Pauridia pudica Snijman, 2014

Snijman, Deirdre A., 2014, A taxonomic revision of the genus Pauridia (Hypoxidaceae) in southern Africa, Phytotaxa 182 (1), pp. 1-114 : 32-35

5. Pauridia pudica Snijman , sp. nov. Fig. 12

Similar to Pauridia aemulans in having corms covered by reticulate, fibrous tunics attached to the basal disc, spreading, slender roots, and a 1-flowered inflorescence with a solitary, linear-lanceolate bract more or less half clasping the pedicel, but differing by relatively thin-textured, carinate leaves and a longer style (2–3 mm) that equals or exceeds the stigma branches (1–2 mm long) as compared with canaliculate leaves and a style (1.5–2.0 mm long) shorter than the stigma branches (3–4 mmlong) in P. aemulans .

Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. [Eastern Cape]: Gamtoos Gorge , [QDS: 3324DB], 13 April 1952, W.F. Barker 7912 (holotype, NBG!; isotype, PRE!) .

Plants 3–11 cm tall. Corm ovoid-globose to somewhat depressed-globose, 60–110 mm diam., covered by fine, brown, fibrous tunics; fibres pectinate proximally and firmly attached to basal disc, reticulate in distal half, tips shortly acuminate; roots slender, mostly straight, arising from proximal half of corm. Cataphylls membranous, persisting as a dark brown, papery neck up to ca. 20 × 2–5 mm. Leaves 3–8, sheathing proximally up to ca. 30 mm from base, lowermost often spreading, uppermost suberect to slightly recurved, narrowly lanceolate, 50–120 × 2.7–5.0(–8.5) mm, shallowly carinate, grass green, thin-textured, margin minutely papillate. Inflorescences 2 or more in flower at a time, 1-flowered, slightly shorter to longer than leaves; scape 30–40 × 0.75 mm, subterete, pale green; bract 1, at most half-clasping pedicel base, linear-lanceolate, 7–8 × 0.2 mm, translucent to pale green, reddish near base. Flower pedicellate, stellate, yellow, rarely with a small greenish centre, backed with pale green in both whorls, unscented; pedicels suberect, subterete, 30–40 × ca. 0.75 mm, deflexed to spreading when fruiting, pale green, later tinged pale pink; tepals 6, sometimes slightly reflexed, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to oblonglanceolate, 6–7 mm long, outer 2.0– 2.5 mmwide, mucronate apically; inner 1.5–2.0 mmwide. Stamens 6, subequal or outer sometimes slightly shorter than inner, suberect to slightly spreading, yellow; filaments inserted on ovary rim, outer 2.0– 2.5 mm long, inner 2.2–3.5 mm long, slightly shorter to longer than anthers; anthers oblong, latrorse, 2.5–3.0 mm long, basal lobes up to 0.75 mm long, apex emarginate, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary narrowly obconical, ca. 3.5 × 2.0 mm, 3-locular; style 2–3 mm long; stigma branches erect, slender, 1–2 × 0.7 mm long, ca. shorter than or equalling stamens, without basal lobes or rarely with 1 or 2 minute projections, yellow, papillose. Capsule obconical, 4 × 2 mm, dehiscence circumscissile. Seeds depressed ovoid, 0.5 mm diam., brownish, densely colliculate. Flowering period: March–April(–June).

Distribution and habitat:— Pauridia pudica is endemic to the Eastern Cape, in the Baviaanskloof Mountains and in the Gamtoos River Valley west of Patensie ( Fig. 13 ). Small, localised populations of about 30 plants are known from riverine thicket, partially shaded by trees on the banks of seasonal rivulets and on steep south-facing slopes on Enon conglomerates, amongst vegetation dominated by species of Passerina Linnaeus (1753: 559) (Thymelaeaceae) .

Diagnostic features:—This species is most similar to the Western Cape Pauridia aemulans , with which it shares a solitary-flowered inflorescence bearing a single, linear-lanceolate bract at the articulation between the scape and pedicel. P. pudica is distinguished by relatively thin-textured, carinate leaves, in which the epidermis appears honey-combed in dried specimens, and a style (2–3 mm long) which equals or exceeds the stigma branches (1–2 mm long). In contrast, the leaves in P. aemulans are canaliculate and the style is just 1.5–2.0 mm long and distinctly shorter than the stigma branches which are 3–4 mm long.

When first collected by Winsome Barker and Joyce Lewis in 1952, the specimens were identified as P. ovata , presumably based on the one-flowered inflorescence and solitary bract. Nevertheless, P. ovata is characterized by a corm encircled by a mass of thickened roots, unlike the fibrous corm in P. pudica , which has spreading roots confined to the corm’s base.

Etymology:—The choice of epithet emphasises the modest appearance of this species, which may account for it seldom having been collected.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— SOUTH AFRICA. Eastern Cape: Baviaanskloof, Coleskeplaas (QDS: 3324 CA), 15 March 2000, Euston-Brown 03 ( NBG!) ; Baviaanskloof, near Armansvriend (QDS: 3324 DA), 17 March 1973, Bayliss 5647 ( NBG! [uppermost and central specimens on sheet]) ; Gamtoos River Gorge (QDS: 3324 DA), 13 April 1952, Lewis 3629 ( SAM!) ; Patensie, Mistkraal (QDS: 3324 DA), 13 June 2008, Logie sub FBG 321 ( NBG!) ; Farm Gonjah, Gamtoos River Gorge between Mistkraal and Patensie (QDS: 3324 DA), 15 April 2008, Snijman 2219 ( NBG!, PRE!) .

Figures

FIGURE 12. Pauridia pudica. A, whole plant; B, leaf in transverse section; C, outer stamen in dorsal view; D, two inner stamens in lateral and ventral view; E, ovary in transverse section; F, ovary with ovules; G, seed. Scale bar A = 20 mm; B–E = 2 mm; F = 1.5 mm; G = 0.5 mm. Drawn by Nicci Page-Cairns from Snijman 2219 (NBG!).

FIGURE 13. Distribution map for Pauridia pudica (triangles) and P. trifurcillata (dots) both from Eastern Cape and P. aemulans (squares) from Western Cape, South Africa.