Micromeria canariensis (P. Pérez) Puppo 2015

Puppo, Pamela & Meimberg, Harald, 2015, New species and new combinations in Micromeria (Lamiaceae) from the Canary Islands and Madeira, Phytotaxa 230 (1), pp. 1-21 : 3-7

Micromeria canariensis (P. Pérez) Puppo , comb. et stat. nov.

Basionym:— Micromeria varia Bentham (1834: 374) subsp. canariensis P. Pérez (1978: 180) . Satureja ericifolia (Roth) R.H. Willemse (1991: 83) subsp. canariensis (P. Pérez) R.H. Willemse (1991: 84) ; Satureja varia Webb & Berthelot ex Briquet in Engler & Prantl (1896: 299) subsp. canariensis (P. Pérez) A. Hansen & Sunding (1993: 7) . Holotype:— SPAIN. Canary Islands: “Ex Insula Canaria Magna (G. Canaria dicta) in magno anfractu “Bco. Oscuro”, dictum, prope Tamadaba, versus 900 m. supra Mare”, 10 July 1974, P. Pérez 9 (TFC!).

Erect subshrub, 30–80 cm high, highly branched; branches persisting and entangled, shedding bark, basal parts of branches glabrate or densely puberulent, younger parts puberulent or canescent. Leaves sessile or inconspicuously petiolated; blades herbaceous 3–10 × 0.5–3 mm, reddish to green, all blades linear, revolute, densely puberulent to hirsute, or basal blades lanceolate, flat, glabrate on both sides, abaxially puberulent on the midrib, and upper blades linear, revolute, puberulent throughout. Cymes arranged on the tip of young branches, sessile or with peduncles up to 5 mm long. Calyx green to purple, puberulent to tomentose, up to 3.5 mm long; calyx apices lanceolate, subulate, acute, ciliate or not. Corolla light purple, up to 5 mm long, exerted. Anthers purple. Style slightly exerted.

Notes: —This taxon was first described as one of the subspecies of M. varia present in Gran Canaria by Pérez de Paz (1978). Molecular studies ( Meimberg et al. 2006, Puppo et al. 2015) showed that it is different to M. varia present in Tenerife and deserves specific status.

a. subsp. canariensis . Fig. 1–B , Fig. 3 .

Subshrub up to 80 cm high; basal parts of branches glabrate, younger parts puberulent. Leaves blades 5–10 × 0.5–3 mm, green, basal blades lanceolate, flat, glabrate on both sides, abaxially puberulent on the midrib, upper blades linear, revolute, puberulent throughout. Cyme peduncles 2–5 mm long. Calyx green tinged with purple, puberulent, 2.5–3.5 mm long, calyx apices subulate, acute, ciliate. Corolla 3.5–5 mm long, exerted, lower lip projected upwards almost forming a 90º angle with the upper lip.

Representative Specimens Examined: — SPAIN. Gran Canaria: Bco. de los Tiles de Moya , 24 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-2 ( TFC) ; P. Puppo et al. 330, 334 (TFC); Brezal de el Palmital, 24 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-3 ( TFC) ; P. Puppo et al. 337, 338 (TFC); Fontanales, 24 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-5 ( TFC) ; P. Puppo et al. 358, 360, 361, 362 (TFC).

Habitat and Geographical Distribution: —This subspecies is restricted to the island of Gran Canaria where it grows in several localities in the NE side of the island between 400–1000 m. It is especially abundant in rocky, humid areas, in the border of the Laurisilva forest and humid gorges.

Notes: —This subspecies grows in the humid northeast side of the island and is overall larger in size and less pubescent than subsp. meridialis from the drier zone.

b. subsp. meridialis (P. Pérez) Puppo , comb. nov. Fig. 1–C , Fig. 4 .

Basionym:— Micromeria varia Bentham (1834: 374) subsp. meridialis P. Pérez (1978: 181) . Satureja ericifolia (Roth) R.H. Willemse (1991: 83) subsp. meridialis (P. Pérez) R.H. Willemse (1991: 84) ; Satureja varia Webb & Berthelot ex Briquet in Engler & Prantl (1896: 299) subsp. meridialis (P. Pérez) A. Hansen & Sunding (1993: 7) . Holotype:— SPAIN. Canary Islands, “In regione austral insulae Canarie Magnae (Gran Canaria dicta), in rupibus circumstantibus loco Fataga dicto, ubi est frequens”, 20 July 1974, P. Pérez 10 (TFC!).

= Micromeria varia Bentham (1834: 374) f. microphylla Christ (1888: 134) . Type:— SPAIN. Canary Islands: “In convallibus reg. marit. insular. fere omnium”, Barker-Webb (not traced, FI?).

Subshrub up to 30 cm high; basal parts of branches densely puberulent, younger parts canescent. Leaves blades 3–6 × 0.5–0.9 mm, reddish or green tinged with red, all blades linear, revolute, densely puberulent to hirsute. Cymes sessile or shortly pedunculated; peduncles less than 2 mm long when present. Calyx reddish or lilac, tomentose, less than 3 mm long; calyx apices lanceolate, acute. Corolla less than 3 mm long, barely exerted, lower lip projected downwards.

Representative Specimens Examined: — SPAIN. Gran Canaria : Bco. de Fataga, 25 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-9 ( TFC) ; P. Puppo et al. 417, 419, 423 (TFC); sobre pueblo de Fataga , 25 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-11 ( TFC) ; Bco. de Arguineguin , cerca a Soria, 25 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-13 ( TFC) ; P. Puppo et al. 467, 469, 470 (TFC); Carretera Tasarte-Mogán , sobre pueblo de Tasarte, 26 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-18 ( TFC) ; P. Puppo et al. 508, 509 (TFC); Lomo Maguyo ( Telde ), sobre ciudad de Maguyo, 27 May 2011, P. L. Pérez de Paz 674/C-20 ( TFC) ; P. Puppo et al. 528 (TFC).

Geographical Distribution: —This subspecies is widely distributed on the southern side of Gran Canaria from 100 m up to the highest areas in the island. This subspecies grows in dry areas and is especially common colonizing abandoned fields.

Notes: —This taxon was the other M. varia subspecies described by Pérez de Paz (1978) for Gran Canaria. Micromeria canariensis subsp. meridialis grows in the dry southeastern part of the island and is shorter and more pubescent than subsp. canariensis . The distinctiveness of subsp. meridialis was not supported by molecular studies since samples from both subspecies appear intermixed in phylogenetic analysis ( Puppo et al. 2015). This, together with the limited morphological separation of these taxa led us to treat them at subspecific rank.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Micromeria varia (Tenerife). B. Micromeria canariensis subsp. canariensis (Gran Canaria). C. Micromeria canariensis subsp. meridialis (Gran Canaria). D. Micromeria gomerensis (La Gomera). E. Micromeria pedro-luisii (La Gomera). F. Micromeria hierrensis subsp. incana (El Hierro). Photos A, C, D, F from P. Puppo; B and E from P.L. Pérez de Paz.

FIGURE 3. Micromeria canariensis subsp. canariensis flowering branch (A), leaf axial and abaxial (B) and flower, frontal and side view (C). Drawn by P. Puppo from Puppo et al. 330 (TFC).

FIGURE 4. Micromeria canariensis subsp. meridialis flowering branch (A), leaf axial and abaxial (B) and flower, frontal and side view (C). Drawn by P. Puppo from Puppo et al. 419 (TFC).