Echiostachys ecklonianus (H.Buek) Levyns

Velani, N., Boatwright, J. S., Magee, A. R. & Manning, J. C., 2023, Taxonomy of the small southern African endemic genus Echiostachys Levyns (Boraginaceae: Boraginoideae), South African Journal of Botany 156, pp. 244-256 : 245-246

1. Echiostachys ecklonianus (H.Buek) Levyns

in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 49: 448 (1934). Lobostemon ecklonianus H.Buek in Linnaea 11: 144 (1837); C.H.Wright in Fl. Cap. 4(2): 41 (1904). Echium ecklonianum (H. Buek.) DC. & A.DC ., Prod. 10: 14 (1846). Type: South Africa, Western Cape, Simonstown (3418): ‘ Hottentotshollandskloof (Stellenbosch)’ (− BB/BD), Ecklon & Zeyher 83 ( SAM-51023 !, lecto., designated here). Note: We designated the SAM material as lectotype as it is the only original material that we have been able to locate. Duplicates of other Lobostemon species described by Buek (1837) are available online [https://plants.jstor.org accessed November 2022] but only this one of L. ecklonianus .

Lobostemon galpinii C.H.Wright in Fl. Cap. 4(2): 41 (1904). Echium galpinii (C.H.Wright) I.M.Johnst . in Contrib. Gray Herb. 73: 52 (1924). Type: South Africa, Western Cape, Caledon (3419): ‘Houw Hoek Mountains’ (− AA), flowers purple, 8 Nov 1897, Galpin 4349 ( K-000418996 , holo.-image!; PRE!, iso.) .

Common name: Pink Boragebrush

Caespitose perennial herbs; rootstock slender or cylindrical. Radical leaves 7 to 12, sub-erect, oblanceolate, 50 − 150 X 5 − 18 mm, obtuse or acute, narrow and petiole-like below, abaxial and adaxial surfaces adpressed strigose-villous with a mix of long and short trichomes ± 1 2 mm long, trichomes simple or pustular, white; petiole-like base densely strigose to villous. Flowering stem arising laterally to leaf tuft, flexed outwards at base then erect, 200 − 400 mm long, villous with patent hairs 1 − 2 mm long, base strigose to villous; cauline leaves sub-erect, smaller than radical leaves, oblanceolate, obtuse or acute, abaxial and adaxial surfaces strigose-villous. In fl orescence a dense, cylindrical pseudo-spike of numerous 1 to 3(6)-flowered cymules, 40 − 80(175) X (15 −)20 − 40(− 50) mm; pedicels 1 − 2 mm long, strigose-pilose; bracts linear-oblanceolate, 5 − 10 mm long, lowermost bracts somewhat leaf-like. Calyx slightly accrescent to ± 9 mm long in fruit, sepals linear-oblanceolate, 3 − 6 mm long, obtuse, densely pilose or sericeous. Corolla funnel-shaped, 6 − 8 mm long, purplish, pinkish or blue, tube 4 − 6 mm long, outer surface very sparsely villous mainly opposite filament insertion, inner surface bearded between filament bases, lobes ± equal, ovate, 2 mm long, central veins sparsely hairy or glabrous. Stamens inserted 2 − 4 mm from base of corolla tube, subequal or usually one stamen shorter than others, 7 − 10 mm long, longest stamen exserted ± 4 mm from tube, shortest exserted ± 2 mm; filaments bearded at base for 2 − 4 mm with hairs running shortly onto tube below filament insertion; anthers ± 0.5 mm long. Style 10 − 13 mm long, exserted ± 4 mm from tube, sparsely villous in lower two thirds. Nutlets ellipsoid, inner surface with median ridge, nearly smooth [fi de Levyns (1934)]. Flowering time: Aug − Nov(Dec). ( Figs. 1A & 2 ).

Distribution and ecology: Echiostachys ecklonianus is restricted to the extreme southwestern parts of Western Cape, South Africa, from the lower slopes of Sir Lowry’ s Pass on the western foothills of the Hottentot’ s Holland Mountains and the western Riviersondered Mountains at Greyton and along the Kleinrivier Mountains to near Bredasdorp [there is a single early record from Swellendam dating from the early nineteenth century (Mund SAM 18,643) but the species has not been recorded east of Bredasdorp since that collection] ( Fig. 3 ); on gravelly or loamy slopes and flats at altitudes up to 285 m a.s.l., flowering best after fire.

Diagnosis and relationships: Echiostachys ecklonianus is distinguished by the relatively short, obtuse radical leaves 50 − 150 mm long (including petiole-like base) and ± one half or two thirds the length of the flowering stem and not conspicuously silky at the base, and by the small purplish, pinkish or blue flowers with the corolla 5 − 8 mm long. The filaments are bearded at the basal 2 − 4 mm, the hairs not forming a distinct brush-like tuft. The nutlets are reported to be ± smooth ( Levyns, 1934).

