Hierochloe redolens var. altissima, Lema-Suárez, Irene, Sahuquillo, Elvira & Pimentel, Manuel, 2021

Lema-Suárez, Irene, Sahuquillo, Elvira & Pimentel, Manuel, 2021, A revision of Hierochloe sect. Monoecia (Anthoxanthinae, Pooideae, Poaceae), Phytotaxa 478 (1), pp. 92-104 : 101

4.5. Hierochloe redolens var. altissima ( Steudel 1855 [1853]: 16) Lema, Sahuquillo & Pimentel comb. nov.

Basionym: Hierochloe altissima Steudel (1855 [1853]: 16).

Type: CHILE. Valdivia , “in pasquis pr. Arique et Valdivia”, Lechler 246 (lectotype-here designated: P-01931082 digital image!; isolectotypes: P- 02302772 digital image!, B-100367031 digital image!, W-18890070069 digital image!, S-R-2927 digital image!, FR n.v., L n.v.) .

Homotypic names: Anthoxanthum altissimum (Steudel) Veldkamp in Schouten & Veldkamp (1985: 347). Anthoxanthum utriculatum var. altissimum (Steudel) N. Villalobos & Finot (2019: 129) .

Description: Robust grass, (60)100–150(220) cm; culms with 3–5-brown and glabrous nodes. Ligules obtuse. Leafblades (20) 30–75 cm × 5–14 mm, flat, scabrous on both sides and striate adaxially. Panicle 15–25 × 1–3 cm, spiciform, interrupted. Lower branches adpressed. Peduncle, rhachis and branches scabrous. Spikelets (6)7–8(9) mm. Glumes lanceolate, 3-veined, midvein scabrous, apex obtuse. Glumes shorter than or equal to the florets. Lower glume (5) 6.5– 7.5 mm. Upper glume 6–8 mm. Lemma of male florets 6–8.5 mm, reddish brown, papyraceous, scabrous, ciliolate on midvein and obtuse. Lemma of lower male floret elliptic, 1-keeled, 5-veined. Awn 1.5–2 mm, straight, subapically inserted. Lemma of upper male floret oblong. Awn 2.3–3 mm, straight, apically or subapically inserted. Lemma of apical female floret 4 mm long, membranaceous.

Leaf anatomy: Long cells 170–340 μm long. Stomata in adaxial surface or in both, 42–50 μm. Leaf section open with 30-50 quadrangular ribs ( Figure 1. C )

Habitat: Sandy soils in coastal areas and riverbanks, 0–350 m a.s.l. ( De Paula 1975, Sede 2012).

Distribution: Present in Central-South Chile (from Biobio to Los Lagos, including Chiloe Island; De Paula 1975, Sede 2012).

Genome size and DNA-ploidy levels: 2C = 18.19–19.08 pg, 6 x, and 2C = 27.04–27.91 pg, 12 x.

Phenology: November–January.

Specimens examined:— CHILE. Araucania Region: Lake Budi, track border surrounding the lake, after Llanqui toward Puancho and before the beach, 35 m, S 38º 56.504’ W 073º 15.522’, 13 January 2014, E. Sahuquillo & M. Pimentel s.n. (SANT-73530); Los Rios Region: Valdivia: Castro, Huiro beach, reed bed behind the dune surrounded by meadows, Eucalyptus sp. and Ulex sp. , 32 m, S 39º 57.489’ W 073º 35.598’, 15 January 2014, E. Sahuquillo & M. Pimentel s.n. (SANT-73528). Valdivia: Niebla: Caleta el Molinar, among the vegetation and the houses near the beach, 0 m, S 39º 51.056’ W 073º 23.487’, 14 January 2014, E. Sahuquillo & M. Pimentel s.n. (SANT-73527); Valdivia: Niebla: Road towards Cerro Oncol, by the track, 341 m, S 39º 43.243’ W 073º 21.020’, 14 January 2014, E. Sahuquillo & M. Pimentel s.n. (SANT-73529).

Observations: In the protologue, Steudel (1855) indicated that the specimens used in the combination were collected by Lechler in Valdivia ( Chile; “Lechler legit Valdiviae”). Parodi (1941) proposed that the plant labelled as Lechler nº 246 from P (P- 02302772) should be considered the “typus”. Other plants collected by Lechler with the same number are stored in different herbaria, including B, W and S (B-100367031, W-18890070069, S-R-2927). According to Turland et al. (2018), they must be considered syntypes (Article 7.11, Ex. 13). We designate the specimen P- 02302772 as the lectotype based on Article 9.17, Recommendation 9A (1&2) ( Turland et al. 2018).

Recently, Villalobos et al. (2019) indicated that morphological results do not justify the separation of this taxon from H. utriculata (sub Antoxanthum utriculatum ). However, molecular analyses ( Lema-Suarez et al. 2018) recovered some variation for H. altissima , and we consider that the varietal status is adequate.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hierochloe sect. Monoecia micromorphology details.A–C. Leaf transverse section. A. H. pusilla, leaf transverse section open with round ribs. B. H. juncifolia, leaf transverse section closed with polygonal ribs. C. H. redolens var. altissima, leaf transverse section open with quadrangular ribs. D–F. Leaf epidermis. D. H. redolens var. gunckelii, adaxial epidermis with long cells type I3 and stomata. E. H. pusilla, leaf epidermis with long cells type I3 and short cells S5 (round). F. H. juncifolia, leaf epidermis with long cells type I3 and short cells S2 (ax shaped).