foliis caulinis peti·olatis vel sessilibus ad basi cuneatis oblanceolatis vel linearibus integris· vel raro sparse dentatis 1 -2 cm.

longis; petalis spathulatis purpureis vel albidis; infructescentiis efon-gatis laxis; pedicellis recurvatis pubescentibus 5 -8 longis; siliquis gfo -bosis glabris sessilibus, circiter 5 - 7 mm. diametro; loculis 8 - 10 ovul a-tis; stylis 2.5 -3.5 mm. longis; funiculis septo adnatis, seminibus inm ar-ginatis brunneis; cotyledonibus accumbentibus.

Type in the Gra~· Herbarium, with following eollection data: co m-mon am-mong shrnbs of upper cañons, flower color light Iaveneler; Caiión de los Capulines above San Enrique, Hacienda San .José ele Raíces. '.\'fu-nieipio ele Drrrumbaclero, Nuevo J.Jeón, l\lf(·xit:o, Aug. 6, J985, C. H. Mueller 2412.

Othrr specimens examinecl - Mf.xico-- NnHo León: near O.jo de

Agua, foot of Cerro ele Potosí, ,July 14, J945. A.

J

.

San Francisco Canyon, about 15 miles s011th"·est of Pueblo Gali>ana, Sierra Madre Oriental, Ma~r 9, 1034, C. H. and H. T. Mueller 27!) (GH);

same Iocality, May 10, 1934, C. H. and H. T. Mueller 291 (GH). San Luis Potosí: Sierra de Catorce, F. Rodríguez l (US).

Lesquerella Mirandiana is related to L. Schaffneri by virtnc of tlie similarities of overall growth features, flower size, flower color, nurnber of ovules; pedicel position and glabrous siliqucs. HoweYer, tliere is a consistent pattern of differences between the two species wliich providrs

evidence for their being· separate natural taxa. L. Mirandiana l1as

shorter ancl stouter pedicels that are mostly recurved and not sigmoid as in L. Schaffneri. An exception is C. H. and M. T. Mueller 291, whicli l1as somewhat sigmoid pedicels. Of greater significance, is the silique size, which is 5 - 7 mm. in diameter in L. Mirandiana, bnt only 3 - 4 mm. in L. Schaffneri. Also the siliques are substipitate in the latter species bnt completely sessile in L. Mirandiana. Another point of difference is in the behavior of the terminal bud.

In

-di11arily gives rise to a fertile shoot. On the other hand, in L. Miran-diana, the terminal bud gives rise to a series of leaves which form a

bterile rosette, the fertile branches arising laterally from the leaf

axils. l<'inally, there is a noticeable difference between the two species

in the fonn of the trichome that makes up the inclument. The trichomes

of L. Schnafferi have rnany simple ra~·s that are fused a~most to the tips

into a peltate scale, whereas those of L. lVIirar;d.iana ha\'e the rays more

01.· less free except toward the base, where the:v become fused into a

c.:irc11lal' disc (cf. Plate

I

,

Lesqnerella mexicana RollillS, sp. nov.

Pen•tlllial, silvery pubesc.:ent, tl'iehomrs small aJ1d stellate wit.h

1rn-merous fusecl rnys; stems slender, e red to nearly prostrate, simple,

6 -l.;J r:m. long; dr11srl.1· pubescent; basal leaxes p0tiolate, broaclly spa -t11la1r to oblan('ctol~tr, obtnse. si11uatr clentate to entire, silYery p11he

s-L·ent 11·.itli a clrnse r·oi·t'ring- of small sc:ale-like trichomes, 3 -G cm. long,

G -10 mm. wic1e, pctiolr <;]cnclrr; cauline le'.lYf'<; few, linear-oblanceolatc,

n111eatc at base. r11tirc, G -10 mrn. long; flowers smali; sepa.ls linear

oblon:;, ca. 3 mm. long, clcnscl~· pubesceut 011 the ontei· si ele; pet:'t!s light la.n•ttcl?r, linitnlate, not diffcr0nti11tecl i11to blade ancl claw, 4- 6 mm.