Echiostachys incanus has similarly small flowers 5 − 9 mm long but the corolla is consistently whitish in color, the leaves are usually longer, 130 − 230(− 260) mm long and often ± as long as the flowering stem, with characteristic acute or attenuate apices, and the base of the petiole-like portion is conspicuously silky. In addition, the hairs at the base of the filaments are congested in a distinct brush-like tuft, and the nutlets are markedly rugose-tuberculate. The two species are largely parapatric but both have been recorded from near Greyton ( E. ecklonianus : www.inaturalist.org/observations/95176242 & 91,533,267; E. incanus : www.inaturalist.org/observations/11111653 & 52,704,559) and possibly also Elim and Swellendam, although there are no recent collections of E. incanus from Elim, and none of either species from Swellendam since the early nineteenth century.

Additional specimens examined

South Africa. WESTERN CAPE. 3320 ( Montagu ): Swellendam (− CD), without date, Mund SAM 18,643 ( SAM). 3418 (Simonstown): Sir Lowry’ s Pass , lower slopes (− BB), 6 Sep 1931, Levyns 3209 ( BOL); Sir Lowry’ s Pass (− BB), Oct 1900, Bolus s.n. ( BOL); 19 Nov 1944, Barker 3381 ( NBG); Elgin (-BD), Sep 1929, Bolus 20,002 ( BOL); Elgin Basin , Arieskraal Farm (− BD), 285 m, 13 Sep 1995, Rode 449 ( NBG). 3419 (Caledon): Kleinmond, in slightly clayey soil (− AA), Jul 1938, Esterhuysen 1455 ( BOL); Houw Hoek (− AA), Sep 1902, Bolus 9944 ( BOL); 26 Sep 1954, Barker 1038 ( NBG), 10 Sep 1997, Goldblatt & Manning 10,735 ( NBG); Viljoen’ s Pass (− AA), Dec 1924, Rogers 28,934 ( SAM); near Bot river (− AA), 24 Jul 1931, Salter 1213 ( BOL); western Riviersonderend Mountains , Elandskloof 59, Rusty Gate farm (− AB), 6 Dec 2012, Helme 7688 ( NGB); Palmiet River, Grabouw (− AC), 8 Oct 1896, Guthrie s.n. ( NBG); Oct 1948, Stokoe 63,194 ( SAM); Hemel en Aarde Mt , (− AC), 30 Sep 1928, Gillett M.107 ( NBG); Kogelberg State Forest (− AC), 150 m, 6 Aug 1993, Kruger 1162 ( NGB); Fernkloof Nature Reserve (Northcliff) Hermanus (− AD), 21 Oct 1982, Burman 880 ( BOL); near Hermanus (− AD), Dec 1930, Levyns 3014 ( BOL); Hermanus (− AD), Oct 1903, Bolus 9684 ( BOL); Hermanus, Rotary Drive , burnt slope (− AD), 10 Oct 1974, Goldblatt 3011 ( NGB, PRE); ENE of Stanford, (− AD), 25 Sep 1949, Acocks 15,502 ( PRE); N side of Akkedisbergpas, Bosch River 609, west of Klein River (− BC), 186 m, 2 Nov 2008, Helme 5718 ( NBG); Elands Kloof (− BD), 10 Oct 1951, Levyns 9773 ( BOL); 5.5mi [9 km] NE of Die Dam, (− CA), 23 Sep 1962, Acocks 22,765 ( PRE); near Uitkraal (− CB), 2 Oct 1935, Muir 4996 ( NGB); Fairfield Hills (− DA), 29 Aug 1928, Lewis 5301 ( NBG); Bredasdorp (− DA), 4 Sep 1943, Van Thikeck 326 ( NGB); Viljoenshof on road to Ratel River (− DA), 4 Sep 1964, Van Breda 1736 ( NGB, PRE); between Bredasdorp and Elim (− DA), Sep 1933, Levyns 4522 ( BOL); 8 Oct 1950, Heginbotham 166 ( NBG); near Elim and Gansbaai (− DA), Oct 1947, Stokoe 63,195 ( SAM); Baardskeerdersbos (− DA), 4 Sep 1943, Hockole 8584 ( BOL); 4 Sep 1943, van Niekerk 326 ( NBG); between Elim and Hagedasberg [ Akkedisberg ] Pass (− DB), 6 Aug 1947, Levyns 8433 ( BOL); near Elim (− DB), Oct 1894, Bolus 9999 ( BOL).

Imprecise locality: Hottentots Holland, Oct 1817, Mundt 51,024 (SAM).

Figures

Fig. 1. Echiostachys species. A. E. ecklonianus. Western Cape, Bredasdorp, Sandberg Fynbos Reserve. B, C. E. incanus. Western Cape, Wellington, Elandsberg Nature Reserve. D, E. E. spicatus. Western Cape, Langebaan, Elandsfontein. Photographs:A, Rupert Kopman;B, C, John Manning; D,E, Nick Helme .

Fig. 2. Echiostachys ecklonianus. Western Cape, Elgin Basin, Arieskraal Farm, Rode 0449 (NBG). A, whole plant; B, detached flower; C, corolla opened out; D, single stamen showing bearded filament base.Scale bar: A = 20 mm; B̅D = 2.5 mm.Artist:N. Velani.

Fig. 3. Distribution of Echiostachys ecklonianus.