Solenopsis bacchettae Brullo, C.Brullo, Tavilla, Siracusa & Cambria, Nord. J. Bot. 40 (12): 2, e03773.
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https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.229.104324 |
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https://treatment.plazi.org/id/454E5C6D-4813-57D4-B979-AFE08841B596 |
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Solenopsis bacchettae Brullo, C.Brullo, Tavilla, Siracusa & Cambria, Nord. J. Bot. 40 (12): 2, e03773. |
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Figs 6F View Figure 6 , 7E View Figure 7 , 8H View Figure 8 , 9F View Figure 9
Laurentia tenella Moris, Fl. Sardoa: 542, 1840-1843, non A. DC. Prodr. 7(2): 410, 1839.
Solenopsis bivonae auct. Flora Sarda, non M. B. Crespo, Serra & A. Juan, Pl. Syst. Evol. 210: 219, 1998.
Solenopsis minuta (L.) C. Presl subsp. minuta sensu Arrigoni, Fl. Is. Sard. 4: 532, 2013, non C. Presl (C. Presl 1836, p. 32).
Type.
Italy. Sardinia. Montarbu di Seui , lungo la strada sterrata ad est di Bruncu Arrascialei, su pareti umide, 986 m, 39°24'09"N, 9°53'32"E, 23 July 2018, S. Cambria s.n. (holotype: CAT, isotypes: CAT, CAG) GoogleMaps .
Description.
It differs from S. bivonae in having a basal rosette 3-10 cm in diameter, with leaves 12-60 mm long, hairy mainly on the blade, which is 5-25 × 2-12 mm and petiole 7-35 mm long; floral pedicels 2.5-7.5 cm, with bracteoles, in the lower half, 3-5.5 mm long, 0.4-0.5 mm wide, with 1-4 sessile glands at the margin per side; calyx (3.5)4-6.5 mm long, with lobes 2-3.5 mm long;c; corolla 13-16 mm long, uniformly dark blue-lilac, with tube blue-lilac, 5-6 mm long, 1-1.5 mm in diameter; upper lip with ovate-lanceolate lobes 5-7 mm long, 2.4-4 mm wide, obtuse and mucronate at apex, without papillae; lower lip 7-10 mm long, with a large yellowish 5-lobed macula at the base, bordered in the lobes by a triangular brown macula, with two thin white strips in the central part of the throat, rarely replaced by a white halo, lobes 5-8 × 3-5 mm, only at throat covered by dense papillae 0.1-0.2 mm long; stamen filaments 5-7 mm long, anther connate into a tube 1.4-1.7 mm long; style 6-8 mm long; capsule tuberculate, 3-4 mm long; seeds pale brown, 0.50-0.52 × 0.3-0.32 mm.
Iconography.
Brullo et al. (2023b), Fig. 1 View Figure 1 .
Phenology.
Flowering May to August, fruiting June to September.
Etymology.
This species is dedicated to Gianluigi Bacchetta, an active botanist from Cagliari University and an expert on the Sardinian flora.
Distribution and ecology.
According to Brullo et al. (2023b), Solenopsis bacchettae is distributed in central-east Sardinia, where it is localized on carbonatic substrates (Fig. 10 View Figure 10 ). It grows exclusively on damp soils along or near small streams with fresh water at 700-1000 m a.s.l., where it is a member of a plant community rich in endemic hygrophilous species.
Conservation status.
This species shows a scattered distribution, currently represented by few locations, where an estimated population of around 1000 individuals occurs. Based on IUCN (2022) criteria, Brullo et al. (2023b) proposed to treat it as an endangered species (EN).
Additional specimens examined.
See Brullo et al. (2023b).
