Hieracium terraccianoi Di Grist., Gottschl. & Raimondo, 2014

Gristina, Emilio Di, Gottschlich, Günter & Raimondo, Francesco M., 2014, Hieracium terraccianoi (Asteraceae), a new species endemic to the Pollino National Park (Southern Italy), Phytotaxa 188 (1), pp. 55-60 : 55-59

Hieracium terraccianoi Di Grist., Gottschl. & Raimondo , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 )

Type:— Italy, Calabria, Pollino Massif, Scala di Gaudolino, Morano Calabro ( CS), carbonate rocks, 39°54’01.09”N, 16°10’09.1”E, 1350 m, 12 July 2014, Di Gristina 101239 (holotype PAL!, isotypes PAL-Gr!, FI!, B!, Hb. Gottschlich- 61550!) .

Diagnosis:— Planta Hieracio busambarensi similis sed foliis maculatis, involucri pilis glanduliferis minus densis sed magis stellatis, involucri phyllis apice minus acutis differt.

Description:—Plant perennial, pseudorosulate. Rhizome stout or slender, oblique or horizontal. Stem erect, stout (Ø 1 –1.4 mm), (15-)21–35(-40) cm tall, green, often brownish-purple at the base, subtly striate, phyllopodous, beneath with sparse to moderately dense, 1.5–5.0 mm long, whitish, rather soft, dentate simple hairs, sparse, 0.1 mm long, glandular hairs, and sparse to moderately dense stellate hairs; above with sparse, 1–2 mm long, simple hairs, sparse to moderately dense, 0.1–0.2 mm long glandular hairs, and moderately to rather dense stellate hairs. Basal leaves (2-)3–4(-6), petiolate; petiole (2-)3–5.5(-7) cm long, green, brownish-purple at the base, with fairly dense, 2–4 mm long, rather soft, dentate simple hairs, sparse, minute glandular hairs, and sparse or no stellate hairs; lamina lanceolate, (3-)5–10(–12) × (1.3-)1.7–3.2(-3.7) cm, glaucous green, strongly or slightly spotted, seldom spotless, margin of the inner basal leaves often entire or slightly denticulate, or serrate-dentate in the proximal half, denticulate in the distal half; all basal leaves acuminate, narrowed or cuneate at base, subglabrous above, with whitish, 1.5–3 mm long, rather soft, dentate simple hairs that are moderately dense on the margin and beneath but rather dense along the midrib, and sparse, minute glandular and stellate hairs. Cauline leaves (1-)2(–3), (2-)2.5–10(-12) × (0.5-)0.7–3(-3.3) cm, the lower with a winged, 2–3.5(-4) cm long, petiole, their shape, colour and indumentum similar to those of the basal leaves; the upper reduced, linear-lanceolate, semiamplexicaul. Synflorescence furcate, seldom racemose-paniculate; branches 0–2, (1.5-)2.5–8(-17) cm long, each with a single capitulum; capitula 1–3; acladium 2–7.5(-8) cm long. Peduncles with 1–3(-4) linear, green or dark green bracts (1-)4(-5) mm long, with sparse, seldom moderately dense, 0.5–1.5 mm long, rather soft, dentate simple hairs that are white distally and with a dark base, sparse to moderately dense blackish or whitish yellow, 0.1–0.3 mm mm long glandular hairs, and moderately to fairly dense stellate hairs. Involucre subglobose, 9–12 mm long. Involucral bracts in few series, olive-green, paler at the margin, lanceolate, 0.9–1.1 mm wide, subacute, with moderate, 0.4–1.3(-1.5) mm long, rather soft, denticulate simple hairs that are white in distal half and with a black base, sparse, 0.1–0.2 mm long glandular hairs with yellow-blackish heads and a black stipe, and sparse stellate hairs that are becoming dense or rather dense only at the margin. Corolla limb ligulate, yellow, glabrous. Styles yellow. Achenes 3–4 mm long, dark brown.

Etymology:—The new species is dedicated to Nicola Terracciano (1837–1921), Neapolitan botanist who devoted his work especially to the floristic study of the Pollino area.

Biological form:—Pseudorosulate hemicryptophyte.

Phenology:—Flowering June to mid-July; fruiting in June and July ( Fig. 3 ).

Distribution and ecology:— Hieracium terraccianoi occurs in a restricted area between 1320 and 1450 m of elevation, at the Scala di Gaudolino (Pollino Massif), Morano Calabro (Cosenza province), in the Pollino National Park ( Fig. 1 ). From a bioclimatic point of view, according to the terminology of Rivas-Martinez (1981), the area falls within the supramediterranean bioclimatic belt with the lower humid ombrotype. Hieracium terraccianoi is a calcicolous taxon, represented by about 300 individuals growing on NW-facing rocks and stony slopes, in clearings of the beech forest ( Fig. 4 ).

Conservation status:—According to the IUCN (2010) criteria for the conservation status assessment, Hieracium terraccianoi should be classified as “Critically Endangered” (CR): B1a+2a; C2a(ii).

Taxonomic relationship:—Bract indumentum (appearing greyish because of the presence of many stellate hairs and but few glandular hairs) and the bluish green, spotted leaves suggest a possible relationship of Hieracium terraccianoi with species of H. sect. Bifida ( Arvet-Touvet 1880: 287) Clapham (1952: 1153) . The long narrowed base of the basal leaves and the presence of 2, sometimes 3 stem leaves (with the lowest stem leaf often being inserted only 1–2 cm above the rosette leaves) show some similarity with H. caesium ( Fries 1819: 76) Fries (1845: 7) . However H. caesium has its main distribution in N Europe, where it has evolved postglacially. Direct relationship across a disjunction between N Europe and Calabria, implying a relict state for H. terraccianoi , is an improbable assumption. Therefore the morphological traits suggesting such an affinity (number of stem leaves, bract indumentum) result from analogy. The winged petioles of the lower stem leaf and the semiamplexicaul base of the upper stem leaf ( Fig. 2 ) are more important features, as they indicate membership in H. sect. Grovesiana Gottschlich (2009a: 152). The Italian endemic H. grovesianum Belli (1897: 491) is the most representative taxon of that section. It is a variable species, often confused with the C European H. lachenalii Suter (1802: 145) , and occurs in the whole Apennine range, with its centre of diversity in the C and N Apennine ( Gottschlich et al. 2013). Hybridisation processes of H. grovesianum and H. racemosum Willdenow (1803: 1588) with other local taxa have apparently resulted in a complex of similar morphotypes, which have recently been grouped together in H. sect G rovesiana ( Gottschlich 2009a –c, 2011).

Among the hitherto known taxa of Hieracium sect. Grovesiana , H. terraccianoi resembles most closely the Sicilian endemic H. busambarense Caldarella, Gianguzzi & Gottschlich (2014: 439) , but it differs from this species in having spotted leaves, less acute involucral bracts and by bract indumentum (more stellate hairs and less glandular hairs).

Hieracium terraccianoi adds to the considerable number of new endemic Hieracium taxa recently discovered in S Italy ( Raimondo & Di Gristina 2004, 2007, Gottschlich et al. 2013, Di Gristina et al. 2013, Caldarella et al. 2014).

Figures

FIGURE 1. The single known location of Hieracium terraccianoi.

FIGURE 2. Hieracium terraccianoi: Holotype.

FIGURE 3. Hieracium terraccianoi fruiting in nature.

FIGURE 4. Carbonate rocks and stony slopes of Scala di Gaudolino, the habitat of Hieracium terraccianoi.