Thymus richardii subsp. aureopunctatus (Beck) L. Saez , Bogunic & Bogdanovic , comb. &, 2021

Saez, Llorenc, Bogunic, Faruk, Cambria, Salvatore, Riera, Jesus & Bogdanovic, Sandro, 2021, On the identity of Thymus humifusus var. aureopunctatus (Lamiaceae) and taxonomic notes on the Th. richardii complex, PhytoKeys 186, pp. 139-158 : 139

2. Thymus richardii subsp. aureopunctatus (Beck) L. Saez, Bogunic & Bogdanovic, comb. & stat. nov.

Thymus humifusus aureopunctatus ≡ Thymus humifusus var. aureopunctatus Beck, Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 2: 142. 1887, basionym.

Thymus aureopunctatus ≡ Th. aureopunctatus (Beck) K. Malý, Prilozi za floru Bosne i Herzegovine: 557. 1908.

Type.

Herc. [Herzegovina], Nächst Konjica, 8 July 1885, G. Beck (lectotype: PRC 455886! designated here, Fig. 5 ) .

Description.

Stems up to 45 cm long, procumbent to reptant. Leaf blade up to 7.7 × 5.3 mm, suborbicular to elliptical, entire. Inflorescence 8-21 mm long, capitate; bracts up to 6.5 × 5 mm, similar to leaves, entire, usually hairy at margin (eglandular hairs up to 1 mm long). Calyx 3-5 mm long, glabrescent to sparsely hairy, with eglandular hairs up to 0.5 mm long, without stipitate glandular hairs; calyx tube 1.3-2.2 mm long, sparsely hairy, with eglandular hairs up to 0.5 mm long on the ventral surface; central tooth of upper lip 0.7-1.6 mm long, lower teeth 2-3 mm long, with hairs pectinate up to 0.5 mm long. Corolla 6-9 mm long, rose (Fig. 4 , A, B, D).

Chromosome number.

2 n = 28 ( Kaleva 1969).

Distribution.

Endemic to surroundings of Konjic ( Podorašac, Koznik, Dužani, Dudle, Džepi, Zlatar, Borci, Spiljani, Glavatičevo, Pribilja, Repovica), northern Herzegovina. The taxon covers an area of c. 280 km2.

Habitat.

Sandy dolomites and dolomitic rocky places, 400-1040 m a.s.l.

Remarks.

Beck (1887) described Th. humifusus var. aureopunctatus from "In saxosis prope Konjicam" [Bosnia and Herzegovina] and related this new variety to Thymus humifusus Bernh. ex Link, which is currently regarded a synonym of the tetraploid Th. praecox Opiz ( Jalas 1971; Euro+Med 2006; Plant List 2021; WFO 2021). Günther Beck (1856-1931) was a Bohemian botanist, and his herbarium is currently kept at PRC and W ( Stafleu and Cowan 1976). We have been able to locate original material of Th. humifusus var. aureopunctatus at PRC. This is a well-prepared specimen; it matches the description and the provenance indicated in the protologue. Therefore, we designate the specimen with barcode PRC 455886 as the lectotype of the name Th. humifusus var. aureopunctatus (Fig. 5 ). The taxon occurs in fragmented subpopulations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their habitats are threatened by forest succession and canopy closure, but frequent fire incidences represent the most serious threat to its subpopulations. However, the overall population trend of Th. richardii subsp. aureopunctatus is inferred to be generally stable (F. Bogunić, pers. observ.).

Specimens examined.

Bosnia and Herzegovina. Konjic , 8 July 1885, G. Beck (PRC 455886!, lectoptype); Konjic, Dužani, 43.509894N 18.152114E, 830 m, 10 July 2020, F. Bogunić (SARA, ZAGR, L. Sáez herb. pers.); Konjic, Džepi, 43.675506N 18.011992E 757 m, 10 July 2020, F. Bogunić (SARA, ZAGR, L. Sáez herb. pers.); Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dudle, 43.540567N 18.121261E, 1034 m, 10 July 2020, F. Bogunić (SARA, ZAGR, L. Sáez herb. pers.); Flora Herzegovinae. In pineti (Pinus nigra) inter Pričepa-Bigolje; solo dolomitico, 720 m, 9 August 1908, K. Maly (ZA); Flora Hercegovinae . In saxosis dolomiticis ad Repovica prope Konjic, 12 July 1931, V. Loschingg (ZA) .

Figures

Figure 4. Habit and detail of the inflorescence of Thymus humifusus var. aureopunctatus A, D from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Duzani, 3 July 2020; B from Bosnia and Herzegovina Dzepi, 10 July 2020 (photo F. Bogunic), and of Th. richardii subsp. richardii C, E from Spain, Balearic Islands, Mallorca, Coma de N'Arbona, 17 June 2021 (photo L. Saez).

Figure 5. Lectotype of Thymus humifusus var. aureopunctatus (PRC 455886).