Pauridia umbraticola (Schltr.) Snijman & Kocyan (2013: 31)

Snijman, Deirdre A., 2014, A taxonomic revision of the genus Pauridia (Hypoxidaceae) in southern Africa, Phytotaxa 182 (1), pp. 1-114 : 52-53

13. Pauridia umbraticola (Schltr.) Snijman & Kocyan (2013: 31)

Bas.:— Hypoxis umbraticola Schlechter (1900: 89) ≡ Ianthe umbraticola (Schltr.) Williams (1901: 292) ≡ Spiloxene umbraticola (Schltr.) Garside (1936: 269) . Type (lectotype designated by Snijman & Kocyan 2013: 31):— SOUTH AFRICA. [Western Cape], Brackfontein [QDS: 3219AC], 100 ft [30 m], 1 July 1896, Schlechter 7982 (BOL!, isolectotypes B! No. 100165522 [image], K! No. K000255992 [image], PRE!, S! [image], ZT!)

Plants 6–15 cm tall. Corm depressed-globose, 6–10 mm diam., almost naked basally, otherwise covered with fine, brown, fibrous tunics; fibres reticulate, shortly acuminate distally; roots spreading from near corm base. Cataphylls membranous, up to 6 mm long, loosely sheathing. Leaves 2 or 3, sheathing up to 4 mm from base, curved, lorate, attenuate proximally, 50–200× 1.0– 3.5 mm, carinate, pale green, more or less glistening in sunlight, veins somewhat translucent, margin entire, apex acute. Inflorescences 1 or 2 in flower at a time, (1)2-flowered, shorter or longer than leaves; scape 25–65 × 0.7 mm, compressed, pale green; bracts 2, 1 sometimes reduced and inconspicuous, clasping pedicel for most of length, narrowly lanceolate, keeled, 16–35 × ca. 2.5 mm, pale green, edge translucent, apex acute, rarely with a few membranous teeth. Flowers pedicellate, stellate, yellow, backed with pale green, medianly streaked with red on outer tepals, unscented; pedicels more or less spreading, 20–55 mm long, pale green; tepals 6, inserted on a short beak, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, 7–12 mm long, outer ca. 3.5 mm wide, mucronate, inner 2.5–3.0 mm wide. Stamens 6, somewhat spreading, unequal, yellow; filaments inserted on ovary beak, outer 2.5–3.0 mm long, inner 3.0– 3.5 mm long, shorter than to equalling anthers, yellow; anthers narrowly oblong, latrorse, ca. 3.5 mm long, basal lobes ca. 0.7 mm long, apex emarginate; pollen yellow. Ovary subcylindrical, 7–11 × ca. 1.5 mm, often beaked distally up to 2 mm long, 3-locular, green with a few longitudinal red stripes; style 2.0– 3.5 mm long; stigma branches erect, oblong, 3.0– 4.5 mm long, ca. as long as stamens, not lobed at base, yellow, densely papillose. Capsules unknown. Seeds unknown. Flowering period: June–September.

Distribution and habitat:— Pauridia umbraticola is known from the mountains immediately east of the Olifants River Valley, extending from Pakhuis Pass, east of Clanwilliam, southwards to Piekenierskloof Pass ( Fig. 22B ). As suggested by the epithet, the plants are confined to shady habitats. Typically these are located on seasonally wet, moss-covered sandstone rocks on south-facing slopes. The populations are scattered and small, possibly each comprising less than 30 plants. On Middelberg Pass east of Citrusdal P. umbraticola grows sympatrically with the narrow-leaved, yellow-flowered form of P. capensis .

Prior to the most recent collections, the Red List status of P. umbraticola was listed as Data Deficient. Currently the species is known from only five locations predominantly in the Olifants River Valley which continues to undergo disturbance for agriculture and road building. Since the estimated population size numbers fewer than 250 mature individuals, meeting criterion Dfor Endangered according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1 ( IUCN 2001), Irecommend reclassifying this species as Endangered (EN D).

Diagnostic features:—Based on vegetative similarities, this relatively poorly known species appears to be allied to Pauridia breviscapa , as discussed above, as well as to P. nana with which it shares a subcylindrical, 3- locular ovary topped by a solid beak. The beak, which is slightly more prominent than that of P. nana , reaches up to 2 mm long. Flowers are yellow whereas those of P. nana are white. Furthermore, the leaves are somewhat attenuate towards the base, thus they are insufficiently broad to form a sheathing neck other than that provided by the thintextured cataphyll which sometimes persists into the flowering phase. Although the fruit is not yet known, the short terminal beak suggests that the capsule opens lengthwise along the walls. Clarity on the affinities of P.umbraticola awaits the discovery of fruiting material and insights from molecular phylogenetic studies.

Additional specimens examined: — SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape: Brackfontein (QDS: 3218 BD), 1 July 1896, Schlechter 7992 ( PRE!) ; Warm Baths (QDS: 3218 DB), June 1915, L.Bolus s.n. ( NBG 190080 !) ; Piquenierskloof, Baviaanskloof (QDS: 3218 DB), 4 September 1964, Thompson 121 ( NBG!, PRE!) ; Clanwilliam, Pakhuis Pass (QDS: 3219 AA), October 1929, Leipoldt s.n. ( BOL!) ; Elandskloof, upper slopes of Middelberg (QDS: 3219 CA), 3 September 1938, Hafstrom & Acocks 250 ( PRE!) ; Eof Citrusdal, about half way up Midddelberg Pass (QDS: 3219 CA), 21 September 2009, Snijman 2351 ( NBG!) .

Figures

FIGURE 22. Distribution maps for A, Pauridia breviscapa from Northern Cape; B, P. umbraticola from Western Cape, South Africa.