Bouteloua juncea (Desvaux. ex Beauvois) Hitchcock (1913: 343)

Sandoval-Ortega, Manuel Higinio, 2023, Taxonomy of Bouteloua juncea and Bouteloua triaena, two species confused for more than a century, Phytotaxa 612 (3), pp. 261-271 : 262-263

Bouteloua juncea (Desvaux. ex Beauvois) Hitchcock (1913: 343) . Fig. 1 .

≡ Triaena juncea (Desvaux ex Beauvois) Griffiths (1912: 354) .

≡ Cynodon junceus (Desvaux ex Beauvois) Raspail (1825: 303) .

≡ Eutriana juncea (Desvaux ex Beauvois) Trinius (1824: 238) .

≡ Atheropogon domingensis Sprengel (1825: 293) .

≡ Triathera juncea Desvaux ex Beauvois (in Beauvois 1812: 40).

Lectotype (designated by Sandoval-Ortega et al. 2019): — Plate IX, figure IVa-d in Essai d’une Nouvelle Agrostographie 1812. Epitype (designated by Sandoval-Ortega et al. 2019): — DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Barahona, Quita Coraza: Entrada a Pueblo Quita Coraza , orilla de carretera, 18°28’16.7”N 71° 3’37.7”W, 126 m., 19 June 2018, Sandoval-Ortega 1006 ( HUAA 30899 !) .

Description:— Herbs perennial, stoloniferous, tufted; culms 10–20 cm tall, thin, the fertile ones erect, ascending or geniculate, nodes pubescent; leaves with glabrous sheath, blade flat or involute, 8–50 × 1–1.2 mm; ligule a membrane, long ciliate ( Fig. 2A ), trichomes 0.3–0.5 mm long; synflorescence a terminal spike 1–2(3) cm long ( Fig. 2B ); spikelets (8)10–25(35), drooping, solitary ( Fig. 2B and 2C ); glumes linear lanceolate, 1-nerved, acuminate, distinct, the first ca. 1 mm long, the second 2–2.5 mm long ( Fig. 2D ); fertile floret 1 ( Fig. 2E ), lemma ovate elliptic 2–3 mm long, 3-nerved, apex 3-mucronate ( Fig. 2F ), palea ovate-lanceolate, shorter than lemma, ca. 2 mm long, apex 2-mucronate ( Fig. 2G ); sterile floret 1, reduced to a short column with three scabrous awns ≤ 1 cm long ( Fig. 2H ); caryopsis oblong-elliptic, ca 1.5 mm long ( Fig. 2I ).

Phenology:— Specimens with spikelets have been collected from March to June.

Distribution and habitat:— Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands ( Fig. 3 ). It grows close to the coast in coastal and subcoastal xeric scrub, microphyllous evergreen forest and dry forest, between -30 and 400 m.

