Menonvillea cuneata (Gillies & Hook.) Rollins (1955: 17), 1764

Salariato, Diego L., Zuloaga, Fernando O. & Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan A., 2014, A revision of the genus Menonvillea (Cremolobeae, Brassicaceae), Phytotaxa 162 (5), pp. 241-298 : 262-263

3. Menonvillea cuneata (Gillies & Hook.) Rollins (1955: 17) . Hexaptera cuneata Gillies & Hook. in Hooker (1830: 352). Type:— ARGENTINA. [Provincia de Mendoza]. Between Cortaderas and Río de las Vacas, A. Cruickshanks 95 (holotype K!).

Hexaptera jussiaei Barnéoud in Gay (1846: 179). Type:— CHILE. [Región de Coquimbo]. Coquimbo, without locality, C. Gay 336 (holotype P!; isotypes F!, G!, GH!, K!, LE!, NY!, P!).

Hexaptera violacea Philippi (1872: 673) . Hexaptera cuneata Gillies & Hook. var. violacea (Phil.) Reiche (1895: 88) . Type:— CHILE. [Región de Coquimbo]. Quebrada Escondida, 1860−1861, G. Volkmann s.n. [lectotype designated by Al-Shehbaz et al. (2011: 284), SGO 63963!; isolectotype SGO 68265!].

Hexaptera tridens Philippi (1891: 6) . Hexaptera jussiaei Barnéoud var. tridens (Phil.) Reiche (1895: 88) . Type:— CHILE. [Región de Atacama]. Cuesta Maricunga, January 1885, F. Philippi s.n. [lectotype designated by Al-Shehbaz et al. (2011: 284), SGO 63957!; isolectotypes B!, K!, SGO 68269!].

Hexaptera kurtzii Hosseus (1921: 97) . Type:— ARGENTINA. [Provincia de San Juan]. Los Patillos, Cordillera del Espinazito , 10 February 1897, F. Kurtz 9661 (holotype CORD!) .

Decaptera trifida Turczaninow (1846: 498) . Type :— CHILE. [Región de Valparaíso]. Prov. Aconcagua, without locality, T. Bridges s.n. (holotype KW!; isotypes, GH!, LE!) .

Cespitose perennials with deep, woody, much-branched caudex. Stems (5−)10−20(−32) cm, herbaceous to woody, slender, several to numerous from base, erect to subdecumbent, branched or not above, pubescent to canescent with simple, terete, straight, retrorse or rarely spreading trichomes 0.4−1(–1.2) mm long. Leaves cauline, not rosulate, subsessile or less frequently shortly petiolate; blade oblanceolate to cuneate, rarely obovate, (6−)1020(−35) × 4−10 mm, canescent, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, apex 3-dentate or sometimes 3-lobed, ocassionally entire and then acute to rounded. Racemes terminal, ebracteate or most commonly bracteate proximally, corymbose, densely flowered, elongated in fruit, 2−7(−10) cm long; rachis densely pubescent, straight; fruiting pedicels ascending, divaricate to reflexed, straight to recurved, (5−)7−12(−15) mm long, hirsute. Sepals oblong, (2.5−)4− 5.5(−6.5) × (1.2−)1.5−2(−2.3) mm, pubescent, erect, not saccate, caducous, margin scarious; petals white to creamy white, often drying purplish, spatulate, (4−)6−10(−12) × (1.5−) 2−2.5 mm, clawed, not papillate at base; stamens tetradynamous; filaments free, erect, white, slightly dilated and glabrous at base, (2−)4−5(−7) mm long; anthers narrowly oblong, (0.8−)1.1−1.6(−2) mm long, sagittate at base; nectar glands confluent, subtending bases of all filaments. Fruits subglobose to ellipsoid, glabrous or hirsute; valves 3- or 5(or 7)-winged, obscurely to conspicuously veined, (4−)5−8(−11) × (3−)5−8(−10) mm, emarginate apically; lateral and dorsal wings well developed, (0.5−)1.1−2.5(−3.5) mm wide; gynophore 0.5−1.8 mm long; style (1−)1.5−3.5(−4.5) mm long; stigma subdecurrent. Seeds oblong to ovate, (2−)2.5−4 × (1.2−) 1.8−3 mm, wingless, flattened; cotyledons accumbent.

Distribution and habitat:— Menonvillea cuneata is widely distributed in north-central Argentina (Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, and Mendoza) and Chile (Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Región Metropolitana de Santiago and Libertador O’Higgins). It grows on gravel, partially serpentinized rock, stony ground, and among loose rocks at 1700−4600 m ( Fig. 12C ).

Phenology:— Flowers mainly from December to March.

