Menonvillea purpurea (Hastings) Rollins (1955: 37)

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 : 285-286

21. Menonvillea purpurea (Hastings) Rollins (1955: 37) . Hexaptera purpurea Hastings (1905: 622) Type:— CHILE. [Región Metropolitana] Prov. Santiago, rocks near Laguna Negra, 10,000 ft [3,048 m], 6 February 1902, G. T. Hastings 480 (lectotype here designated US 530369!; isolectotypes BH!, NY!, UC 67055!).

Hexaptera linearis Barnéoud in Gay (1846: 176), non Menonvillea linearis de Candolle (1821b: 420) . Type:— CHILE. [Región del Libertador General O'Higgins]. Prov. Colchagua, Talcarequé, February 1831, C. Gay s.n. (holotype P!).

Perennials with woody, simple or branched caudex. Stems (10−) 25−40 cm, erect, simple or sometimes branched, usually glabrous or rarely sparsely pubescent with simple, slender, arachnoid trichomes to 0.35 mm long. Basal and lowermost cauline leaves subsessile; blade linear to narrowly spatulate, subfleshy, (1−)2.5−5(−8.5) cm × 1−2(−4) mm, glabrous, base attenuate, margin entire, divided near apex into 3, oblong to linear lobes or less frequently undivided; uppermost cauline leaves undivided upwards, smaller than basal ones. Racemes terminal, rarely axillary, ebracteate, elongated considerably in fruit, 4−9 cm long; rachis glabrous or sparsely pubescent, straight in fruit; fruiting pedicels ascending at base, somewhat recurved, 1.5−3.5(−4) mm long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with crisped trichomes. Sepals often tinged purple, narrowly oblong, (3−)4−6(−7) mm long, glabrous, erect, saccate at base, caducous, margin membranous; petals yellowish, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, (6−)7–9(−12.5) × 0.8−1(−1.7) mm, minutely papillate at base or glabrous; stamens tetradynamous; filaments free, erect, sparsely papillate and not dilated at base, 3.5−5(−7) mm long; anthers oblong, 0.9−1.5 mm long; nectar glands confluent, flat, somewhat petaloid. Fruits broadly oblong, glabrous or sparsely papillate; valves 3-winged, (3−)4−5.5 × 2.5− 4.5(−5.5) mm, notched at apex and base, rarely with small callus at base of dorsal wing; wings 0.8−1 mm wide, flat; gynophore 0.8−1.7 mm long; style 1−2 mm long; stigma slightly decurrent. Seeds oblong, 2−2.5 × 1−2 mm, wingless, plump; cotyledons incumbent.

Distribution and habitat:— Menonvillea purpurea is endemic to Chile and grows in central and southern regions IV (Coquimbo), V (Valparaíso), Metropolitana de Santiago, VI (Libertador O’Higgins), VII (Maule) and IX (Araucanía) on rocky areas and cliffs at elevations of 50−2800 m ( Fig. 13K ).

Phenology:— Flowers mainly from October to January.

Taxonomic notes:— Menonvillea purpurea differs from M. constitutionis by its 3-lobed (vs. undivided) leaves, lax (vs. densely corymbose) fruiting racemes, ascending to recurved pedicels 1.5−3.5(−4) mm long (vs. ascending to arcuate pedicels 3.5−6 mm long), and oblong and plump (vs. ovoid to slightly compressed) seeds. It resembles M. linearis in the perennial habit, woody and branched caudex, and subsessile and linear to narrowly spatulate leaves with entire or 3-lobed apex but differs by having 3-winged, usually non-callose (vs. valves 2-winged and strongly callose) fruit valves. However, one rarely finds specimens of M. purpurea with a small callus at base of the dorsal wing, as is Lammers 7743 (CONC) or Biese 910 (LIL).

Representative Specimens:— CHILE. IV Coquimbo: Prov. Limarí, Com. Combarbalá, Cuesta Espino between Illapel and Combarbalá, 1 November 1974, Zöllner 7913 ( CONC) . V Valparaíso: Prov. San Antonio, Com. Algarrobo Algarrobo Norte, Playa Mirasol , 4 March 1952, Boelcke 9056 ( BAA) ; Prov. Valparaíso, Com. Valparaíso, 21 km S Punta de Angeles on the costal road from Valparaíso to Laguna Verde , November 1990, Lammers et al. 7743 ( CONC, NY) . Región Metropolitana de Santiago: Prov. Cordillera, Com. San José de Maipo, Cajón de Morales , entre Baños Morales y las Panimávidas , 26 January 2002, Teillier & Márquez 5301 ( CONC) , Río Yeso, Laguna de los Piuquenes , 13 January 1945, Biese 910 ( LIL, SGO) ; Prov. Santiago, Com. Lo Barnechea, camino a Valle Nevado , 19 December 2006, Teillier 5536 ( CONC) . VI Libertador O’Higgins: Prov. Cardenal Caro, Com. Litueche, Hacienda Topocalma , 11 November 1982, Muñoz 1781 ( SGO) ; Prov. Colchagua, Com. Chimbarongo, Cerro Centinela , 12 October 1923, Montero 2792 ( CONC) . VII Maule: Prov. Curicó, Com. Vichuquén, Llico , 29 October 1995, Gosewijn s.n. ( SGO 138175 ) . IX Araucanía: Prov. Malleco, Com. Victoria, Victoria , November 1887, Philippi s.n. ( SGO 78096) .

Sect. Scapigera Salariato & Al-Shehbaz, sect. nov. Type species: Menonvillea scapigera (Phil.) Rollins.

Herbs perennial, with a branched caudex. Stems 1 to many, simple or branched above, commonly scapose. Trichomes simple, terete. Basal leaves long petiolate, rosulate; blade oblanceolate or suborbicular to reniform, simple, dentate to pinnately or palmately lobed; cauline leaves commonly absent or rarely few. Racemes ebracteate. Sepals not saccate. Petals white; claw differentiated from blade, papillate at base. Stamens tetradynamous; filaments dilated and papillate at base, inner pairs connate or rarely free. Nectar glands 1, confluent. Fruit glabrous, 2-, 3-, or 5-winged, rarely wingless, without callosities. Stigma capitate, entire or rarely somewhat 2-lobed. Cotyledons incumbent to obliquely so.

Three species.

Key to the species of Menonvillea sect. Scapigera

1. Leaf blade usually palmately lobed; petals and stamens persistent after fruit dehiscence; replum expanded apically, with a septal perforation; fruit valves wingless ......................................................................................................... M. zuloagaensis

- Leaf blade dentate to pinnately lobed; petals and stamens caducous shortly after anthesis; replum not expanded apically, without septal perforation; fruit valves 2-, 3- or 5-winged .................................................................................................... 2

2. Basal leaves dentate; racemes shorter than basal leaves; filaments of median pairs of stamens united to 1/5−1/4 of their length ............................................................................................................................................................... M. famatinensis

- Basal leaves pinnately lobed; racemes longer than basal leaves; filaments of median pairs of stamens united to 1/3−4/5 of their length ........................................................................................................................................................... M. scapigera

Figures

FIGURE 13. Distribution of species of Menonvillea sect. Menonvillea. A, M. chilensis. B, M. constitutionis. C, M. filifolia. D, M. flexuosa. E, M. linearis. F. M. litoralis. G. M. marticorenae. H, M. minima. I, M. orbiculata. J, M. pinnatifida. K, M. purpurea.