Seed micromorphology
According to literature ( Murata 1992, 1995; Haridasan and Mukherjee 1993; Serra and Crespo 1997; Crespo et al. 1998; Brullo et al. 2013, 2023b), the ornamentations of the seed coat in the Lobelioideae , subfamily of Campanulaceae , show a relevant taxonomical value and phylogenetic importance. Overall, the testa structure of mature seeds within this subfamily shows well-defined and constant ornamentations in every taxon. The seed coat sculptures are characterized by long, narrow cells (50-150 μm long) separated by longitudinal furrows. From the SEM observations, the seeds of Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae (Fig. 11A1 View Figure 11 ) have an ellipsoid-fusiform shape, narrowing towards the basal and apical ends, having a size of 0.40-0.45 × 0.20-0.25 mm. As concerns its seed testa, the cells have periclinal walls distinctly convex, 4-5 μm wide, crossed by a marked convex central ridge 1.4-1.8 μm wide, with anticlinal walls linear and deeply grooved (Fig. 11B1-C1 View Figure 11 ). The seeds of S. bivonae subsp. madoniarum (Fig. 11A2, A3 View Figure 11 ) show an obovoid-ellipsoid shape, rounded at the apical end, with a size of 0.40-0.46 × 0.24-0.26 mm. As concerns its seed testa, the cells have periclinal walls distinctly convex, 5.5-8.0 μm wide, crossed by a marked convex central ridge 0.8-1.6 μm wide, with anticlinal walls linear and deeply grooved (Fig. 11B2-C2, B3-C3 View Figure 11 ). The seeds of S. bivonae subsp. peloritana (Fig. 11A4 View Figure 11 ) have an ellipsoid shape, rounded at the apical end, with a size of 0.45-0.50 × 0.24-0.26 mm. As concerns its seed testa, the cells have periclinal walls distinctly convex and smooth, 6.4-10.0 μm wide, without a central ridge, with anticlinal walls linear and deeply grooved (Fig. 11B4-C4 View Figure 11 ). The seeds of S. bivonae subsp. brutia (Fig. 11A5 View Figure 11 ) have an ellipsoid shape, rounded at the apical end, with a size of 0.46-0.50 × 0.26-0.30 mm. As concerns its seed testa, the cells have periclinal walls distinctly convex, 4.4-6.0 μm wide, crossed by a marked convex central ridge 1.4-2.0 μm wide with a row of distinct tubercles and with anticlinal walls linear and deeply grooved (Fig. 11B5-C5 View Figure 11 ). The seeds of S. meikleana (Fig. 11A6 View Figure 11 ) have a broadly ellipsoid shape, rounded at the apical end, with a size of 0.40-0.46 × 0.24-0.29 mm. Regarding its seed testa, the cells have periclinal walls slightly convex, 5.0-8.3 μm wide, crossed by an evanescent convex central ridge 0.8-1.2 μm wide, and with anticlinal walls linear and slightly grooved (Fig. 11B6-C6 View Figure 11 ). The seeds of S. bacchettae (Fig. 11A7 View Figure 11 ) have an ellipsoid shape, rounded at the apical end, with a size of 0.50-0.52 × 0.30-0.32 mm. As concerns its seed testa, the cells have periclinal walls usually quite flat, 4.0-4.5 μm wide, crossed by a slightly convex central ridge 1.0-1.6 μm wide and with anticlinal walls linear and slightly grooved (Fig. 11B7-C7 View Figure 11 ).
