Drymaria cordata

Volponi, Carola Regina, 2006, Type and new combination for Stellaria lanceolata and a new synonymy for S. rotundifolia (Caryophyllaceae), Adansonia (3) 28 (2), pp. 287-298 : 294

Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.

( Figs 3 ; 5B ; 6 E-H)

Systema Vegetabilium 5: 406 (1819) . — Holosteum cordatum L., Species Plantarum 88 (1753). — Lectotype after Burger (in Cafferty & Jarvis 2004): [icon] “ Alsine americana nummulariae folio” in Hermann, Paradisus Batavus: t. 11 (1698) (not seen).

Drymaria rotundifolia (Poir.) Har. , Journal de Botanique (Morot) 14: 150 (1900) [non A. Gray, United States Exploring Expedition, Phanerogamia: 123 (1854)]. — Stellaria rotundifolia Poir. For further synonymy and type see Duke 1961: 251.

Remarks

This is one of the two taxa of Drymaria that grows outside the Americas. Probably Drymaria cordata was taken off the American continent through the Acapulco-Manila galleon trade route which was active from 1565 to 1815, that is, beginning two centuries before Commerson’s travel. The other taxa is D. villosa Cham. & Schltdl. , occuring in Malaysia and probably introduced around the first half of the 20th century from America (see Duke 1961: 177).

Because Drymaria was validly published by Willdenow in Roemer & Schultes in 1819, many species were confused with other genera before this date, specially with Stellaria (or Alsine ) because of the shape of petals. The main differences between the two genera appear in Table 1.

SPECIMEN C

Specimen C has been assigned to two localities: “isle de Bourbon” and “de magellan” ( Figs 4 ; 5C ). The “isle de Bourbon” is E of Madagascar, approximately 21°S, 55°E (Fig. 1). The Strait of Magellan lies at the S of South America , between 52- 54°S and 68- 72°W. These localities are about 22 700 km distant from each other ( Punta Arenas-Papeete , 7700 km; Papeete-Saint-Denis, 15 000 km, Fig. 1). Commerson arrived at the Strait of Magellan on 5 December 1767. Three years later he was at the “isle de Bourbon”, 4 December 1770 (Fig. 1) ( Monnier et al. 1993: 47) .

Undoubtedly this plant belongs to Stellaria ( Table 1). At first, this specimen was determined as Stellaria arvalis Fenzl ex F.Phil. emend. Pedersen , the species that grows in the Strait of Magellan (cf. Volponi 1986a, b). Later, by considering the other locality (“Isle de Bourbon”) and comparing with Flore de Madagascar et des Comores ( Perrier de la Bâthie 1950: 7, fig. I, 11-12), the inflorescence, the shape and size of sepals, petals and seeds together with herbarium specimens in P (see Appendix), it was concluded that the plant of Figure 4 is Stellaria mannii Hook. f. The habit of both species is very similar.

Figures

FIG. 3. — Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. (S. rotundifolia Poir. type).

FIG. 5. — Labels of three Caryophyllaceae at herbarium P-LA: A, Cerastium lanceolatum (Poir.) Volponi, comb. nov. (Stellaria lanceolata Poir. type); B, Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. (S. rotundifolia Poir. type);C, Stellaria manii Hook.f. Compare the handwriting similarities.

FIG. 6. — Floral parts: A-D, Cerastium lanceolatum (Poir.) Volponi, comb. nov.; E-H, Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.; I-L, Stellaria mannii Hook.f.; A, E, I, sepals; B, F, J, petals; C, G, K, stamens; D, L, gynoecium; H, capsule. A-D, Perrier de la Bâthie 16174 (P); E-H, Volponi 1100 (LP); I-L, Commerson s.n. (P 215108). Scale bar: 3 mm.

FIG. 4. — Stellaria manii Hook.f., this specimen has two locality labels, far about 22700 km distant from each other.