Ionµ:, 1.5 - 2 mm. ll'iclr; infruetescence elongatccl,

.+

-

di-«el-, slrnder, 11·r¡¡kl~r sigmoirl to slightl:r recun·ecl, 8 -12 mm. long, den-wly p11hl'S('e11t: siliqurs p:lobosr', <:tipitatr, glabrous 011 exterior ancl in-h•rior, horizontal to so11w1\·liat ered , :3 - 4 mm. in diameter; stiprr;; ca. O.G mm. long; st:1lcs slencler, 2 - 2.5 mm. long; septnm en tire: ovnles

2 -8 in cnch locnlns; fonicnli stout, attachecl to septum only at hase;

sreds brown, wingleo;s. pl nrnp. cornpressecl para llel to cotyleclons, ne

ar-l:v orhirn1a1-, ca. 2 mm. in cliameter; cot.1·leclons accmnbent. Platr I,

figo. l, Lt\, lB ancl JC.

Herba perennis arg·enteto-stellato pube~.m:ns; caulibus simplicibus en·ctis vel decumbentibus deme µubescentibus 6 -15 cm. long-is: foliis radica.libus petiolatis la.te spathulatis vel oblan.ceolatis obtusis sinu:ltis vel integris argenteo-stellato pubescentibus 3 -6 cm. longis, 6 -10 mm. lon-latis; foliis canlinis cuneatjg lineari-obla,nceolatis integris 6 - 10 mm.

lon-g·ir.; sepa.lis lineari-oblong-is ca. 3 mm. long-is; petalis ling·nlatis

purpu-reis 4 -5 mm. lingis, 1.5 -2 mm. latis; pedic:llis sigmoideis vel recurvatis 8 -12 mm. longis; siliquis globosis glabris stipitatis 3 -4 mm. diametro; loculis 2 - 3 ovulatis; stylis tenuis 2 - 2.5 mm. longis; seminibus

immar-ginatis orbicularibus brunneis ca. 2 mm. diametro; cotyledonibus

ac-cumbentibus.

46 BOLETIN DE LA SOCIEDAD BOTANICA DE MEXICO No. 23

south of MoncloYa, Coahnila, l\1éxico, Aug" H, 19-±8, Kenoyer and

Crum

2625.

If the number of ovules proc.lucecl is a leacli11g critcrion of rel ntion-ship, L. mexicana is most elosrly relatecl to L. pueblensis, for in both spccies the ontle irnmbet· is two to tlircc pcr loculus. In othcr rcspects, too, these speeies m·e some\\'hat similar. For example, botl1 are YCl'? silYery from tlir extremely dense e111.:rusti11g of tht> foliage b.1· minute overlapping stelle1te tric:hornes. 'l'he siliq11rs are about the samc size an l the basal leaves han Yery slencler pctiolcs in both s1wc:ics. L. mexicana cliffers from L. pueblensis .in having stipitar(' i11stl'acl of sessilr siliq11es, s1nallcr trichonws "·ith tlir rnys fus(•cl ali tli<' 11·a.1· to t!ir tip (l·f'. Plate

L fig. ],.\) instcacl oJ rnmrwhat larg·c·1· tril'l10111e::; with tliC' 011tcr l1alf' of the l'ays frcr, as i11 L. pueblensis. F11rtlic•rmor<" tlip basal lca1·c·s tcncl to be !"inuatc clentatc in L. mexicana wl1ilc t·Jic1· arr cntire in L uue-blensis. 'J.'he cauline ]N!YeS are well cleveJoprlJ ~nd O\'erJappi11g-in thc ]¡:;tter species, therc being 11p to fifteen or so 1wr stcrn, b11r in L. mexicana., tl1rrc a1·t· 01il~· tlirc·c or fo11r ea11lin0 lcci1·rs ¡wr stc111 ancl tlipsr are ~pt to be qnite rcclucccl. - Cra.1• I-forhari11111 ol' Jian·arcl 1Tnivcrsity.

Ll 'l'EI'..A'J.'UR.E C'IT I~ D

PAYSON, ED\NTN F.. 1922.- A :Monogrn.pli of' tlic Ge1111s Los<1uc•rclla. A11n. Mo. Dot. Garcl. 8: J 03-~36.

ROLLT::\'8, R,EED C. 1940.-Notcs on Somc Crueifers of' 'J'cx:is, Mhico nncl So11l11

Amcriea. Jour. Arn. ATl1. 21:392-il9G.

- - , - -. 19-ll.- 801110 Kc11· or :Notcw·ortl1y Nort·li A111crica11 Crucifers. Contrib. Duclley Herli. 3:174-18-1.

- - , - -. 19,)fi.- 'l'lie A11ric11bte-leavcd Specil's of' Lcsq11crella (Crucifcrnc). Bll o-dora 57 :241-264.

Lesquerclla. 1, L. mexicana X 1/2; 1 A, trichomc X 25; 1 l:l, silique X 3; lC, replum

X

X