Phytosociological remarks
Based on our field observations during the surveys on the populations belonging to the Solenopsis bivonae group, it was possible to verify that they were always localized in very specialized humid habitats, limited to very circumscribed surfaces. As previously highlighted, three main habitats can be recognized, where usually the examined populations of Solenopsis occur. In particular, they are represented by dripping rocky walls, peat bogs, and edges of streams or springs. As concerns the wet rocky environments, the surface is usually covered by a bryophytic layer, where individuals of Adiantum capillus-veneris more or less densely grow. According to Deil (1995, 1996, 1998), these habitats represent conservative environments that remain very stable in time and space, unaffected by climate change in neither geological nor current climatic variation in the Mediterranean area. Besides, these wet stands host several vicarious taxa having a Tertiary origin ( Deil 1995, 1996, 1998) belonging, in particular, to Primula , Hypericum sect. Adenosepalum , Pinguicola , and relictual tropical ferns, such as Woodwardia radicans (L.) Sm., Pteris vittata L., P. cretica L. and Osmunda regalis L. Indeed, the current floristic composition of these peculiar hygrophilous communities results from evolutionary processes within the single taxa rather than recent changes in the environmental and ecological conditions. Therefore, the plant communities within which these species now grow must be considered the impoverished remains of those dating back to the Tertiary. Due to the climatic changes during the Quaternary and the recent Holocene, these phytocoenoses generally occupy much smaller areas than in the past, remaining almost constant in their floristic composition. At the same time, the taxa that characterize them have undergone significant speciation processes, always remaining linked to the same ecological context and maintaining their phytosociological role. These communities, due to their floristic set, structure, and ecological requirements, must be referred to the phytosociological class Adiantetea capilli-veneris Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl., Roussine and Nègre 1952, syntaxon distributed mainly in the Mediterranean area and Western Asia ( Braun-Blanquet et al. 1952; Brullo et al. 1989; Deil 1989, 1998; de Foucault 2015). Floristically, this syntaxon is differentiated mainly by the occurrence of Adiantum capillus-veneris L., Samolus valerandi L., which grow together with several bryophytes, among them Eucladium verticillatum (With.) Bruch & Schimp., Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dumort., Pellia endiviifolia (Dicks.) Dumort., P. epiphylla (L.) Corda, Scorpiurum circinatum Fleischer & Loeske, Rhynchostegiella tenella (Dicks.) Limpr. and Eurhynchium praelongum (Hedw.) Schimp. As concerns the Solenopsis species treated by us in this paper, most of them are closely related to these environments belonging to the Adiantetea capillis-veneris, which is here represented by the order Adiantetalia capillis-veneris Br.-Bl ex Horvatic 1934 and the alliance Adiantion capillis veneris Br.-Bl ex Horvatic 1934. From the syntaxonomical point of view, the Solenopsis species occurring in these wet environments can be considered local characteristics of five different new associations; they are: (A) Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum bivonae, (B) Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum madoniari, (C) Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum peloritanae, (D) Adianto capilli - veneris-Solenopsietum brutiae, (E) Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum meikleanae. Their floristic composition, structure, ecology, and chorology are examined for each of them, and their nomenclatural type is provided.
A- Adianto capilli-veneris-Solenopsietum bivonae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 1 View Table 1 , association A)
Holotypus: rel. 7, hoc loco.
Characteristic species: Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae .
Structure and ecology: This association occurs at an elevation of 10-250 m a.s.l. in the calcareous rocky walls subject to dripping by groundwater, partially covered by a bryophytic carpet mainly represented by Eucladium verticillatum , Pellia endiviifolia , Rhynchostegiella tenella , and Scorpiurum circinatum . It is differentiated physiognomically by the dominance of Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae , which with its leaf rosettes covers most of these small surfaces, usually mixing with Adiantum capillus-veneris and Samolus valerandi . The stands colonized by this vegetation are localized especially along water-courses in the cooler and shadier places.
Distribution: The association was surveyed along the Sosio river near Chiusa Sclafani, where it is quite frequent, and the Oreto River near Palermo, where, however, it is currently very rare.
B- Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum madoniari ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 1 View Table 1 , association B)
Holotypus: rel. 10, hoc loco.
Characteristic species: Solenopsis bivonae subsp. madoniarum .
Structure and ecology: This association is localized in a habitat very similar to those colonized by the previous one but linked to stands with higher elevation (700-1200 m a.s.l.). This vegetation shows a lower coverage of Adiantum capillus-veneris and a more developed bryophytic layer, characterized by Eucladium verticillatum and Pellia endiviifolia . This habitat is represented by vertical rocky walls with dripping waters coming from small springs.
Distribution: This association is quite rare, and was observed in a few mountain localities, like near Piazza Armerian and Petralia Soprana.
C- Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum peloritanae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 1 View Table 1 , association C)
Holotypus: rel. 14, hoc loco.
Characteristic species: Solenopsis bivonae subsp. peloritana .
Structure and ecology: It is a sub-mountain association closely linked to metamorphic vertical rocky walls with dripping groundwaters at an elevation of 600-700 m a.s.l. The bryophytic layer is represented by Pellia epiphylla and Conocephalum conicum , where Adiantum capillus-veneris, Solenopsis bivonae subsp. peloritana and Samolus valerandi grow, often with high values of coverage.