Examined material:— CUBA. Granma: Farallón de El Dudoso , oeste de ensenada de Mora -Pilón- (Oriente), 30 December 1938, León 18610 ( HAC) . Guantánamo: US Naval Base , Guantánamo bay, Kittery Beach , ca. 0 m., 19°53’45.7’’N 75°77’51.1’’W, 4 October 1996, Areces 6540 ( UPRM) ; Imías , 5 February 1976, Catasús 979 ( HAC) ; Orillas de la Vía Azul, Yacabo, 12 January 1960, Alain & Acuña 7483 ( HAC) ; Zona seca Baitiquiri, Sur de Baracua , Provincia Oritente, 12 January 1969, Alain s.n. ( HAC) ; Macambo , 28 May 1982, Bisse s.n. ( HAC) ; Imías , camino de Yacabo arriba, 7 February 1976, Bisse s.n. ( HAC) ; La Chivera, 23 May 1982, Günther s.n. ( HAJB) ; Imías , Por el camino a Yacabo Arriba . Guantánamo, 7 February 1976, Catasús s.n. ( HAJB) ; Playa Borracho , 6 July 1984, Bermúdez 2221 ( HAJB) ; Próximo a San Antonio del Sur . Guantánamo, 25 November 1978, Catasús 1189 ( HAJB) ; Vía Azul , 12 January 1960, Alain 7483 ( HAJB) . HAITI. Dept . Ouest: Montagnes du Trou d’Eau, Between Source Matelas and Source Puantes, 15 October 1924, Ekman 1057 ( P) . DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Azua: al N de la población, Howard 8640 ( USD) ; a 2.3 km al NO de la entrada al poblado de Hatillo, 30 m., 16 September 1999, Veloz 1776 ( JBSD) ; Hatillo, Entrada al pueblo Hatillo, orilla de carretera, 126 m., 18°24’00’’N 70°31’53.1’’W, 19 June 2018, Sandoval-Ortega 1005 ( JBSD, HUAA, USON) ; Dry hills N of Azua, 29 August 1946, Howard 8640 ( P) . Barahona: Las Salinas, 19 August 1946, Howard 8363 ( USD) ; 2 km desde Fondo Negro en la carretera a Quita Coraza y Azua, 100 m., 18°27´N 71°05´W, 15 June 1982, Zanoni 20935, ( JBSD) ; Quita Coraza: Entrada a Pueblo Quita Coraza , orilla de carretera, 126 m., 18°28’16.7”N 71°3’37.7”W, 19 June 2018, Sandoval-Ortega 1006 ( JBSD, HUAA, USON) . Independencia: Hoya de Enriquillo , 10 km al oeste de Duverge, en el camino viejo a Jimaní, en la orilla del lago Enriquillo, - 30 m., 18°25´N 71°37´W, 16 April 1987, Zanoni 39083 ( JBSD) . Monte Cristi: 2 km antes de la ciudad, entre ésta y el poblado El Rincón, 10– 20 m., 19°47´N 71°38´W, 16 August 1984, García 168 ( JBSD) . Peravia: Aprox. 3 km al este de Las Calderas (o 18.5 km desde Baní en la carretera a Las Calderas), 30 m., 18°13´N 70°28´W, 23 July 1982, Zanoni 22016 ( JBSD) ; Baní, 8 km al Oeste de Baní , 28 August 1946, Howard 8627 ( USD, P) ; Carretera Baní-Azua , 20 m., 23 June 2006, Siqueiros-Delgado s.n. ( HUAA, IEB) ; Matanzas, Playa Matanzas , 18°13’53.6’’N 70°24’45.0’’W, 19 June 2018, Sandoval-Ortega 1004 ( JBSD, HUAA, USON) . Valverde: 1.5 km al NE del cruce Los Quemados , sobre una loma en el lado N de la carretera hacia Mao, 180 m., 19°30’N 71°9.5´W, 9 June 1987, García 2216 ( JBSD) . PUERTO RICO. Guánica: Bo. Montalva , Guanica Forest Reserve , along dirt road over Monte de la Brea to seashore, 5– 20 m., 17°56.03´N 66°56.34´W, 26 March 1995, Axelrod 8856 ( UPRRP) ; Bo. Montalva, Guanica Forest Reserve , along dirt road over Monte de la Brea to seashore, 5– 20 m., 17°56.03´N 66°56.34´W, 26 March 1995, Axelrod 8862 ( UPRRP) ; Montalva , Monte de la Brea , Guanica Forest Reserve . From road 325 taking a dirt road south to Punta Manguillo, 12 m., 17°56’11’’N 66°56’33’’W, 20 November 2004, Monsegur 278, ( UPRM) ; Punta La Brea , 30 m., 17°56’11’’N 66°56’3’’W, 30 June 20018 Sandoval-Ortega 1007, ( UPRRP, HUAA, USON) ; Guanica State Forest: Barrio Montalva. Interior slopes of Monte de la Brea, 40– 50 m., 9 December 1987, Proctor 44315 ( HAJB) . VIRGIN ISLANDS. Salt Island , S of Tortola, NW bay, ca. 10 m., 22 June 1968, Byer 68-1729 ( UPRRP) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Bouteloua juncea (Desvaux ex Beauvois) Hitchcock. Quita Coraza, Barahona, Dominican Republic.

FIGURE 2. Detail of different structures of Bouteloua juncea (Desvaux ex Beauvois) Hitchcock.A) Ligule.B) Inflorescence. C) Spikelet. D) Glumes. E) Fertile floret. F) Lema. G) Palea. H) Rudimentary floret. I) Caryopsis.

FIGURE 3. Distribution of Bouteloua juncea (Desvaux ex Beauvois) Hitchcock. CU= Cuba, DR= Dominican Republic, HT= Haiti, JM= Jamaica, PR= Puerto Rico, SI= Salt Island.