Odontarrhena moravensis, (Meyer 2011: 65) L. Cecchi & Selvi

Cecchi, Lorenzo, Bettarini, Isabella, Colzi, Ilaria, Coppi, Andrea, Echevarria, Guillaume, Pazzagli, Luigia, Bani, Aida, Gonnelli, Cristina & Selvi, Federico, 2018, The genus Odontarrhena (Brassicaceae) in Albania: Taxonomy and Nickel accumulation in a critical group of metallophytes from a major serpentine hot-spot, Phytotaxa 351 (1), pp. 1-28 : 18

4. O. moravensis ( Meyer 2011: 65) L.Cecchi & Selvi , comb. & stat. nov.

(≡) A. smolikanum subsp. moravense F.K.Mey.

Holotype:— ALBANIA. “ Korça, Mali i Moravës, bei Drenova , ca. 1100–1200 m, Serpentin ”, 12/09/1961, F. K. Meyer, Flora Albanica no. 6144, JE00016687 , JE!

Isotype:—JE00016688, JE!

Cushion-like habit with erect-ascending flowering stems, 8–15(18) cm. Sterile shoots at the base numerous, branched and densely leafy. Basal leaves 4–8 × 1.2–1.6 mm, narrowly obovate-spathulate, blade well distinct from petiole, slightly folded, subacute, greenish on upper surface, whitish-silvery below for overlapping hairs with 15–22 rays, ca. 0.5 mm across. Cauline leaves similar to the basal ones. Flowering stems straight, terminating into short, simple (very rarely 1-branched), racemes, remaining compact in fruit, with 10–18 silicles. Fruiting pedicels patent, rigid. Sepals ca. 1.8 mm, stellate-pubescent. Petals ca. 2.5 mm long. Style ca. 1.5 mm. Siliculae 4.8–5.5 × 2.8–3.2 mm, elliptic and almond-shaped, subacute at apex, symmetrical; valves often somewhat undulate, veined, glabrous. Seeds ca. 1.6 mm, including a very narrow wing up to ca. 0.15 mm. Figs. 3D , 6F , 7F , 10 .

Phenology. Flowering from April to early June, fruit ripening rarely extending to mid July ( Fig. 4 ).

Chromosome number. 2n = 16 ( Fig. 5C ); plants from the area of Voskopoje, west of Korça (FI050441).

Distribution and ecology. Endemic to the serpentine massifs on the Korça region in E Albania (Morave, Voskopoje, Devolli). It grows only in primary, undisturbed habitats, such as rocky slopes, gravels and stony ground, always on serpentine, from 800 to 1500 m a.s.l. It is allopatric with respect to both O. smolikana subsp. serpentinicola and O. rigida ( Fig. 1 ; Appendix 1).

Nickel accumulation. Ni levels in this species were variable but always above 5000 μg g-1 dw ( Table 1).

Comments. Originally described as a subspecies of A. smolikanum from a single collection, based on the glabrous silicles ( Meyer 2011). This character, however, is diagnostic with respect to Greek O. smolikana subsp. smolikana (with stellate-pubescent silicles), but not to Albanian subsp. glabra which also has glabrous fruits ( Figs. 6E, F ). Nevertheless, the specific status of this taxon is justified by a combination of diagnostic traits that can be readily appreciated on native populations and complete herbarium material, such as the smaller and narrowly spathulate-lanceolate basal leaves, the short and simple racemes, the patent fruit pedicels and the seeds with narrower wing. As in other species, the latter character is associated with the diploid chromosome complement ( Cecchi et al. 2013), whereas typical O. smolikana is tetraploid with distinctly winged seeds (see above). This species also differs from O. rigida by the lower, cushion-like habit, the smaller leaves with white silvery lower surface, the simple racemes and the larger silicles with slightly undulate valves ( Fig. 11 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Odontarrhena in Albania; the range of O. chalcidica is given as light grey area, the other taxa as symbols (in legend); major serpentine outcrops are represented as dark grey spots and numbered from the north to the south. 1: Tropoja, 2: Krrabi, 3: Gomsiqe, 4: Puke, 5: Kukesi, 6: Lure, 7: Skenderbeu, 8: Bulqize, 9: Shebenik, 10: Shpati, 11: Vallamara, 12: Devolli, 13: Voskopoja, 14: Morava (after Bani et. al. 2017, modified).

FIGURE 3. The Albanian taxa of Odontarrhena in their natural environment:A) O. albiflora (Mt. Tathë); B) O. chalcidica (Pishkash); C) O. decipiens (Bulqizë); D) O. moravensis (Voskopojë); E) O. rigida (Mt. Shpat); F) O. smolikana subsp. glabra (Mt. Shebenik).

FIGURE 4. Phenological differences between taxa of Odontarrhena in Albania. Bars in light grey indicate the time interval between the decade in which at least 50% of the population is in flower and the decade when full flowering (100%) of the population occurs; bars in dark grey indicate the same interval for the fruiting process (50%-100% of the population with ripe fruits).

FIGURE 5. Micrographs of chromosome metaphase plates of: A) O. muralis (Romania, Deva, type locality, FI052171), 2n = 16; B) O. rigida, 2n =16; C) O. moravensis, 2n = 16; D) O. chalcidica (“A. markgrafii”, FI050423), 2n = 32 + 4B; E) O. chalcidica (type locality of A. elatius, FI052165), 2n = 32; F) O. decipiens (FI050443), 2n = 32+2B; G) O. smolikana subsp. glabra, 2n = 32; H) O. albiflora, 2n = 32. Scale bar = 5 μm. The B-chromosomes are indicated by arrow heads.

FIGURE 6. SEM micrographs of silicles of: A) O. albiflora (FI050840); B) O. chalcidica (neotype of A. markgrafii, FI050424); C) O. chalcidica (Greece, near Thessaloniki, isolectotype, FI010117); D) O. decipiens (FI050445); E) O. smolikana subsp. glabra (FI050433); F) O. moravensis (FI050441); G) O. muralis (Romania, Deva, type locality, FI050439); H) O. rigida (neotype, FI050434). Scale bar = 2mm.

FIGURE 7. SEM micrographs of trichomes on the median part of flowering stems of:A)O. albiflora (FI050840); B) O.chalcidica (neotype of A. markgrafii, FI050424); C) O. chalcidica (FI050422); D) O. decipiens (FI050445); E) O. smolikana subsp. glabra (FI050433); F) O. moravensis (FI050441); G) O. muralis (FI050439 type locality, Romania); H) O. rigida (neotype, FI050434). Scale bar = 500 μm.

FIGURE 10. O. moravensis. A) habit (fruiting specimens); B) leaf of sterile shoot, showing its upper (left) and lower surface (right); C) lateral fruiting raceme; D) silicle in lateral, inner and outer view. Original drawing by L. Cecchi (based on the FI050441 and FI050828).

FIGURE 11. O. rigida. A) habit (fruiting specimen); B) leaf of sterile shoot, showing its upper (left) and lower surface (right); C) lateral fruiting raceme; D) silicle in lateral, inner and outer view. Original drawing by L. Cecchi (based on the neotype specimen, FI050434).