Distribution: This association is exclusive of a small stand in the Tyrrhenian slope of the Peloritani range.
D- Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum brutiae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 1 View Table 1 , association D)
Holotypus: rel. 17, hoc loco.
Characteristic species: Solenopsis bivonae subsp. brutia .
Structure and ecology: This association was surveyed on metamorphic wet rocky outcrops along the banks of perennial water-courses at an elevation of 130-350 m a.s.l. Physiognomically, this vegetation is dominated by Adiantum capillus-veneris and Solenopsis bivonae subsp. brutia , which grow on a well-developed bryophytic layer, characterized by Pellia epiphylla , Eucladium verticillatum , Conocephalum conicum , and Eurhynchium praelongum .
Distribution: This association was observed in North Calabria, along the banks of the lower reaches of the Lao river.
E- Adianto capilli-veneris - Solenopsietum meikleanae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 1 View Table 1 , association E)
Holotypus: rel 22, hoc loco.
Characteristic species: Solenopsis meikleana and Carex troodi Turril.
Structure and ecology: This association usually is linked to wetlands represented mainly by waterfalls and dripping walls, often near the spring, where it grows on ophiolitic substrata at an elevation of 1000-1600 m a.s.l. The vegetation is localized prevalently in the stands not directly affected by the water flow, liking less damp surfaces. In the bryophytic layer, the more frequent species are Eucladium verticillatum , Pellia epiphylla , Eurhynchium praelongum , and Scorpiurum circinatum , while among the vascular plants, the endemic Solenopsis meikleana and Carex troodi are dominant, growing together with Adiantum capillus-veneris.
Distribution: This association is endemic to the western part of the island of Cyprus, which is localized in very specialized damp habitats.
As concerns Solenopsis bivonae subsp. madoniarum , in Sicily it is more widespread in the peatlands, an uncommon and peculiar habitat, currently exclusive of the mountain belt of Madonie massif at an elevation of 1200-1600 m a.s.l. In this area, the bog mosses dominated by Sphagnum sp. pl. are circumscribed to small surfaces with groundwater emerging or fed by springs, limitedly to highly acidic substrates with siliceous origin. These stands, locally known as tremulous lands, host a very specialized vegetation dominated by a thick and deep layer of Sphagnum species, which is here represented mainly by S. auriculatum Schimp. and S. inundatum Russow [= S. obesum (Wilson) Warnst], which are associated with Aulacomnium palustre (Hedw.) Swaegr., Polytrichum commune Hedw., Bryum pseudotriquetrum (Hedw.) P. Gaertn. et al., Philonotis fontana (Hedw.) Brid., Callirgoniella cuspidata (Hedw.) Loeske, etc. ( Raimondo and Dia 1978; Raimondo et al. 2021). The phytosociological relevés carried out by some of the authors, always on the Madonie massif (Table 2 View Table 2 ), agree quite well with those previously published by Petronici et al. (1978) and Raimondo et al. (1980, 2021). This vegetation, where Solenopsis bivonae subsp. madoniarum grows together with the bryophytes mentioned above, was attributed by Raimondo et al. (2021) to a new association proposed as Sphagno auriculati - Caricetum echinatae and arranged in the Caricion fuscae Koch, 1926, an alliance of the Scheuchzerio palustris - Caricetea fuscae Tüxen, 1937. This class is distributed in the Euro-Siberian territory, reaching the Mediterranean region, limited to restricted mountain stands, which assume a relict meaning.
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Solenopsis bacchettae Brullo, C.Brullo, Tavilla, Siracusa & Cambria, Nord. J. Bot. 40 (12): 2, e03773.
| Brullo, Salvatore, Brullo, Cristian, Cambria, Salvatore, Tomaselli, Valeria, Crisafulli, Alessandro, Siracusa, Giuseppe, Minissale, Pietro & del Galdo, Gianpietro Giusso 2023 |
Solenopsis bivonae
| M. B. Crespo, Serra & A. Juan subsp. brutia Brullo, C. Brullo, Cambria, Tomaselli, Minissale & Giusso 2023 |