Salvia omissa J.G.González, 2015

González-Gallegos, Jesús Guadalupe, 2015, Salvia ramamoorthyana and S. omissa (Lamiaceae), two names for two old and largely confused species from Mexico, Phytotaxa 236 (3), pp. 215-225 : 220-222

Salvia omissa J.G.González , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 , 3 )

Salvia ramamoorthyana primo adspectu maxima simile, sed foliis cuneatis ad basem (vs. truncatis, rotundatis vel subcordatis), pilis capitato-glandulosis calycibus restrictis (vs. pilis capitato-glandulosis ubique in petiolis, inflorescentiarum axibus, bracteis floralibus, pedicellis et calycibus), calycum labiis superis 7-nervatis (vs. 5 vel 7-nervatis), connectivo dentato (vs. geniculato) differt.

Type:— MEXICO. Jalisco: mun. Cuautitlán de García Barragán, between (1 km by air E of) Nevería and Las Capillas, 19º33’N, 104º12’O, 2550 m, 9 March 1987, H. H. Iltis, B. F. Benz, A. Vázquez-G. & M. Cházaro-B. 29382 (holotype WIS!, isotypes CHAPA!, IEB!, MEXU!, MICH!).

Shrub, (0.8–)1–2(–3) m tall, erect, stem short-pilose between the ribs. Leaf with petiole 2–10 mm long, short-pilose; blade lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, (1–)3–6.5 × (0.5) 1.4–2.7 cm, apex acute to rounded, base cuneate, margin serrate, upper surface glabrous and often bullate, lower surface puberulent on the veins and with ocher glandular dots dispersed. Inflorescence in racemes (2.9–) 11–17 cm long, verticillasters 8–15, each one 2–8-flowered, 1.4–2.5 cm apart from each other toward the base, floral axis short-pilose and puberulent. Floral bract ovate to triangular, 1.6–3.9 × 0.6–1.6 mm, deciduous, apex acuminate to caudate, base cuneate, margin entire, short-pilose on the outer surface; bracteoles present, narrow lanceolate to linear, late deciduous. Flower with pedicel 1.6–2.7 mm long, hispidulous. Calyx 5.9–8 × 2.9–3.2 mm, green and sometimes dorsally wine tinged, hispidulous with glandular-capitate hairs, covered with short conical hairs inside toward the throat, lips acute, the upper 7-veined and entire, lobes of the lips acute. Corolla blue with white nectar guides on the lower lip; tube 5.4–6.7 × 2.5–3.5 mm, ventricose, invaginated toward the base, epapillate inside, glabrous; upper lip 3–4 mm long, short-pilose and ventrally bordered by tiny glandular-capitate hairs; lower lip 6.3–9.8 × 5–7.8 mm, deflexed, short-pilose beneath. Stamen included; filament 1.2–1.7 mm long; connective 2–3.5 mm long, ornate with an acute retrorse tooth near midportion; theca 1–1.5 mm long; a pair of staminodes above and behind filament insertion, filiform and capitate. Gynobasic horn 0.8–1.3 mm long; style 7–9 mm long, short-pilose at apex, lower stigmatic branch sigmoid. Mericarp ovoid, 1.6–1.8 × 0.8–1 mm long, pale brown and irregularly dark brown marbled, smooth, glabrous.

Etymology:—The epithet derives from the Latin and means disregarded, neglected or left out; this name was chosen to point out the fact that this species has been misunderstood and mixed with S. ramamoorthyana ( Espejo Serna & Ramamoorthy 1993) .

Distribution, habitat and phenology: — Salvia omissa is an endemic species from Sierra de Manantlán, Jalisco, Mexico ( Fig. 3 ). It grows in montane cloud forest, fir forest, pine forest and pine-oak forest, at (1900–) 2200–2760 m elevation. It shares habitat with Abies jaliscana , Alnus acuminata , Arbutus xalapensis , Ardisia revoluta , Carpinus caroliniana , Clethra rosei , Clinopodium macrostemum , Cupressus lusitanica , Fuchsia arborescens , Lepechinia nelsonii , Magnolia iltisii , Oreopanax xalapensis , Salvia gesneriiflora , S. lavanduloides and Tilia mexicana . It flowers and fruits from November to April.

