Solenopsis bivonae (Tineo) M.B.Crespo, Serra & A.Juan, Pl. Syst. Evol. 210(3-4): 219. 1998. subsp. bivonae

Brullo, Salvatore, Brullo, Cristian, Cambria, Salvatore, Tomaselli, Valeria, Crisafulli, Alessandro, Siracusa, Giuseppe, Minissale, Pietro & del Galdo, Gianpietro Giusso, 2023, Taxonomic and ecological remarks on Solenopsis bivonae species complex (Campanulaceae), PhytoKeys 229, pp. 77-111 : 77

1.1. Solenopsis bivonae (Tineo) M.B.Crespo, Serra & A.Juan, Pl. Syst. Evol. 210(3-4): 219. 1998. subsp. bivonae

Figs 1 , 6A , 7A , 8C , 9A

Description.

Basal rosette 2-12.5 cm in diameter, with leaves 12-100 mm long, spathulate, with blade 6-40 × 4-15 mm and petiole 5-60 mm long; floral pedicels 5-11 cm, with (1) 2 bracteoles, very close near the middle, 2-2.4 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, hairy at the apex, with 1-4 stipulated glands at the margin per side; calyx 3-4 mm long, with lobes 2-3 mm long; corolla 10-12 mm long, with tube lilac, 4-5 mm long, ca.1 mm in diameter; upper lip with lobes 3.5-4.5 mm long, 1.3-1.7 mm wide, bluish-lilac, acute at apex, provided in the ventral face with papillae in the central part, 0.25-0.6 mm long; lower lip 5-7 mm long, with a small greenish-yellow macula at the base, slightly bordered of brown at base, lobes ovate and mucronate at the apex, 3.5-4.5 × 3-4 mm, covered by not very dense papillae for more than the lower half; stamen filaments 4-4.5 mm long, anther connate into a tube 1.5-1.8 mm long; the two lower anthers are without papillae at basis; the three upper anthers with hairs in the upper part of the back; style 4-4.5 mm long; capsule smooth, 1.6-2 mm long; seeds ellipsoid-fusiform, brownish, 0.40-0.45 × 0.2-0.25 mm.

Iconography.

Bivona-Bernardi (1806) tav. 2, sub Lobelia tenella ; Boccone (1697) tav. 27, fig. top right, sub Rapunculus aquaticus, minimus, repens, alpinus, bellidis folio, flore caeruleo inaperto; Brullo et al. (2023b) Figs 2C, D , 4 .

Etymology.

It is dedicated to Antonino Bivona Bernardi, Sicilian botanist (1770-1837), who first described this species.

Phenology.

Flowering late April to September, fruiting May to September.

Distribution and ecology.

According to herbarium investigations and our field survey, this taxon occurs in North-West Sicily (Fig. 10 ), in the surroundings of Palermo, especially along the banks of the Oreto River, where it is today very rare, while it is very widespread along the Sosio river near Chiusa Sclafani. Previously, it was reported from Alcamo, where unfortunately it is extinct. As concerns its ecological requirements, it is localized at an elevation between 10 and 250 m, growing on calcareous vertical wet rocky places affected by permanent dripping (Fig. 8A ). The plant community characterized by this hygrophyte can be referred to the phytosociological class Adiantatea capilli-veneris Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl., Roussine and Nègre 1952 (cfr. Cambria 2020). This habitat is floristically differentiated by a moss carpet where grow also Adiantum capillus-veneris L. and Samolus valerandi L.

Conservation status.

Currently, this taxon’s result is circumscribed in Sicily to two wet stands (Oreto and Sosio rivers), where it is very rare in the first locality and quite spread in the second one. Overall, this plant results in it being seriously threatened since it is linked to wetlands potentially subject to anthropic pressure, which tends to alter the water regime, prejudicing its survival. Therefore, in agreement with Conti et al. (1997), who quoted it as S. minuta subsp. nobilis , it can be treated as Endangered (EN), following IUCN criteria ( IUCN 2022).

Additional specimens examined.

