Lemphoria queenslandica Edginton, Al-Shehbaz & Lysak, 2022

Lysak, Martin A., Edginton, Mark, Zuo, Sheng, Guo, Xinyi, Mandáková, Terezie & Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan A., 2022, Transfer of two Arabidella and two Cuphonotus species to the genus Lemphoria (Brassicaceae) and a description of the new species L. queenslandica, Phytotaxa 549 (2), pp. 235-240 : 239

5. Lemphoria queenslandica Edginton, Al-Shehbaz & Lysak , sp. nov.

Diagnosis:— Lemphoria queenslandica is easily distinguished from the related L. procumbens and L. eremigena by having ellipsoid to oblong (vs. linear) fruits 2–2.5 (vs. 0.6–1.4) mm wide, 20–40 (vs. ca. 50–70) ovules per ovary, and broadly spatulate to obovate and 3–5-lobed (vs. narrowly oblanceolate and [3–]5–15-lobed) cauline leaves. It also differs from L.procumbens by being pubescent throughout (vs. glabrous).

Type:— AUSTRALIA, Queensland, Kentucky Holding, at Dawson River , ca. 48 km NE of Injune , S Central Qld. , 25°31‘29“S, 148°53‘32“E, 25 Oct 2011, C. Eddie CPE1965 (Holotype: BRI AQ-819733 ) . Figure 2 .

Description:—Herbs annual, usually pubescent with spreading trichomes 0.3–0.6 mm long. Stems erect, ca. 40 cm tall, branched. Basal leaves not seen. Cauline leaves obovate to broadly spatulate in outline, strongly 3- or pinnately 5-lobed, to 7 cm long, gradually smaller on the stem distally, sparsely to moderately pubescent; petiole 0.4–2 cm long; lobes dentate, subacute, laterals smaller than terminal one. Racemes corymbose, 20–40-flowered, elongated in fruit; rachis straight; fruiting pedicels ascending to divaricate, 8–16.5 mm long, sparsely to moderately pubescent. Sepals oblong-ovate, ca. 2.5 mm long, sparsely pubescent, hyaline margined; petals white or possibly yellow, ca. 4 × 2 mm, suborbicular, narrowed to claw ca. 2 mm long; stamens 6, tetradynamous, 2–3 mm long; anthers oblong; ovary sparsely pubescent, 20–40 ovuled. Fruits dehiscent, ellipsoid to oblong, 4–6.5 × 2–2.5 mm, sessile, slightly angustiseptate, reticulate veined, sparsely pubescent to subglabrous; septum complete, translucent; style 0.5–0.8 mm long; stigma entire. Seeds uniseriate, oblong to ovoid, plump, 0.7–1 × ca. 0.5 mm, brownish, finely papillate, mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons incumbent.

Phenology: —As the novel species is only known from the type specimen collected on October 25, it is not possible to draw firm conclusions on the length and timing of the fruiting and flowering seasons. However, the inflorescence of the type specimen has mature fruits proximally and new flowers and buds distally. This implies that the species has quite a lengthy flowering and fruiting season.

Etymology: —The species epithet is named after the Australian state Queensland.

Distribution:— The species is known thus far only from the type collection on the Dawson River, 48 km NE of Injune, south-central Queensland.

Discussion: — Lemphoria queenslandica is most closely related to L. eremigena and L. procumbens , which it resembles by having siliques and biseriate seeds. It differs from both of them by the ellipsoid to oblong and slightly angustiseptate (vs. linear and subterete) fruits 2–2.5 (vs. 0.6−1.4) mm wide, fewer (20−40 vs. 50−70) ovules per ovary, and broadly spatulate to obovate (vs. narrowly oblanceolate) and 3−5-lobed [vs. (3−)5−15-lobed] cauline leaves. It differs from the other two species of the genus ( L. andraeana and L. humistrata ) by the oblong and slightly angustiseptate siliques (vs. strongly angustiseptate and elliptic to suborbicular silicles) and biseriate (vs. uniseriate) seeds in each fruit locule.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Photo of the holotype of Lemphoria queenslandica at the Queensland Herbarium (BRI).