Notes: — Salvia omissa is characterized by lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic leaves, cuneate base, glandular-capitate hairs restricted to the calyces, 7-veined upper calyx lip and connective ornate with a retrorse acute tooth. It is part of a morphological complex within S. sect. Sigmoideae including S. chapalensis , S. quercetorum Epling (1939: 46) and S. ramamoorthyana . The four taxa are very similar in size, habit and general architecture. The characters that support their recognition are the shape of leaf blade at base, the presence/absence and distribution of glandular-capitate hairs and the number of veins on upper calyx lip. In contrast, Salvia quercetorum is characterized by long cuneate leaf blades at base, lacking at all of glandular-capitate hairs and 7-veined upper calyx lip; S. chapalensis has ovate to ovate-lanceolate or rarely suborbicular leaves, truncate to rounded at base, glandular-capitate hairs absent throughout and 5 or 7-veined upper calyx lip; and S. ramamoorthyana has ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaves, rounded, truncate to cordate base, glandular-capitate hairs throughout floral axis and bracts, pedicels and calyces. These taxa have discrete distributions; S. omissa , S. quercetorum and S. ramamoorthyana overlap in Sierra de Manantlán. Salvia chapalensis is known only from the mountains north of Chapala lake; S. quercetorum grows from Sierra de Manantlán to Sierra de San Sebastián, being endemic to Jalisco; S. ramamoorthyana is the widest distributed since it grows from Distrito Federal, Estado de México and Morelos up to Jalisco; and S. omissa is the narrowest distributed being endemic to a single mountain range in Jalisco, Sierra de Manantlán. The diagnostic characters to differentiate these species are subtle but constant and with a geographic structure, whereby it is more convenient to accept the four as distinct species. However, in the future it must be elucidated whether they are actually conespecific by means of phylogenetic and genetic analyses.

The present taxonomic changes are relevant in the sense that they provide a background to make questions and hypotheses that can be tested in the light of phylogenetic analyses and other forms of evidence such as the pertinence of glandular-capitate hairs as a character with strong weight to delimit species within Salvia sect. Sigmoideae . Additionally, it offers a clarification about several names in Salvia .

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — MEXICO. Jalisco. Autlán de Navarro: brecha Ahuacapán-Las Joyas, entre Corralitos y Cuatro Caminos, sierra de Manantlán , 1900 m, 9 March 1989, R. Ramírez-D. et al. 1154 ( IBUG!) ; Cuautitlán de García Barragán: about 15 miles SE of Autlán, barranca in mountains near trail from Chante to Rancho Manantlán and thence SE 3–4 hours with pack animals toward El Cuartón , 2400–2600 m, 13 April 1949, R. McVaugh 10268 ( MEXU!, MICH!, UC!) ; sierra de Manantlán (15–20 miles SE of Autlán), near Aserradero El Cuartón, 2500 m, 2 November 1952, R. McVaugh 13837 ( MEXU!, MICH!) ; just below NW end of the sierra de Manantlán oriental plateau, 1 km NNW of arroyo San Miguel meadows, 16 km S of El Chante , 19º4’30’’N, 104º12’20’’O, 2260 m, 12 January 1980, P. Sorensen 7988 ( MEXU!, WIS!) ; top of Sierra de Manantlán plateau, along lumber road from N end of sierra de Manantlán central to arroyo de Neverías at W end of sierra de Manantlán Oriental , 2–4 km E of cerro La Cumbre, 17.5 km S of El Chante, 19º33’39’’N, 104º11’13’’O, 2350 m, 10 January 1980, D. Waller et al. 7 ( ENCB!, IBUG!, WIS!) ; NW-facing, steep rocky wooded arroyo near top of sierra de Manantlán oriental, along lumber road to cerro Las Cumbres, 0.2 km du WNW of cerro Las Capillas , 18.5 km SSE of El Chante, 19º33’20’’N, 104º9’15’’O, 2760 m, 7 January 1980, H. H. Iltis et al. 2403 ( ENCB!, IBUG!, MEXU!, WIS!) ; 19–20 km al NE de Cuautitlán, 7–8 km al SEE de E. C. L. J., Tierritas Blancas, E. C. L. J.— Las Capillas, 19º33’26’’N, 104º12’28’’O, 2400 m, 14 February 1989, G. López & L. Guzmán-H. 16 ( WIS!, ZEA!) ; cerca del Guízar , dentro de la Sierra de Manantlán, 19º33’30’’N, 104º7’38’’O, 2700 m, 21 February 2003, R. Cuevas-G. et al. 7666 ( ZEA!) ; brecha de Llanos de San Miguel a Las Capillas, Sierra de Manantlán , 19º33’47.02’’N, 104º11’59.8’’O, 2375 m, 21 January 2011, J. G. González-G. & F. J. Santana Michel 846 ( IBUG!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Salvia omissa. A) apical portion of a flowering branch, B) floral bract, C) calyx, D) corolla, E) connective and theca of a stamen, F) apical portion of the style showing stigmatic branches, G) mericarp [drawn from J.G. González-G. & F.J. Santana-M. 846 (IBUG) by the author].

FIGURE 3. Distribution maps of Salvia omissa (white triangles) and S. ramamoorthyana (black squares);A. Detail of Jalisco and adjacent areas (box top right), B. Detail of Sierra de Manantlán (shaded area) in Jalisco (box bottom left).