Taxonomic notes:— Menonvillea cuneata is highly variable in leaf shape (oblanceolate to cuneate or rarely obovate), leaf apex (3-dentate, sometimes 3-lobed, or rarely entire and then acute to rounded), indumentum (pubescent to canescent with retrorse or rarely spreading trichomes), fruit size [(4−)5−8(−11) mm long], wings number [3 or 5(or 7)], and flower size [petals (4−)6−10(−12) mm long]. Although several variants were segregated as separate species, they fall within the morphological range of M. cuneata . Menonvillea nordenskjoeldii , M. rigida , and M. virens are morphologically related to M. cuneata , with M. virens being closely related in the molecular phylogenies. However, they are morphologically distinct to merit independent recognition (see comments under these species).

Representative Specimens:— ARGENTINA. Catamarca: Depto. Tinogasta, Tres Quebradas , 31 March 1951, Vervoorst 3245 ( BAA, LIL) . La Rioja: Depto. Lamadrid, entre río Las Cuevas y Portillo del Alto , 25 January 1949, Krapovickas & Hunziker 5595 ( BAB) ; Depto. Vinchina, Laguna Mulas Muertas , 5 February 1947, Hunziker 2186 ( BAA, SI) . Mendoza: Depto. Las Heras, Puente del Inca, faldeo S Cerro Banderita N, 12 January 1963, Boelcke et al. 9804 ( BAA) ; Depto. Luján de Cuyo, La Jaula, Río Mendoza sup., 25 January 1886, Kurtz 3471 ( BAA, CORD, LP, SI) ; Depto. Malargüe, Alto valle del Atuel , 2º del arroyo Nield , 9 January 1954, Guimon Poci s.n. ( MERL 15728 ) ; Depto. San Carlos, Cerro Laguna , en inmediaciones de la Estación de Altura Perón, 15 January 1952, Ruíz Leal 14596 ( MERL) ; Depto. San Rafael, Agua amarilla, Volcán Overo , El Sosneado , 21 January 1973, Lagiglia & D'Antoni 1331 ( LP) ; Depto. Tunuyán, inmediaciones del Paso del Portillo mendocino, entre las Crucecitas y El Pozo , 25 january 1900, Ruíz Leal 1901 ( LIL, MERL) . San Juan: Depto. Calingasta, Oeste de Barreal: El Pachón : de casilla naranja a casilla amarilla, 9 February 1977, Kiesling & Sáenz 1398 ( SI) ; Depto. Iglesia, Quebrada Agua Negra, 11 km antes del límite con Chile , ruta internacional 150, 28 January 2008, Al-Shehbaz 806 ( MO, SI) . CHILE. III Atacama: Prov. Chañaral, Com. Diego de Almagro, Camino de Potrerillos al Salar de Maricunga , 53 km al interior del Tranque La Ola , 14 February 1966, Ricardi et al. 1638 ( BAB, CONC, LP) ; Prov. Copiapó, Com. Tierra Amarilla, Laguna del Negro Francisco , 2 February 1944, Muñoz 3977 ( SGO) ; Prov. Huasco, Com. Alto del Carmen, Quebrada Cantarito entre Quebrada Marancel y Portezuelo Cantarito , 12 February 1981, Arroyo 81630 ( CONC) . IV Coquimbo: Prov. Choapa, Com. Salamanca , al E de Cuncumén, ladera S, 9 January 1984, Zöllner 11879 ( BAA) , Prov. Elqui, Com.Vicuña, rodados Cerro Colorado y rodados Lagunitas en el Río Seco , 16 February 1940, Wagenknecht 5424 ( CONC, SI) ; Prov. Limarí, Com. Monte Patria, Cordillera de Ovalle , Quebrada Larga , 17 February 1958, Jiles 3423 ( CONC) . V Valparaíso: Prov. Los Andes, Com. San Estebán, Ascensión al Monte Aconcagua , 1 February1983, Gálvez s.n. ( SGO 109237 ) . Región Metropolitana de Santiago: Prov. Cordillera, Com. San José del Maipo, Camino entre Laguna del Yeso y Baños del Plomo, 1 December 1992, von Bohlen 1450 ( SGO) ; Prov. Santiago, Com. Lo Barnechea, Valle Nevado , última pista, trayecto desde Alto tres Puntas hasta piedra numerada, camino a cerro El Plomo , January1993, Solervicens s.n. ( SGO 130779 ) . VI Libertador O´Higgins: Prov. Cachapoal, Com. Mostazal, Cordillera del Peuco , no date, Philippi ( SGO 78136) .

Figures

FIGURE 12. Distribution of species of Menonvillea sect. Cuneata. A, M. cicatricosa. B, M. comberi. C, M. cuneata. D, M. frigida. E, M. macrocarpa. F. M. nordenskjoeldii. G. M. patagonica. H, M. rigida. I, M. spathulata. J, M. virens.