Justicia salviiflora Kunth

Daniel, Thomas F., García-Morales, Leccinum J. & Mora-Olivo, Arturo, 2021, Taxonomic and Photographic Guide to the Acanthaceae of Tamaulipas, Mexico, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 67 (6), pp. 185-228 : 210-211

Justicia salviiflora Kunth

PHENOLOGY.— Flowering: November; fruiting: unknown.

DISTRIBUTION.— Mexico (Chih., Chis., Col., Dur., Gro., Jal., Méx, Mich., Mor., Nay., Oax., Sin., Son., Tamps., Zac.).

HABITAT.— Mesophytic montane forest.

ELEVATION.— Ca. 1050 meters.

NOTES.— Daniel (1995) provided a description of this species ( Fig. 4C ), which attains its northeasternmost occurrence and is rare in Tamaulipas.

REPRESENTATIVE SPECIMENS.— Mpio. Ocampo, Ejido El Refugio en la Reserva de la Biósfera El Cielo, [23°00ʹ00ʺN, 099°20ʹ58ʺW], J. Mora-López. et al. 268 ( UAT, XAL) .

Justicia sp. PHENOLOGY.— Flowering: September–October; fruiting: September.

DISTRIBUTION.— Mexico (Tamps.); see notes below.

HABITAT.— Thornscrub.

ELEVATION.— 1700 meters.

NOTES.— This is the first documented occurrence of this species ( Fig. 4H ) in Tamaulipas. Its identity remains unknown at present. Plants from Tamaulipas greatly resemble a group of species from several regions of Mexico (e.g., J. lundellii Leonard [Yucatán Peninsula], J. maya T.F. Daniel [Chiapas], and J. zamudioi T.F. Daniel [Querétaro] and additional plants currently unassigned to species from other regions of the country—e.g., Hidalgo, Jalisco, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí). All of these plants have densely bracteate and four-sided inflorescences, prominent bracts with maroon discoloration near the margin, a five-lobed calyx with ± homomorpic lobes, relatively small, whitish to yellowish corollas with pink to maroon markings on the lower lip, ± parallel anther thecae, and triaperturate pollen. They differ from one another in characters such as the distribution and type of pubescence, bract shape, calyx length, pollen apertures flanked by insulae vs. pseudocolpi, capsule length, and seed ornamentation. Like some of the unidentified plants from other regions of Mexico, Tamaulipan plants are as yet imperfectly known. The two known sites in Tamaulipas are about 20 km apart. Additional collections and studies should provide sufficient data to determine whether they can be attributed to one of the described species or if they represent a distinct species. Plants noted below are tentatively treated here as a species endemic to Tamaulipas. Whatever its ultimate status, this species is rare in the state.

REPRESENTATIVE SPECIMENS.— Mpio. Jaumave , ca. 20 km SE de Jaumave camino a 20 de Abril, 23.254742, -99.381573, L. García-Morales s.n. ( ITCV); Mpio. Palmillas, 14 km SE de Palmillas, al W del Rancho El Balcón, F. Medrano et al. 9981 ( MEXU) .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Tamaulipan Acanthaceae IV. A. Justicia brandegeeana. B. Justicia leonardii. C. Justicia salviiflora. D. Justicia linearis. E. Justicia fulvicoma. F. Justicia pilosella. G. Justicia canbyi. H. Justicia sp. I. Justicia pacifica. Photos by T. Daniel (A–C, E) and L. García-Morales (D, F–I).