Calendula stellata Cavanilles (1791: 3)

Gonçalves, Ana Carla, Ouhammoud, Ahmed, Amirouche, Rachid, Santos, Conceição, Figueiredo, Estrela & Silveira, Paulo, 2023, A taxonomic revision of Calendula (Asteraceae) in Morocco, including some taxa from Algeria and Tunisia, Phytotaxa 605 (1), pp. 1-83 : 39-42

10. Calendula stellata Cavanilles (1791: 3) ; Desfontaines (1799: 304); Heyn et al. (1974: 176); Meikle (1976: 207); Fennane & Ibn Tattou (1998: 24); Valdés et al. (2002: 671); Ibn Tattou & Fennane (2009: 29); Dobignard & Chatelain (2011: 188); Gonçalves et al. (2014: 271). Type:—Plate 5 in Cavanilles (1791: Tab. 5) (lectotype designated here).

Description:––Annual herbs. Stems (2) 17.3–45.5 (80) cm long, ascending to erect, sometimes decumbent, branched at the base, with glandular hairs predominating over non-glandular hairs, ± viscous. Basal leaves (1.2) 3–6,5 (10) × (0.4) 1.5–3 (4) cm, (0.3) 0.3–0.5 (0.5) mm thick, oblanceolate, acute or, more frequently, obtuse, margin sub-entire to sinuate-dentate, base attenuated in a ± longer petiole, with glandular hairs predominating over non-glandular hairs, ± viscous; the middle and upper cauline leaves progressively smaller towards the apex, oblanceolate to lanceolate, sessile and usually auriculate. Capitula solitary, (2.5) 3–4 (5) cm of in diameter. Achenes heteromorphic: outer achenes rostrate (5) 7.1–11.7 (15.2) × (0.8) 1.3–1.9 (2.7) mm, usually strongly curved and with long spines at the back, usually with two small teeth, one at the base and another at the apex; sometimes bialate (8.3) 10.8–12.4 (13.3) × (7.2) 7.7– 9.3 (10.2) mm, wings with irregularly incised margins, extended along both sides up to the apex; middle achenes cymbiform (4.8) 6.7–8 (8.5) × (3.8) 5.3–7 (8) mm; inner achenes vermiculate-alate (3.5) 3.8–5.2 (5.8) × (2) 2.7–3.3 (3.7) mm, hook-shaped to circular, with two narrow lateral wings, and/or vermiculate-exalate (3.2) 3.7–4.5 (5.3) × (1.2) 1.2–1.7 (1.8) mm, circular. Figure 16 .

Habitat and distribution:—A widespread species in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Sicily (rare), occurring in ruderal and waste ground, cultivated fields and grasslands or in the margin of roads and ditches, up to 1300 m. Figure 15 .

Conservation status:—Least Concern (LC). Since this is a widespread taxon, based on the IUCN criteria we proposed its status as LC for the study area.

Chromosome number:— 2n = 44.

Genome size:—2.11 ± 0.10 pg.

Notes:— Calendula stellata was described by Cavanilles (1791: 3) based on material grown at the garden of the Duke of Infantado, obtained from Lemonnier [‘ Colui in horto Exc. Ducis del Infantado ex seminibus acceptis a D. Lemonier’]. There are no specimens of Calendula stellata in Cavanilles Herbarium. Furthermore, there are no collections of this species known to have originated from material cultivated at the Duke’s garden. In the absence of specimens, the illustration published by Cavanilles (1791: Tab. 5) as part of the original material, is here designated as lectotype.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Geographic distribution of Calendula arvensis, C. stellata, and C. tripterocarpa in Morocco.

FIGURE 16. Variability of achene morphology of Calendula. A. C. meuselii (Silveira 3063, AVE); B. C. eckerleinii (Silveira 3064,AVE); C. C. oualidii (Silveira & Gonçalves 3339,AVE); D. C. davisii (Silveira & Gonçalves 3263,AVE); E. C. maroccana (Silveira 3144,AVE); F. C. maroccana (Silveira, Gonçalves, & Ouhammou 3295, AVE); G. C. murbeckii (Silveira, Gonçalves, & Ouhammou 3280, AVE); H. C. lanzae (Silveira, Gonçalves, & Ouhammou 3293, AVE); I. C. pinnatiloba (Silveira 3137, AVE); J. C. stellata (Silveira 3137, AVE); K. C. stellata (Silveira 3062, AVE); L. C. tripterocarpa (Silveira 3068, AVE). Rostrate achenes: A1, 2; B1, 2; C1, 2; D1, 2; E1-3; F1, 2; G1-4; H1-2; I1, 2; J1, 2; K1. Bialate achenes:A3, 4; B3, 4; E4, H4-6; K2. Cymbiform achenes: E7, 8; G7; H7, 8; I6; J3, 4; K4, 5; L2, 3. Trialate achenes: B5, 6; C3, 4; D4, 5; E5, 6; F3, 4; G5, 6; I3, 4; L1. Vermiculate-alate achenes: H9; J5; K6; L4. Vermiculate-exalate achenes:A5; B7; B8; C5, 6; D6, 7; E9, 10; F5, 6; G8; H10, I7, J6, K7; L5. All achenes in side view, except:A3, B4, B5, C3, D3, D5, E4, E5, F3, G5, H4, H5, H7, I3, I5, I6, J3, K2, K4, L1 and L2 in ventral face view, and A4, B3, B6, C4, D4, E6, F4, G6, H6, H8, I4, J4, K3, K5 and L3 in ± dorsal face view. Scale bars = 1 cm.