Italy, Sicily. Palermo in herbosis uliginosis, August 1888, H. Ross s.n. (PAL-GREUTER 8699, AMD43927 ); Sicile, 1831, M. Tineo s.n. (P00260397); Mondello, In locis hyeme inundatis, 1847, M. Alb. de Franqueville s.n. (P00260381); Orethus fluvius, locus rivulos, 1846, M. Alb. de Franqueville s.n. (P00260380); Palermo , s.d., Tineo s.n. (FI); Fiume Oreto , s.d., Tineo s.n. (FI); Fiume Oreto presso Palermo , s.d., Parlatore s.n. (FI); Palermo ad ripas F. Oreto, 25 April 1888, N. Guzzino 3068 ( AMD43928 ); Palermo : fiume Oreto , 13 May 1888, D. Lanza s.n. ( AMD43930 ); Palermo ad fluviorum margines, May, A. Todaro s.n. (L2993294, FI, RO); Palermo , ad acquae dulcis in herbosis uliginosis, June 1895, H. Ross 42 (L2993297, O-V2262582, FI); ex Sicilia, s. d., G. Gussone s.n. (L2993298); Palermo in herbosis uliginosis, June 1888, H. Ross s.n. (L2993299, RO); Palermo , ad rivulorum margines, August, A. Todaro 463 (U1178908, P03406807, FI, RO); Fiume Oreto in humidis marginis, s.d., A. Todaro s.n. (U1178909); Palermo al fiume Oreto (Sicilia), in maritimis ad muros humidos, July 1881, M. Lojacono s.n. (P04608258, P00260396, MPU255098, FI); Ad muros madidos, Palermo , July, M. Lojacono s.n. ( PAL39476 ); Palermo , June 1889, A. Todaro s.n. (P00260403); In humidis ad muros prope Panormum , 20 May 1855, E. & A. Huet du Pavillon (O-V2263343, FI); Lungo l'Oreto a Palermo , 22 August 1902, A. Mazza s.n. (FI); Panormi , ad rivulos alla Guadagna , September 1869, F. Parlatore s.n. (FI); Palermo a S. Maria di Gesu , in luoghi umidi, 1 May 1895, Biondi s.n. (FI); Fiume Oreto presso la Guadagna e S. Erasmo, June 1834, F. Parlatore s.n. (FI); Palermo alla Guadagna , 29 September 1868, F. Parlatore s.n. (FI); In humidis Palermo , s.d., A. Todaro s.n. (RO); Fiume Oreto , 1817, Tineo s.n. (RO); Fiume Oreto , Palermo , 38°5'18.17"N, 13°20'35.45"E, 46 m, 29 July 2018, S. Cambria s.n. (CAT); Alcamo in humentibus arenosis, May, Citarda 241 (RO); Fiume Sosio, S. Carlo, Chiusa Sclafani, 19 August 1995, G. Certa s.n. ( PAL89386 ); Contrada Tagliarini près du fleuve Sosio, commune de Prizzi, province de Palerme, Sicile, Altitude: m. 640 environ. Le long bords humides. 20 August 1996, G. Certa s.n. ( PAL39475 ); Fiume Sosio, 28 August 1986, G. Spampinato s.n. (CAT037289); Fiume Sosio, località S. Carlo (Chiusa Sclafani), 37°38'22.13"N, 13°15'59.66"E, 223 m, 10 July 2018, S. Cambria & G. Di Gregorio s.n. (CAT) .

Figures

Figure 1. Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae A habit B leaf C bracts D flower in dorsal view E bud F open corolla G open calyx H calyx and capsule I anther in lateral view J anther in lateral view with exerted stigma K unicellular papillae occurring in the ventral face of the corolla L seeds. Drawn by Salvatore Brullo.

Figure 2. Solenopsis bivonae subsp. madoniarum A habit B leaf C bracts D flower in dorsal view E flower in lateral view F open corolla G open calyx H calyx and capsule I anther in lateral view J anther in lateral view with exerted stigma K unicellular papillae occurring in the ventral face of the corolla L seeds M bract detail. Drawn by Salvatore Brullo.

Figure 4. Solenopsis bivonae subsp. brutia A habit B leaves C bracts D flower in dorsal view E open corolla F open calyces G calyx and capsule H anther in lateral view I anther in lateral view with stigma. J seeds K unicellular papillae occurring in the ventral face of the corolla. Drawn by Salvatore Brullo.

Figure 6. Open corolla (1) and detail of corolla papillae (2) of Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae (A), S. bivonae subsp. peloritana (B), S. bivonae subsp. brutia (C), S. bivonae subsp. madoniarum (D), S. meikleana (E) and S. bacchettae (F). Drawn by Salvatore Brullo.

Figure 7. Flowers in frontal view in natural habitat of Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae (A), S. bivonae subsp. madoniarum (B), S. bivonae subsp. peloritana (C), S. bivonae subsp. brutia (D), S. bacchettae (E) and S. meikleana (F). Photographed by Salvatore Cambria (A-C, E, F) and Lorenzo Peruzzi (D).

Figure 8. Natural habitat along the Sosio river (Sicily) colonized by Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae (A). Natural habitat in Madonie massif (Sicily) colonized by S. bivonae subsp. madoniarum (B). Habit of S. bivonae subsp. bivonae from Sosio River (C). Habit of S. bivonae subsp. madoniarum from Madonie massif (D). Habit of S. bivonae subsp. peloritana from Mela River, Sicily (E). Habit of S. bivonae subsp. brutia from Lao River, Calabria (F). Habit of S. meikleana from Cedar Valley, Cyprus (G). Habit of S. bacchettae from Seui, Sardinia (H). Photographed by Salvatore Cambria (A-E, G, H) and Lorenzo Peruzzi (F).

Figure 9. Habit of living plants of Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae from Sosio river (A), S. bivonae subsp. madoniarum from Madonie massif (B). S. bivonae subsp. peloritana from Mela River (C). Habit of S. bivonae subsp. brutia from Lao River (D). S. meikleana from Cedar Valley, Cyprus (E). S. bacchettae from Seui, Sardinia (F).

Figure 10. Geographical distribution of Solenopsis bivonae subsp. bivonae (black dots); S. bivonae subsp. madoniarum (red dots); S. bivonae subsp. peloritana (pale blue dot); S. bivonae subsp. brutia (dark blue dot); S. meikleana (purple dots); S. bacchettae (green dots).